Transcribe your podcast
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So this season of Even the Rich is a little bit different, it's an encore, which means we're bringing back the very first series we ever made. If you haven't heard the story, you're in for a treat. It features princesses and royalty and lots of rich people. Intrigue and we only sing one time. Yeah, the rest of the time we're telling the story of two women decades apart who enchanted the world, Meghan Markle and Diana Spencer. And even if you have heard the series already, it's a pretty great time to revisit because right now the whole interweb is buzzing about the return of the crown and this season's introduction of a new character from Sarah's younger sister.

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By the way, until you saw me get into terrible trouble, she wanted everything to be just perfect. She wouldn't want me to scare you off.

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In case you couldn't tell, that's Diana, played by Emma Cochrane in a scene where she meets Prince Charles for the first time. And it's great, except for one teeny tiny thing. It's made up right. The Crown is historical fiction, emphasis on fiction. If you want to know what really happened between Diana and Charles, then this is the podcast you need.

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Ditto if you want to know how their story influenced Harry and Meghan's decision to leave the royal family.

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Oh, and one more thing before we get started. We've made some changes to these episodes, so even if you have heard them before, you may want to stick around. Well, you'll definitely want to stick around because we're capping things off with an exciting bonus episode.

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That's right. And I think that about covers it. Let's stop talking now, OK, but it's going to be hard to do a whole podcast if we're not talking. Oh, and we forgot to say that we're going to be swearing.

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Oh, bloody hell on.

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If you happen to be in Britain back in October 2019 and if you happen to turn on ITV at nine o'clock and you want to do this documentary called Harry and Meghan An African Journey, OK, actually, now that I'm saying it out loud, I realize you probably did not do that.

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Yeah, I didn't watch it and I don't even know what it is, but I am a big Harry and Meghan fan. Oh yeah. Do you know a lot about them. Yeah, I know some about them.

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Harry's an heir to the throne, but as long as his brother William is there, he'll never be. King William's married to Kate Middleton and Harry fell in love with Meghan Markle, who is a TV actress when they met. Look at you now.

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I know a thing or two about royals and I watch the crown, but I do not know anything about this African Journey documentary while here's how it started.

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It was a journey through Africa. But not always the one we expected. Harry and Meghan arrived in South Africa, a country so it's meant to be this promotional fluff, the royal family doing nice things for the underprivileged. This is Harry and Meghan's first public engagement of a packed 10 day tour. But then this puff piece takes a really surprising turn. It's been all Harry and Meghan meeting African villagers, kissing babies and all that, and then it gets real.

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First, the host talks to Harry and Harry tells him how hard it's been to watch the tabloids attack Megan.

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He says it reminds him of what happened to his mother, Diana. Then the host pulls Megan aside. He asked sort of talk about what it's like to be in the tabloid spotlight so you could just give us an idea of what the last year has been like.

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It's. Hard, I had no idea, which probably sounds. Difficult to understand here, but when I when I first met my now husband, my friends were really happy because I was so happy with my British friends, said to me. I'm sure he's great. But because the British tabloids will destroy your life, royals aren't supposed to admit that.

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Hell no. And the worst part is when the host asks Megan if she can keep going. Megan says she doesn't know.

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You know, I've said for a long time to. It's not enough to just survive something. You've got to thrive. You've got to feel happy. And I never thought that this would be easy, but I thought it would be fair. And that's the part that's really hard to reconcile. Oh, my gosh. She sounds so defeated. I know. But it's just a prelude to something bigger, like bigger than anything since King Edward abdicated the throne back in 1936.

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OK, I don't even know what you're referring to. Orisha, the crown. It was big and this is bigger. In January 2020, Megan and Harry make a move that's so big it makes news around the world.

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The British royal family is reeling from an extraordinary new report. And tonight, the surprise announcement from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle blindsiding the queen to be a fly on the wall in their Buckingham Palace. Just imagine the tension. We now know the conditions for Megas. It makes it. That's on the Sun's front page. The paper claiming the queen is deeply upset. Reporters are asking, will it be a hard message or a soft makes it. So Harry and Meghan, basically quitting the royal family is so shocking, so unexpected, the press compares it to Brexit.

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Princess Diana push the boundaries, but no prints are Princess has ever just said we retire and the press are outraged.

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Yeah, I mean, Meghan Markle was completely unknown before she met Harry. Now she's one of the most recognizable people in the world purely because she married into a royal family. If she now leaves and goes around the world making tens of millions of dollars out of that royal collection, that will leave a pretty unpleasant taste in the mouth for Megan.

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How did it come to this? Well, to understand that there are a few things you need to know about Megan, Harry and the woman who influence them both, Princess Diana. We get support from Book of the Month, Book of the Month is a super popular and fast growing online book service for readers, you might have heard us rave about them on the show before.

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Yeah, Book of the Month Mission is to promote new and emerging authors and help readers discover books.

