“Absolutely ROTTEN!” New Files REVEAL Queen Elizabeth’s Support For Andrew + Meghan Markle Backlash

King Charles actually put up objections to this appointment.He said he's going to go play golf, chase a woman and try and make money on the side.No one quite knew who was controlling him.£15 million of British taxpayers' money was spent on Andrew.I just hope that this is the beginning of justice finally being done.

I just wonder if she just didn't really understand what it meant to be part of that establishment.It was like a satire.I couldn't believe it was actually serious.

If it was in a soap opera, we wouldn't believe it.

It's crazy, isn't it?Eight years later, having told us or how ghastly the British royal family were.She posts all these pictures of her wedding day.She can't show any pictures of any of the guests because they don't speak to any of them.

There's a Meghan effect within the fashion industry.The brands don't want to do a sort of formal deal because she's my wife, right?

I've been reporting quite a lot about the King's health.I know this is the world's uncensored, so I'm sure we can have a frank but respectful conversation.

This week on the Royals Uncensored, no vetting, no visits to unsophisticated countries, and a rare personal endorsement from the late Queen.New files reveal how Andrew landed the role at the centre of a major Epstein investigation.And Harry and Meghan mark their eighth wedding anniversary in style with a $64 candle which smells like England.Yes, England.Recollections may vary.Anne -Meghan gives a major speech about child safety on social media before posting another picture with her child on social media.

Plus, don't you dare call them Posh and Becks.The King and Queen met David Beckham at the Chelsea Flower Show before heading to Northern Ireland.We'll bring you right up to date with that.And as 30 Royal Protection officers are investigated for sleeping on the job, We'll give you the secret truth about the royal night shift.

I'm Jo Elvin.And I'm Katie Nicholl.And as ever, we're joined by Grant Harold, who never sleeps on the job.And of course, he's our resident royal butler.

Well, in a moment, we'll be joined by brother and sister duo, Plum Sykes and Tom Sykes.But first,to react to today's news about the former Prince Andrew, I'm pleased to say that we are joined by Andrew Lowney, the author of Entitled, The Rise and Fall of the House of York.Welcome to Andrew.This is extraordinary afternoon here we have with this breaking news that the Queen was actually personally demanding that Andrew Mountbatten -Windsor be Britain's trade envoy.This is, of course, in a newly released tranche of documents from from number 10.

What's your take what can you tell us.

Well, I'm pleased that some documents have been released.I spent the last five years trying to get these sort of documents.And I hope this is the beginning of a new era of transparency.We knew that the Queen had been protecting Andrew, had been pushing him.I actually say this in my book.And so it doesn't really surprise me.

But it is worrying that he wasn't properly checked.And I think the main thing is that there wasn't a proper line supervision.I mean, no one quite knew who was controlling him.And he kind of wandered around his own thing as it suited him.Interesting to see that, you know, he didn't want to be seen to be playing golf because that's actually one of the things he did most on these trips.

It's extraordinary, isn't it, to think, you know, none of those unsophisticated countries.Thank you very much.But what I'm interested in, Andrew, is why do you think the Queen was so keen?Did you think that she actually thought he'd be great at this or was she just trying to solve a problem called Andrew?

Yes, I think he'd lobbied her very hard in the Navy, which he had to leave.He got as far as he could go.And he wanted what he called a big job.And we know that he bullied her at the end of her life.But I'm afraid all the way through her life, he was sort of there.I mean, towards the end, he was going up there for lunch on a pretty regular basis.

And he just spent a year.And it was easier to get in than to listen to him.But we've got to remember other people pushed this, people like Tony Blair and Peter Mandelson.And, you know,at this stage, people didn't quite know what he was up to.So in some ways, this is all the benefit of hindsight.

But, you know, King Charles actually put up objections to this appointment.He said he's going to go and play golf, chase women and try and make money on the side.And he was absolutely right.

It's interesting, isn't it, Andrew, how sort of prescient the King was and mindful of the potential pitfalls that could happen with Andrew being in that really important role.But these papers which have been released say that Andrew also was aware of his own perhaps shortcomings when it came to a big role like this.He himself said that he lacked business experience and that he was going to be on a steep learning curve.So do you think there was much resistance within government about this as well?Did you ever get to the bottom of that when you were researching your book?

No, I mean, I think, again, one of the problems I had was no one would talk to me in government.I mean, one or two have come forward now, but they...I had lines, I can't be bothered, or just didn't answer it, or pretended there hardly any contact with him.So...But it is interesting to say he prefers ballet to theatre.I think he prefers ballet dancers to actresses.

But doesn't that just say so much, that he's more interested in his interests, perhaps, than the national interests?

Yes, absolutely.I mean, he did have an interest in technology and he did try and learn.I mean, he went on a course for several months after he left the Navy to get himself prepared for this.But yeah, it was all about what he thought playing to his strengths.I mean, he was given a whole series of technology roles even after he was stood down as the trade envoy 10 years later.But I think one of the interesting things we'll discover is how quickly people realised this was a mistake, how quickly complaints were being made, and how nothing was done, even after Sarah Ferguson was caught selling access to it.

Andrew, you may have had conversation with this in the past, but would you have said that this goes to show that he was the favourite?Because I know some people always used to think that it was Edward, and we've even discussed it ourselves about Anne being a favourite, but I've always been under the impressionthat it was Andrew.Would you agree that Andrew was the favourite of the Queen, and that's why she was so protective of him?

Absolutely.You know, and I think she perhaps also thought he was vulnerable.The others, their lives were kind of sorted out.And he was, well, some described him as the runt of the litter.And I think, you know, she felt this slightly sort of protective attitude towards him.And I think in some ways, the King's inherited that.

I mean, what's so fascinating is she's pushing for this appointment, the King is against it.And now we find the King much more sympathetic to Andrew and the Prince of Wales is the one who's saying we need to deal with this problem because he's reputational damage.But I do hope that this now will lead to a parliamentary inquiry, which is something I've been calling for for years.I see the Lib Dems are now taking up that position because we really do need to know who these people were who abetted him.I mean, he didn't order these private jets and have the massages put on expenses on his own.There were diplomats, politicians, civil servants who were doing this.

Gosh, it's a lot of rot to uncover there, isn't there, Andrew?I'm curious what you think about the fact that obviously there is evidence that Andrew was passing on sensitive government information to Jeffrey Epstein, which is one of the reasons that this whole can of worms has been opened.What do you think, in hindsight, the Queen would make of that?Would she have had any knowledge of his wrongdoing in that respect?

Yes, I mean, complaints were brought to her on a regular basis about Andrew, and eventually her private secretary sent people away, so she just doesn't want to know.She adopted a sort of, you know, head -in -the -sand approach.I mean, she knew what the problem was, but she didn't really want to know.But I think that, you know, as more of these things come out, and I've been calling for information on who was on these trips and who he did business with, because that's the important question.You know, we know that he was passing information, as you say, to people like Epstein and Jonathan and David Rowlands.and others.

And so I think we need and getting diplomats basically to line up deals for them.In TITLE, which is out today in the paperback, I actually talk about how David Tang, who paid off £250 ,000 of Fergie's debts, was actually brought into China to do business on his own behalf on the back of these trade deals.funded trips.So the whole thing, I have to say, is absolutely rotten.And we do need to get to the bottom of it.I mean, £15 million of British taxpayers' money was spent on Andrew when it was often counterproductive.

In fact, the embassies bid deliberately not to get him.They would line up early factory tours away from both forces to make it not too attractive for him.

Well, of course, we must point out that Andrew Mountbatten -Windsor does deny all of these allegations.I think, Andrew, it throws up a really interesting question, both, as you say, about the vetting process, but also about the royals and the role they play in public life.We've just seen the king carry out a really important diplomatic tour in the States.I don't think there's any suggestion that any of us on this panel would suggest the king needs to be vetted.But clearly, with a live wire, with a potential loose cannon like Andrew, do you think when it comes to the other working royals, that there should be a vetting process?And do you think we'll ever see a royal in a sort of position as a trade ambassador again, given what's happened?

Well, the Duke of Kent had done this job for a long time before him and was kind of pulled out so that Andrew could take the job.And he did a very good job.You know, never quietly supported British industry.And I think people were sad to see him go.So royals can do this job.You're absolutely right.

The King was magnificent in the States, and it shows the real soft power of the monarchy.The problem is, I mean, the royal family knew about Andrew.I mean, MI6 actually were monitoring him because of the people that he was encountering in some of his meetings.So, I mean, you know, these reports would have gone back.I think what's interesting here is both he and Peter Mandelson, I think, should be tried under the Official Secrets Act for sharing confidential material, which is both diplomatic and commercial.And if they're going to go after Mandelson, they will have to go after Andrew, because what they did was exactly the same, even if Andrew wasn't paid.

It's really curious, isn't it, that Mandelson was pushing for that trade envoy role as well.What do you make of that?

Well, the two were very close friends.People don't realise this.They were the two witnesses at Lynne de Rothschild's, well, Lynne Forrester's wedding to Evelyn de Rothschild.She's a key figure in this whole story, hardly been written about.They were involved in a charity campaign for the National Council for Prevention of Cruelty to Children.They kind of swam a lot in the same sort of circles.

And Madison was a fixer, and Andrew liked that.And Madison felt he could use Andrew.So, you know, there were lots of people who felt it was an advantage to get Andrew in this job.Not least later on, of course, Epstein.

Andrew, I'm also curious, because we've had so much come out over the last year, especially in the last year.Would you have said there's still more to come that can be, can it be even more damaging that's still what's still to come?Or do you think we've seen the worst of it?

No, no, there's a lot more to come.I think it's only 1 % of the Epstein files have been released.There are, I mean, all the files on Andrews and Trade Envoy are closed.I mean, they're going to be closed till 2065, unless there's, you know, some sort of campaign to get to get them released.We're going to have many more victims come forward.I mean, I had something like 200 ,000 words of new material I could have added to the paperback.

from people, about 60 people came to me over the last few months.I mean, private staff, protection officers, all sorts of people who are pretty close.And I think people are appalled that he's got away with this and isn't being held accountable.And I just hope that this is the beginning of justice finally being done.

Andrew, thank you very much.It's always a pleasure to have you on the show.And good luck with the paperback.This is the man with the best -timed book in Britain.

I'm very lucky, Beth.

Well, this week in the studio, we are joined by Plum Sykes, contributing editor at American Vogue.And keeping it in the family, I'm pleased to say that Tom Sykes, European editor -at -large at The Daily Beast, and host of The Royalist, and a very old friend, joins us as well.We're going to be talking about Harry and Meghan's eighth wedding anniversary.And I know someone who has plenty of opinions about the Sussexes.You don't need to guess who.

This week marks the eighth anniversary of the wedding of Harry and Meghan.I know you've all been celebrating hard.I have a quiz question for you to mark this important occasion.First, you need to cast your minds back to happier times, when, in contrast to her varying recollections, Meghan was lauded for bringing diversity and star power to the dated monarchy, a time when the fresh -faced fab four were billed as saviours of the royal brand, with Harry and Meghan at the tip of the spear.My question is, which prominent royal commentator wrote this?To borrow the words of Dr King, this was a day when little black girls could watch TV and genuinely share little white girls' long -held dreams of one day marrying a prince.

Right.He's put us on the spot.I know it wasn't me.No, it wasn't me.It sounds like something that maybe Oprah Winfrey, prominent guest at the wedding, might say.He's a prominent royal commentator.

OK.OK.Was it you, Pam?

Absolutely not.All right, come on.Put us out of our misery.I heard that quote and I just thought, is that real?It's pretty good, actually.

I thought it was some Joan Rivers kind of comment.Yeah, a joke.That's what I was thinking, but obviously she's not a royal commentator.

OK, come on, Tom.

Can someone finish out on misery, please?

Does Tom have a view?

Well, I think Piers is right, isn't it?It was, you know, there was an incredible atmosphere of excitement, a genuine feeling that this was the beginning of a new chapter for the royals.And yes, you know, diversity was part of that message.

So do you remember who said that quote, then?

I have no idea who said it.

OK, well, remember we put out of our misery, yeah.Yeah.