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They'll love their team. That's hundreds of books each month and gives readers their choice from a curated selection of new and early release titles so you can spend more time reading and less time researching. Now, this is a first.

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We actually ordered the same book this time.

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Oh, we got a book called This Time Next Year, and it's so cute.

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I mean, you know how much I love rom com Sammis. This truly it's my bread and butter, like it's just such a cute story.

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Now, Book of the Month is the perfect gift to give this holiday season. It's the gift that will keep on giving after the holidays are done between Black Friday and Cyber Monday. You can get ten dollars off six and 12 month.

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Just had to book of the month dotcom. And while you're there, use Code Rich to get yourself a book for only nine ninety nine.

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That's your first month's book for just 999 at Book of the Month. Dotcom with Code Rich.

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Hey, I'm Nikki Boyer, host of The Daily Smil. Isn't Thanksgiving like the best holiday? No pressure really is just good food, family and friends. And it's also a time to celebrate what we're truly grateful for. So we asked you to share what you're thankful for. Listen to a good day for gratitude on the Wonder app or wherever you get your podcast. From London.

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I'm Brooke Saffron and I am Orishas Skinwalker Williams, and this is even the rich where we bring you absolutely true and absolutely shocking stories about the greatest family dynasties the world has ever seen. It's a show about power, how you get it, how you keep it and what happens when it goes to your head.

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It's also about how the rich are just like us, because even the rich love and cry and dream and hope and scream at the TV while watching The Bachelorette. Yeah.

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That you should pay. When people think about super rich and super dysfunctional families, there's one family that immediately comes to mind.

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The British royals, a.k.a. the House of Windsor, the crown, the firm.

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Wait, do they seriously call themselves the firm? Oh, they do. Apparently, Prince Philip came up with it. The idea is that the royals aren't family. They're a firm like a business conglomerate or crime syndicate. It sounds just like the Mafia.

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I wonder if they make people off as they can't refuse. Yeah, but it's always just like, please take this, don't you?

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So over the next four episodes, we're going to focus on two members of the firm, in particular, Diana Spencer and Meghan Markle. Do they modernize the monarchy or do they whip up scandals that damage the crown? This is Episode one, megalomania. I'm popping the popcorn and pouring the tea. I want you to picture something, it's September six, 1997, and a 16 year old girl with freckles is sitting on the couch in Los Angeles, completely transfixed by what she's seeing on TV coming out of.

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I think this is James is preparing to join behind the cortege, Charles, William and Harry Earl Spencer. And still up there as well. Certainly the most heartbreaking sight, oh, Princess Diana's funeral, you guessed it, Tom. We're going to now watch as the cortege arrives at Westminster. There's this especially devastating moment when the camera zooms way in on the casket. It's super wobbly, kind of like the cameraman tossed back a few too many pints, which would be understandable given the sad circumstances.

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And then something comes into focus. Festive, as we've been just saying, you may be able to read. Mummy, Prince Harry wrote that card, his last letter to Diana, Harry was just 12 years old, and when that 16 year old girl watching in Los Angeles sees it, she breaks down in tears.

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Meghan Markle, Megan was one of the two and a half billion people watching Diana's funeral.

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I don't know if you remember, but this was one of the biggest moments ever. Oh, yeah. And after it was over, Megan couldn't get it out of her mind. You might even say she became obsessed with Princess Di like she got a hold of a VHS of Diana's wedding and watched it over and over. Diana, her true story became her favorite book. And she loved Diana. Sense of fashion, which I got to say Diana was kind of a real trailblazer, like she even turned a little black dress into a smoking gun.

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OK, now that sounds intriguing. Future episode. But it wasn't just the fashion stuff that Megan admired. She was also moved by Diana's empathy for all people and cultures.

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OK, so does this mean her falling in love with Harry was fate?

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I mean, it's hard to say for Megan. It was like one of those kindred spirit connections, except to Megan was just a kid in California and Diana was the most famous woman in the world.

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It's kind of crazy because they seem so different, like Diana was this upper crust English lady and Meghan's pretty squarely middle class. Diana grew up in a 100000 square foot mansion. Megan grew up in an apartment.

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OK, what's happening here? I'll tell you what's happening here. It's called theater.

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And you have a front row seat. Lucky you, God.

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But here's the thing you might not see on the surface, they actually do have a lot in common. Like they both have complicated families and they both know what it's like to have people see your beauty and miss your brains. And they both have loads of charisma. I think Megan connected to all that. Her friends said she wanted to be Diana 2.0. When Megan goes off to college at Northwestern, I think she's still thinking about Diana. Megan saw Diana as a star, someone who is a natural in front of the camera.

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So Megan studies theater and she wants to make a difference in the world like Diana. So she majored in international relations. Her senior year, she gets an internship at the U.S. Embassy in Buenos Aries, of course, her colleagues adore her. She's smart, enthusiastic, poised. She's got everything going for her. So she decides to take the foreign service exam, which you need to pass to become a diplomat. And it's notoriously hard, like Menza Hard.