Come on, tell us.Well, the author of those warm words was, of course, me.

I've got to be honest, I'm glad I don't remember that it was bearable if we don't remember that.But anyway, but obviously we do wish the Duke and Duchess of Sussex a very happy anniversary 8 years some people didn't think they'd get to a year's not looking at me.But what everyone's memories of that day I was commentating on the wedding.I think you were Katie yet what was it like for you.

Well, I think as Tom said actually there was a real feeling of celebration I mean it's really and it's hard isn't it to remember that now because there's such a split narrative and they are so Marmite but when I think back to that day in May in 2018 there was none of that there was a sense of joy there was a sense of optimism and I think the whole country got behind them and wished them well, and really wanted this to succeed, because they promised so much.And, you know, Meghan, well, all right, American actress, divorcee, marrying into the royal family.I mean, she was a breath of fresh air.It sounds like a cliche, but that's exactly what she was making.

Looking now at these gorgeous pictures that she's put up from the unseen photos that she put on her Instagram yesterday.And they are beautiful pictures.You know, they are.

They're gorgeous pictures, and they look so happy together.I know, I think it is actually quite sad how it's all sort of unspiralled for them over here in Britain, but it makes me cross when I hear people say, oh, Britain wasn't behind the wedding, we weren't behind them, because we were.as a country, as a nation, and actually the press was behind them.

And what are your memories, Tom?You sort of echoed Piers' sentiments there about it.It was an optimistic time, it was a happy time.Did you sense any ill in the wind at that point?

No, I don't think there was.I mean, of course, behind the scenes, we now know that it was incredibly fraught and incredibly difficult.But hey, you know, run up to weddings often are.I mean, I think there was this slightly odd note at the wedding where we were like, we were her friends and family.But, you know, as someone said to me earlier this week, it I think people at that time were prepared to take a kind of generous view and say, look, it's a second marriage.She's not 23.

She doesn't necessarily need to have her mates from school there.And, you know, and I think people generally were able to kind of get behind it, even if usually at weddings, we're left wondering what hat the mother of the bride is going to wear.On this occasion, we were left wondering whether the father was going to even show up.And of course, in the end, he didn't, which sort of lent the whole thing a fraught feeling.But I think, yeah, absolutely.Overall, the mood was one of excitement and positivity and looking forward to an exciting, more diverse future for the royal family.

100 % I remember actually being moved to tears of joy thinking, you know, I remember that little boy standing behind his mother's coffin and suddenly he was like the happiest man in the world.Everybody loved it.But, Plum, I was taken aback a few months later to learn that, you know, some of the prominent guests there, like the Cloonies, George and Amal, like Oprah Winfrey, weren't actually that known to the couple.What were your thoughts on those things?

Well, I read something recently that said that Oprah had never met them before the wedding.I actually read that.But, you know, I'd agree with all of you, because I remember when Meghan came on the scene, from a fashion perspective, I thought, this is brilliant.She was so beautiful.She was so beautiful.She was so refreshing.

She was incredibly popular here.Like, do you remember her going up to those crowds in Brixton and stuff and being kind of mobbed?And she looked incredible on the wedding day.And I was completely blown away.hoodwinked and thought it was all going to be marvellous and she had the most incredible dress.I watched the wedding from sort of seven in the morning till midnight or whenever, just endless.

I loved it because we all love the fairy tale and it hasn't turned out like that really.

Do you think it's fair to say hoodwinked?I just wonder if she just didn't really understand what it meant to be part of that establishment and thought it was a different kind of celebrity to what she got.

I think it would be quite difficult to not understand it, really.And I don't think she's stupid by any stretch.

One of the things I remember being told was that, you know how in the royal house, they're given a schedule, aren't they?They're given a plan of what they're supposed to do.And apparently, when she wanted to invite some friends for lunch one day, this is before the wedding, and they were trying to explain to her that when you become a member of the royal family, it's not going to be like that.You're going to have a schedule.And apparently, she didn't like it.She didn't like the idea that her family that this was going to be her role.

And even then, I think they were setting people in the house with satin.I think this could be a problem in the long run.

I think there were clearly cultural differences.I think, you know, for an American actress who'd perhaps climbed that greasy pole of Hollywood, this was completely different.And, you know, I remember being with her on those early engagements, you know, whether it was a rainy day in Nottingham or down in Brixton or whatever, it was, and you're right, Plum, I mean, there was just... adoration for her and she did it brilliantly.I mean she always said just because she was a well -known actress who'd always had the cameras trained on her, nothing had prepared her for royal life and I believe that.I absolutely believe that because royal life is like no other.It is why William wanted Kate to wait as long as she did so that she could see that it was a goldfish bowl and whether she wanted to leap in because once you're in it's very hard to get out and I think

there were a lot of cultural divides and issues.And perhaps it wasn't the life that she expected it to be.But when you look back at those pictures, you think, gosh, it's hard to believe that that was eight years ago.One of the favorite stories I was told was, and I really liked Megan for this, but the night before her wedding, she went to spend with girlfriends and her mother up at Clifton.Most brides would not eat at Clifton.a plate of chips the night before their wedding, or French fries, and that's what she had.

I was like, yeah, I like her for that.That's quite cool.That's quite cool.

No, I think she...You've got to carb up.Right?Yeah.No, I think she was very well liked, and I think she was very well liked by the press, and I don't understand why they decided the press didn't like them.And it was just if there was one negative thing among the thousands of positive things, they then seized on it in a very defensive way, almost as if they were victims, and it was very, very strange, and maybe reflected how they really felt about each other.

Maybe.

Well, on a happier note, there's a celebratory candle being released under the As Ever brand to mark the occasion that smells of England.Tom, will you be buying one to mark the occasion?

I will be buying thousands, Jo.At $64 a pop?

Wow, you'll get a better salary than mine at the Royals on Saturday.

You know, it's crazy, isn't it?Eight years later, having told us how ghastly the British royal family were, denounced various unnamed members as racists, said that they didn't care if she wanted to kill herself and that it would look bad for the institution if she got any help, she then posts all these pictures of her wedding day.But of course, It's rather awkward because she can't show any pictures of any of the guests because they don't speak to any of them anymore.And then at the same time, you know, in what marketers refer to as a funnel, her personal account is the funnel to the as ever account.And the as ever account is literally flogging candles for 64 bucks a time.using pictures of Meghan riding in a coach owned by the British state, by the British royal family.

I mean, when Queen Elizabeth asked them to please not combine commercial activities...

That was my question.Surely that blurs that line immediately.

The line's completely gone.I mean, they've completely reneged on the deal.They've completely reneged on every aspect of the Sandringham Summit.They're now representing themselves as royals.And I think if you look at the sort of disaster of the Australia tour and the polling that came out of the Australia tour, you see the incredible wisdom of Queen Elizabeth saying, OK, well, you know, if you really want to do this, go ahead and do it, but don't do it in my name.

Yeah.I just want to know, what do we all think England smells like?I think it really depends on your postcode, doesn't it?

Well, I think given she was so keen to get out of England, I'm not sure I'd be wanting to buy a candle that smells of Megan's version of England.Exactly!All right, look, candles aside, candles aside, Megan has been out in Geneva, in Switzerland.Now, she was giving a speech about the dangers of the internet, online safety of children, which she ultimately described as a public health issue, and she's called on global health leaders to act.Now, Tom, you were out in Geneva, weren't you?I'm really curious to know.

You were there, you were watching her speak.How did it go down, and what did you make of her speech?

Well, it was very interesting, because, I mean, before the speech, be frank, was the only foreign journalist, as far as I could tell, who had traveled to cover it, which is quite a quite a comedown for Megan when you think where she was a couple of years ago.The speech was kind of super weird, kind of, you know, first of all, you're like, why is she here?There's not really anybody there.There's kind of 50 invited guests and another 50 people.It's very low energy.It's a massive place, the Place des Nations.

So it looks kind of weird and small.And, you know, she's standing there next to Dr. Tedros.And you're kind of like, A, what's Megan doing there?B, why is the World Health Organization talking about social media when there's literally an Ebola epidemic happening in Southern Africa?I mean, Personally, I thought that was what the World Health Organization was getting our tax dollars for, was stuff like that, not to get kids off their phone.And just overall, the whole thing, of course, was completely undermined by the fact that the day before the speech, she posted this picture of her daughter on social media, you know, to promote, you know, her fashion or whatever.

I mean, it was just the whole thing is so crazy, the operation is so chaotic and I'm told that they don't ask advice and when they do ask advice they just don't listen and there's nothing anyone can say.

This was what I wanted to ask you next because I know from some of the former aides that I've spoken to and I really respect their opinion and I know they tried very hard to give Harry and Meghan good advice.These were professionals, these were people who really knew what they were doing.And Harry and Meghan would just discard it and do their own thing anyway.I loved what she said in that speech.I mean, you were there, and obviously it was to a largely empty audience.But as a parent, I agree with what she was saying.

I think it is important.I think it's an important narrative that we have and that we explore.The hypocrisy of posting an image of Lilibet before, is this just an example of her being completely tone deaf?Does she not anticipate that by doing that and then going speaking about the dangers of child safety online, she's not running the risk of just being called a hypocrite, which is exactly what's happened?

I mean, when you put this to their team, right, to the Sussex's representatives, what they say is they say, oh, no, she's just a normal mum whoto share photographs of her family life online like anyone else would with her friends and family.But she's not a normal mum.

She's not a normal mum.And they're not normal children.They're prince and princess.And they're children whose privacy the couple have been so desperate to protect.They couldn't possibly live here in Britain for risk of being papped.And by the way, they were never papped over here.

And Katie, to point the very obvious out, What friends and family?I mean a WhatsApp group would do it, right?You don't need to send it out.to four and a half million people.It's clearly a commercial operation, as Emma Greed, you know, Emma Greed, this famous British entrepreneur, which she said in her podcast.It is clearly a commercial operation.

It's a commercial story that they're trying to tell about Perfect Family.Paint this picture.We saw it again with these videos of penguins and the sort of ridiculous stage thing of her reading this letter about the penguins and all of this.You know, it is completely a commercial operation.But and the problem is, fine you want to run a commercial operation about yourself fine you want to run a commercial operation and put your kid your four -year -old kid at the center of it who has no agency about it you want to do that when your husband is in the royal courts of justice saying that not having any agency in how he was represented how he was made to perform how he was commercialized to use harry's word ruined his life i mean it's the whole thing is bonkers i agree with you i'd love phones.I'd love them to stop using social media.

I don't think Meghan's the right person to lead that conversation.I also don't think the World Health Organisation is the right organisation to lead that conversation.

Plum, I'm just going to turn to you because you are Queen of Fashion and there is talk that Meghan is going to be launching a fashion brand and we had that lovely picture of her in her closet surrounded by Armani coats and everything else and obviously little Lilibet there as well.Does itsit uncomfortably with you?Listen, we understand they're commercialising their brand because they have to, they have to finance themselves.I don't personally have a problem with that.But do you think there is an issue and a conflict of interest when it comes to bringing the children into that commercialisation?

I do.I think that As Tom said, the children have had no decision -making in it.It's much cuter when you've got a child in there.And I think, as Tom's pointed out before, the thing of hiding the face and giving, like, a glimpse of the profile, there's something a little bit tacky about that, as if going, we know you want to see them, we know you want to see them.If you want to do a fashion brand, you know what, or sell clothes, whatever, wear the clothes, put the links up, take the affiliate payments, all the rest of it, And just do it like any influencer or any creator does.No one minds when Kim Kardashian does it because she says she's doing that.

But I think bringing these children into it, particularly when you're saying social media harms children and then putting your children on social media, it is very, very strange.And just to add to what Tom said, I did watch some excerpts from Megan's speech for the World Health Organization.And to me, it was like a satire.I couldn't believe it was actually serious.If it was in a soap opera, we wouldn't believe it.And what I found very interesting about the speech was the sort of the narcissism where she said, we want our children to look back at us and be proud of us for what we did for them.

And I just thought.what children look back at their parents and go, I'm so proud of my mum.It was just absurd.You're going to be cringing and you're going to be cringing because you've been photographed in her closet.The parents are not the ones who have control of social media.It's people in the States.

It's Donald Trump.It's Elon Musk.It's OpenAI.It's far bigger than the parents.

That's true.And I also feel quite strongly that, you know, I keep hearing about Meghan and Harry talking about online bullying.Well,I think that's a message that needs to be heard for a lot of the Sussex Squad fans.You make such a good point.It's like they've got no qualms with bullying.

They've got no qualms spreading absolute poison about the Princess of Wales because they're so tribal about their beloved Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

And am I right in saying that not once Meghan and Harry have called out those trolls?Not to my knowledge.Tom probably is a bit of an expert on that one.But, yeah.And Grant, what do you feel?Do you feel that perhaps they don't just listen to the advice?

I mean, I know this sort of, there being their post -8s, your tenure at the Royal Household, but did you ever hear on The Great Vine that they just didn't listen to advice, they had their own agenda and they were going to do it?

I think, from what I understand, I mean, Harry understood the system, he understood how it worked, so he always followed it.I think Meghan had her own ideas of how she wanted to do things.For whatever reason, he's kind of followed the advice.the same way.Going back to what you were saying about the brand and everything, as we know they are all family, they are famous when it comes to brands.The King has got his own brands, he has given it to Waitrose now, the Dutch original and everything.

He is used to all this and they do allow it and they even support it.I think it is just the way they have done it.I think this is the problem.It is very odd.It is just a shame.It could have gone It could have been so different, couldn't it?

It could have been such a different way for them, and yet they've gone, they've decided to do it their way, which is..

.Brown Sussex?

Yeah, Brown Sussex.

Talking about Brown Sussex, one of the things I wanted to ask you was, I've heard that there is a Meghan effect within the fashion industry.Absolutely.And you were talking about the shop line.

She is actually selling brands.

She is.But the problem is the brands don't want to do a sort of formal deal because she's Marmite, right?She's quite toxic.

So I was talking to some designers recently and they said to me that Meghan really shifts stock.So if she wears something, it does sell out.

I was quite surprised.I'm not surprised by that.

Well, I was surprised.I was like, oh, why is this?And this designer said to me, well, she's very relatable.And I thought, what?But meaning not on her value system or whatever, but relatable in terms of she's not a six foot two model.She's small.

She's not super, super skinny.So people go, I relate to that body type.I can wear those clothes.If you see a piece on Gigi Hadid, like I just saw these incredible pictures of her at Cannes with this tiny waist, you think, that's not me.But they look at it on Meghan and they think, oh, I could wear that.The interesting thing is the designers do not want to promote the fact that Meghan is shifting stock because they don't really want to be associated with her because she's not fashion -y, she's not cool, she's not part of the fashion elite or clique.

So it's all kept very quiet.What's interesting is she did start out on Shopmy, which is an affiliate platform.She didn't get anywhere with it because it's very, very hard work.So I have a Shopmy.You have to keep pushing people to it and you have to keep creating editorial and saying, here's a lovely thing to buy.If you don't do any work, no one goes to it.

And I think Megan doesn't do very much work.The interesting thing about the one that she's done now, which is called One Off, is it's an AI shopping platform.And I think it's almost reverse engineering the affiliate shopping model.So that if, for example, Joe you said to Katie, oh, gosh, you know, I love Megan's white suit or whatever.And your phone heard you.That one -off AI would go back to you and go, here is Megan's white suit.

Do you want to buy it?That's not creepy at all.It's really creepy.And because a friend of mine said, oh, I was talking about that.And then suddenly, this thing came up.So I think it's using bots to find people who are interested.

Now, whether or not that translates to fashion sales, I don't know.Because just because you mentioned Megan doesn't mean you want to dress like her.but it's and you know you look at the other people who are on that site people like Paris Hilton they're not really chic fashion girls that you'd aspire to dress like but maybe they shift A lot of merch.

I'm interested by the fact that she is, because we've all heard about the Kate effect and we've spoken about the Kate effect, and goodness knows how many articles I've written about that.And I hadn't expected that she shifted as much as she does, because what's so interesting is she's so divisive.She's got four and a half million followers on Instagram.

There you go.She's got a lot of fans.She might have been shifting stock for these designers, but it doesn't mean that she was profiting from it personally, right?Unless she'd set up a deal with that designer or an affiliate link.And it is quite a complicated thing.It's not that easy.

The reason that she's got her products is because the best thing she could do for herself is shift lots of her own product.Sort of maybe shifting someone else's dress or skirt is not very reliable.It's very unpredictable.

All right, shall we talk about some real royals?Should we talk about...That's a novel idea.That's so mean.Sorry.Can we talk about the...

Working royals.Yeah, the working royals.Yeah, let's do it.Of course, they are real royals.I'm not saying they're not.We know they put their titles, Harry and Meghan, but they're not working royals.

Yeah.And the King and Queen most definitely are.I mean, they're currently on a tour.Can I just say this royal tour totally bypassed me.They're on a three -day tour of Northern Ireland.It was a ninja royal tour.

It really was.Just sneaking a sneak out.

Can you explain to us, and particularly for the viewers who, you know, usually these tours are announced in advance and we knew Kate was going off to Italy.But you know, suddenly they pop up in Northern Ireland and we're like, oh, did I miss a press release?

What's this all about?What's interesting, I remember many years ago when I was there, it was the same.Whenever we went to Northern Ireland, it was normally, he would sometimes go on his own.Nobody was, we weren't even told.We weren't aware.And the first I was aware of it was when we found out in the media, same way.

It was the security, right?Security, yeah, exactly.And I mean, there's been some great clips, here we've got some clips now of him playing football.It is the UK.It is the UK.

It is the UK.It is the UK.It is the UK.It is the UK.It is the UK.It is the UK.

It is the UK.It is the UK.It is the UK.It is the UK.It is the UK.It is the UK.

It is the UK.It is the UK.It is the UK.It is the UK.It is the UK.It is the UK.

It is the UK.It is the UK.It is the UK.It is the UK.It is the UK.It is the UK.

It is the UK.It is the UK.It is the UK.It is the UK.It is the UK.It is the UK.

It is the UK.It is the UK.It is the UK.It is the UK.It is the UK.It is the UK.

It is the UK.It is the UK.It is the UK.It is the UK.It is the UK.It is the UK.

It in the United Kingdom.

And another thing with Ann, do you remember when his mother died and he did that tour, didn't he, around the UK?And he also went to Ireland and he went round, you know, because that was obviously part of the process.But going to Ireland is, he loves Ireland.I know he loves Ireland.

Well, they were there in March last year.

Absolutely.

I mean, it's an annual thing.

But for obvious reasons, because of the past with security and things, that's why they don't announce it until they're there.And then when they're there, then we all know about it.

Well, the one place we did, of course, know that they were going to was the Chelsea Flower Show, which was well it's just a burst of color and even on a on a miserable Monday.Chelsea is in bloom, and you can just see how much the King and Queen love this event.There they are with Sir David Beckham.Can I just say the way that David Beckham has ingratiated himself into the royal family, from beehives to the Chelsea Flower Show, he's having a rose named after himself.

Sir David Beckham has played a very long game there.Hasn't he?Oh, you've got to admire the tenacity.

He's very much a country gent now, isn't he?

He is.Tom, talk to us about this loving between Sir David and the King.

Well, yes.Well done, Sir David.You got there in the end.He did, didn't he?I thought the King looked fantastic.The King has been doing so many engagements.

Obviously, I've been reporting.I don't know.You might have to have an argument with your producers later about whether you need to cut this.But I've been reporting quite a lot about the King's health, which the UK legacy media, for various reasons, can't do.But I know this is Rawls Uncensored, so I'm sure we can have a frank but respectful conversation about it here.Because the bottom line is that the King's cancer treatment that he has been having has worked incredibly well.

And I was told by somebody who would know in the run up to the Christmas last year, he was having weekly shots, weekly transfusions of kind of very innovative, cutting edge mRNA vaccines, immunotherapy drugs, incredibly expensive, around about 10 or 15 ,000 pounds a week for the treatment for the shot, but not much for the king, obviously.And the bottom line is that it has worked incredibly well.And what the King said at Christmas when he said, you know, it has worked, this is good news.And I admit, I was a bit sceptical at the time.I thought, is this actually the announcement of palliative care?It's, you know, it has actually been remarkably effective.

I think the King did five engagements that day.It's quite extraordinary.A friend of mine was with him the other day at a performance, a theatrical performance, and said that he stayed until well after midnight talking to members of the cast.I mean, I wouldn't want to stay until after midnight.I have to say, I'd be looking for my Uber home.So I think it's just incredibly heartening.

And I think people, feel very encouraged.And certainly, if you look at the people around the King, well, if the King really is not in recovery, they should take up poker for a living, because they look delighted with themselves.

I mean, of course, Plum, the King, he's been in, you know, he's had his health problems, and he's an older man now.But Camilla, his rock by his side, she's got just as much energy, it seems.They're just the ultimate partnership, aren't they?I know, it's amazing.Because actually, Chelsea is quite an exhausting event.to go to.

I mean it's crowded, there's a lot of walking around.There's the hay fever.There's the hay fever, but I did think she looked absolutely gorgeous.

amazing.There was particularly one outfit that I loved where she'd had this dress made for her in a liberty print, which I'm sure you'll show a picture of in a minute.

And it reminded me so much of my own grandmother who used to make her own dresses out of liberty print.

And it's so kind of in keeping with the theme with the flowers and it's so British.And I think she looks Amazing, Camilla.And I think she just is doing an amazing job.I really do.

I absolutely love her hat game, and I love her hair.It's like the world's most expensive cauliflower.It's beautiful.It is beautiful.

That sort of beautiful gold wool.I would say she's gone a bit more platinum now, hasn't she?She looks very elegant.Do you know what I feel is special coming on?

Do you know what some people forget, I think, also?Because the King's famous for his garden, isn't he?With Highgrove and everything.But she's got her own garden at Ray Mill.She's got her own property.And the gardens there are beautiful.

They're a lot smaller than Highgrove, but she loves her garden.You often...I mean, when we used to go there...

Is she as talented a gardener as Camilla or Chelsea?

Well, that's debatable.I think they would have a bit...I think the two of them...But they have garden conversation with each other.They give each other gifts for their gardens as well.They support each other with their gardens.

So, the nice thing is, with Chelsea, they both absolutely love her.It's a highlight of the royal calendar for them.

You mentioned Raymille, and I do wonder if the secret to the longevity and genuine happiness and joy of their marriage is that when it all gets too much for Camilla, She packs her overnight bag and she goes back to Ray Mill because... she just sometimes needs a little bit of a break.And I think...She's got room of her own, hasn't she?Smart, yes.You know, there's something to be said for that.But, you know, to your point, Tom, he is looking fantastic.

He's got the energy of a man, you know, 20, 30 years younger.He's always had this incredible work ethic.And, you know, I just think so many people who are watching this show will be affected by cancer, either themselves or know someone that's going through it.And I think he sends out, in a similar way to the Princess of Wales,a really optimistic message of hope that you can go through a diagnosis.If it's caught early enough, you can survive it.

And if you're lucky enough to be able to afford the latest treatments of immunotherapy, you can thrive like King Charles.And I think he is going to lobby and campaign very hard to make sure that those treatments aren't just available to those who can afford them, but they are available to everyone.to everybody.So he is an example to us all.

Absolutely, Katie.And I know you've written about your own cancer battle.And I think that Charles, of course, is, I think, not just an example to people living with cancer, but as you say, an example to the sort of friends and family that, you know, in the old days, when you heard, oh, you know, granny's got cancer.But that was it.Whereas I think now that people can can look at the king and say, well, yeah, you know, maybe grandpa does have cancer.But, you know, that's not to say he can't live a completely full life.

And I've been told that people around the king are now very optimistic that he could live something approaching his natural lifespan.

That is incredible.It's great to hear that.Now, I want to move on to our future king, not too rapidly, but there's been a really interesting development this week with William's plans to sell 20 % of the Duchy of Cornwall.500 million pounds will be invested in local communities, including affordable housing and environmental projects.And we know that those things are two things very close to William's heart.Tom, what do you think?

Obviously, this seems like a really positive, great investment plan for the region.But do you think there might be more to this than meets the eye?I wondered if in the wake of, you know, we've had more visibility across Williams tax affairs than ever before.Is this, as cynics might suggest, some sort of diversion tactic?What's your view?

Oh, you took the words out of my mouth.Diversion tactic, the Royal Family, Jo.Oh my goodness.Not that I'm the cynic.Are we talking about the same duchy that was busted earlier this year trying to sell 10 tenant farms from under the farm's noses without even telling them, having previously told them that everything was going to be OK?Would this be the same Duchy that was the subject of a massive investigation by Channel 4 and the Sunday Times, which found that it was charging lifeboat stations to use slipways to rescue people in peril on the sea?

I think it might be, yeah.I think the Duchy of Cornwall does need a bit of reform, yeah.Look, in all seriousness, I think William's trying to bring a kind of VC energy to it, isn't he?He's trying to say, look, it's not some fusty old thing.Let's rationalise, let's figure out our heartlands, let's do this, let's do that.Yeah, look, they've caught up with the story very effectively, so well done them.

Well, look, for God's sake, let's just save the lemon biscuits.That's all I ask.Let's keep those ring -fenced.But what do you think this says about our glimpse of our future king?

I think it shows that he's going to be perhaps more responsive.I think there's going to be a very interesting thing in the next week or two when we get the Royal accounts.Is William going to finally tell us what kind of tax he's paying?Are we going to get a bit more insight into his accounts?And to be honest, I think he has to do it.I think the era of the Royals hiding behind, oh, sorry, we are not going to tell you anything because we don't need to and you can all clear off now.

I don't think it's going to fly anymore.

What do you think, Grant?Obviously seen by many as a bold move, an unprecedented move.Do you think that William would have consulted with the King on this?

I think he would have.I think it would have been an interesting discussion to be a fly on the wall to hear, because the King is very protective of the Duchy.I mean, he's the longest Prince of Wales in history.And, you know, he very much evolved the Duchy.And it's a huge responsibility.I mean, 20%.

I mean, this is...My writing's in the duchy's been around for, what, 1 ,000 years or something.And the idea was to amass this land, the wealth, in order to be able to give them their income, if you like.And suddenly, they're getting rid of 20 % of it, which is huge.I think it's a good move, because I can't really see how, in the modern world, you can talk about homelessness and the struggles of life where you've got all this wealth and land.

That's always been the tension behind his campaigning on that.

Well, exactly.So it makes sense.But I do wonder, and his father, of course, will support and agree with him, but I'm sure part of his father will also be thinking tradition, old -fashioned values, thinking it's the duchy, it should stay as one.But he's also going to let his son make those decisions because he's where he has to.You know, William's going to do what he wants.He'll do it his way.

What do you think, Plum?Do you think William's already got half a mind on how his reign will compare and be compared to his father's?

So I think a few things, which is, and I'm not an expert, I think just announcing you're going to sell 20 % of your vast estate is kind of, it seems slightly sort of, mad and slightly rash.I just hope he's got amazing financial advice.I'm sure he has.But I think at the same time, what he's saying he's going to do with that money, invest in a lot of social housing and stuff, which actually has been kind of part of the royal tradition, because there's loads and loads of people living all over England in housing provided by the royal family and other rich families that they're not paying, you know, market rents for.But I think he's very socially conscious and I think that he comes across as socially conscious and he comes across as a nice guy.Whether he is or he isn't, I don't know, but him and Kate present a very firm kind of moral ground, if you like.

And I like that.They seem very British like that.

They're very humble as well.That's what I remember about them.They're not, without kind of breaking confidence, the way their life surrounds them.lived that I witnessed was so different to the rest of the family and even as a butler, from a butler's point of view, they didn't want us doing anything, they wanted to do everything themselves and I think from what I understand they're still the same, as far as I'm aware they still don't have a butler, you know, I mean I was, myself and another used to kind of help out but they haven't ever taken a butler on.And so they've got a very different outlook.And I think William's got a very different view on how the monarchy, myself and Kate were talking about this earlier on, he's got a very different view, I think, how the monarchy is going to be under his reign.

I want to know what you thought of that.Do you think it is that he wants to keep modernising the monarchy?I think, you know, for a long time, Charles was seen as a bit of an outlier and a bit of a and a bit crazy talking about, you know, his approach to politics, his approach to the environment.And it feels like William wants to keep moving further in that direction.

I think he does.I mean, you're right, because when Charles was the Prince of Wales, he was so ahead of his time, even though most of us didn't have the same foresight as he did, whether that was the way he spoke to plants, invested in the environment, spoke about plastic in all its toxic forms.I mean, he was so ahead of it.And I think William, you know, applauds that in his father and recognises in himself the need to be thinking about years down the line.It's so interesting, Plum, hearing you say, I hope he's got good financial advisors, because it sounds bonkers.Oh, I'm going to sell 20 % of my estate and make it social housing and put windmills on it for renewable energy.

But actually, when he's lobbying hard for homelessness, when his raison d 'etre is earthshot, he's got to put his money where his mouth is.And his money's in the estate.

Which most of these kind of high -profile people actually don't.He is leading by example.

We are not just seeing him whizzing around the castle on any scooter.We are seeing him doing something pretty major, which is giving over a big percentage.To Tom's point about the whole tax system and the next financial accounts we are going to see, we will know that he ispaying tax voluntarily.Some might say it's not enough.I think he's open to suggestions.

Well, there's walking the walk and paying his taxes.And Tommy's also paid for an Aston Villa seat, I believe.The football is a big deal for some of you chaps.Is he just not a man of the people?Look how excited he is there.There you go.

Aston Villa win the Europa final.Look at him.

Beautiful pictures, wonderful scenes, very, very relatable.I want to make one suggestion, which is for that every five Aston Villa games he goes to, he goes to one serious cultural event, like the theatre or the ballet or just something, because a lot of people in the arts communities are very, very worried about what is going to happen.They feel unloved and...Hang on a minute, Tom.He's patron of BAFTA.Is it not enough?

I'm talking, BAFTA is a marvellous organisation, but the high brow arts that have always relied on the royal family they need support from William and Catherine it's wonderful that he wants to go to the football it's great that he takes his kids to the football we saw that brilliant interview with him you know and congratulations to Aston Villa you know fabulous but we also do need to see our king at the ballet at the theatre at you know, the Philharmonic, we need to see those things as well.I'm just suggesting a ratio of five football games to one more serious cultural event, I think that's fair.

Are you saying that you think he needs to be dragged to those more highbrow cultural events?

If necessary, yes, Jo.

You don't sound like much of a fan of Prince William, I've got to say.

I think he's going to bebrilliant, brilliant king.I think he's absolutely ruthless.I think he's not going to mess, I think he's not going to put up with anybody messing around or taking liberties that, frankly, his father has allowed himself to be pushed around by Harry and Andrew.And I think that William is, you know, you cross William at your peril.And I think that people applaud it.

Look at his popularity ratings.That's what people want.We want a firm, decisive king.who is going to call the shots.But I do think that there is, there's got to be a bit more support for some of these very venerable arts organisations like the Opera.They're really, really struggling.

And of course, they've always been passions of the King, haven't they?Charles has done so much for that.I would have liked to have seen William and Catherine at the Flower Show.I hope we're going to get to see them at ASCA.I think, you know, I agree with you, Tom, it's important that we see them at those really important milestone events that are synonymous with our royal family.

You know what I also think is I think Camilla and Charles very clearly have a very strong cultural hinterland.Camilla's done all this incredible work with reading, literature, books, whether she's in Europe.King Charles has done so much for artisans, crafts, the ballet, the opera, all the rest of it.You don't quite get that sense with William and Kate, that they're that deeply into that.But I also think that comes with age.Particularly the opera and the ballet.

It'll come.

It'll come in time.I think Diana, the Princess of Wales, loved the ballet.She loved the arts.And Duran Duran.

Both can be done.

She was the perfect hybrid.When watching that clip, the thing that comes to my mind as well is, did you see all the hugging going on?I'm thinking of Royal Etiquette, when you see the hugging.And that shows you how different they are as well.The fact that William and Catherine have got this very different approach and seeing them like that, I remember that.That's a lot of his very old pals.

But the king has started hugging people as well.I don't know if you saw a clip the other day, I saw him hug somebody and I thought, this is a new thing where they're becoming very...Yeah, the king actually went out and hugged.

A royal family of huggers, which will mean that royal familiesis more important than ever if they're getting up that close and personal with the public.And there was a fascinating story...Oh, nice segue.Right, thank you.I like that.

Thank you.There was a...It's a great story in the sun.I had to read it twice just to get my head round the headline.But 30 officers from the Metropolitan Police's Royal Protection Team, the ones that look after the royal family, are being investigated after falling asleep on the job, which I was like, OK, well, the one job you've got is to look after the royals.

Grant's jaw is on the floor.

My jaw was on the floor, too.

It sounds very British, doesn't it?It sounds like a sort of Mr Munn episode.Well, it's true.

Whilst they've been looking after the royals at Windsor Castle.

Grant, can we talk about this?

To explain, so in the different royal residences, you've got the night policemen.So you've got almost like a private detective who It's outside the room.It goes back to...Who was the chap that got into the palace?Michael Fagan.Michael Fagan.

Yeah.And, of course, you've got the night policeman now that sits outside.And it's a long...I mean, they've got to be awake the whole night.And I remember...Oh, God.

..I got to know many of them.But you've also got the police around the grounds to protect the grounds.So the police are outside the house and he's inside the house.But, I mean, I must admit, I remember on a couple of occasions, going up late at night, for whatever reason, I might have been called in at whatever time, and I remember once getting an absolute fright.I went into, by Highgrove House, there's a kind of laundry room, and we kept this wicker furniture.

There was a chair, I think it belonged to George VI, but he used to sit in the garden, and the King uses it.In fact, there's been some wonderful pictures recently of the King in the chair.And I remember getting in, and there was a policeman lying in the chair with his hat over his face, and he got such a fright.Well, I got a fright, he got a fright, And then I thought, well, that's unusual.But in fairness to him, I believe he was having some downtime.He had a bit of time off.

And rather than sleep in the control room, he went and had a little sleep in this little way.

He was having a little cat nap.Having 40 winks, yes.Tom, just want to bring you in on this.And it is a serious issue.OK?Because Windsor Castle has faced a number of security threats in recent years.

Last June, an intruder climbed a wall and was arrested on suspicion of trespassing.I mean, Grant, you mentioned the most infamous incident where Fagin managed to get into the Queen's bedroom.I think they chatted for 20 minutes before the alarm was sounded.But on a serious note, this is a matter for concern and one would hope prompt a serious investigation.

Yeah, look, there's unfortunately, there's been a culture of impunity around some of these Royal Protection Officers, I'm afraid.There's a fantastic writer called Michael Gillard, who's done a lot of work around this.He had this incredible story recently saying that if you're a Royal Protection Officer, and something strange happens, rather than put the report in an official note, you put it in a thing called a secret green.and you write it by hand so that it doesn't go into any, you know, information chain.It just goes to special branch.So they lived in this kind of bubble that was completely protected.

I'm not remotely surprised that they were all knocking off early, having a nap when they needed one.And I think that we've been incredibly lucky that no serious harm has happened to a major member of the royal family.And that, you know, thank goodness, all Michael Fagan wanted was a cigarette.

Yes, absolutely.And I just...Can you imagine what it must have been like for the Queen?I think he got a whisky at the end of it and the Queen probably needed one as well.

Do you think she asked him for some matches?

Yes.

Yes.

Well, as the Royals get up and close to the public, I think security is definitely a key issue.

The mind boggles, and we will follow that story as it develops.But that is it for this edition of The Royals Uncensored.A huge thank you to our guests, Andrew Lowney, Plum, and Tom Sykes.You've made it enormous fun for us here today.If you like what we're doing and want to see more, all you have to do is like and subscribe.But from myself, Katie, and Grant, goodbye for now.

See you next week.