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And even though Megan supersmart, she comes up short, but instead of retaking it, she gets another idea. She decides the world already has enough diplomats. What it really needs is another movie star.

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Oh, yeah, there are not nearly enough movie stars in the world. Well, there are a lot more openings now with streaming, but not in Megan's day, her career stalls.

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Honestly, it's not even stall.

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The car has to at least start before it can stall. And hers has not even done that. Plus, she's broke. Her only source of income is as a calligrapher. But calligraphy doesn't pay the bills. You know what Megan actually needs? Oh, I don't know.

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A recurring guest spot on a primetime sitcom. No, silly. A boyfriend. Oh, right.

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Of course. In 2004, Megan goes out to a dive bar in West Hollywood where she meets this guy named Trevor. He's exactly the kind of guy you meet at a bar in L.A., a handsome, cocky film producer who by some miracle has made a living producing movies no one has ever seen like this made for TV gem Santa baby.

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Her dad is Santa Claus. This is serious. You have a suggestion for me? No, no, no. Wow, I'm legitimately sorry I missed that one. Anyway, so Meghan tells Trevor she wants to be an actress and he gives her some advice. Hope is the greatest currency we have in this business, babe.

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What I feel like Trevor probably put babe at the end of that sentence like hope is the greatest currency we have in this business. Babe.

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Gross. Well, babe or no babe, she falls for it. And Megan is still hopeful for her acting career. So she asks her new boyfriend to cast her in one of his movies. But Trevor's got this thing about mixing business with pleasure. He basically tells her, sorry, you're on your own to scrounge for parts. But in 2006, Megan finally finds a role she can sink her teeth into.

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Megan. Deal or no deal? Yes, where beautiful women open briefcases with numbers inside and briefcase number 11. That was Meghan Markle.

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This is one of her first gigs in Hollywood. It's 2006. She's 25 and making 800 dollars a day. Eight hundred dollars a day. Are they hiring?

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I know, seriously, but it's not all amazing. According to one of her biographers, the dress she had to wear was so tight she couldn't even bend down to put on her six inch stilettos. OK, my back hurts just hearing that that same.

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But as we both know, when you're just starting out in the industry, you say yes to just about anything, which is how I imagine Megan ended up on an episode of 92 A.. I play you a clip, but she didn't have any lines. Her character was named. And sadly, I'm not making this up. Anonymous hot girl caught giving Guy had in his car. Oh, wow. Did the patriarchy write that episode?

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Oh, damn. Did I just hear your mic drop? And then in 2011, she gets a break.

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She's invited to audition for a starring role on a pilot called A Legal Mind. So, of course, she's nervous. And when she gets up in front of the casting people, she totally bombs poor Megan. Just can't catch a break, though. There is something good happening in her life right now. She and her boyfriend Trevor are getting married.

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Wait, wait, what? Yeah, they set a date in September 2011. Then something totally unexpected happens.

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Oh, I love a sudden turn in the plot.

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And the producers of the legal mind show call her back. She gets the part. There's only one problem. The show shoots in Canada and Trevor's almost career is in L.A. What's she going to choose her career or Trevor? Oh, decisions. Decisions.

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Just a few weeks after saying I do, Megan says good bye to Trevor and drives to Toronto to work on a legal mind. Oh, actually, they ended up changing the title. I see what's coming, but I'll bite what they change it to. The show was called Suits.

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Never heard of it. OK, yes you have.

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But for those who have it, I have a clip. Let me set it up for you.

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Megan plays a smart, driven woman who gets hit on a lot.

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Oh my gosh, that's me. OK, the movie's starting.

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Hi, I'm Rachel Zane. I'll be giving your orientation. Wow, you're pretty good. You've hit on me. We can get it out of the way that I am not interested. Oh, I'm sorry.

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I was he should have tried telling her that hope is the greatest currency we have. I would have fallen in love episode one.

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That would have been no story.

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So Meghan's in Toronto working on a hit cable TV show and filming in the cold Canadian air. Does Megan some good. She starts hanging out with famous people, not famous people you've ever heard of. They're like Canadian famous, so probably hockey players or something. But still, her career's on the rise. She's coming into her own without Trevor, pretty much. I mean, he makes an effort, sort of.

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He moves his office to New York so he can be closer to her and they Skype on the rig. With the more time they spend apart, the more Megan realizes all the little things that make them incompatible.

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Like like he's always late and Meghan's always on time.

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Oh, that drives me nuts, too. Yeah. As a person who's always legal. Right.

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He always looks sort of disheveled and messy and she's super polished and perfect.

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Even her ponytail is a work of art. Oh yeah. I actually looked at pictures of them online. I found one of them together at a cocktail party. Megan looks flawless, of course, and this Navy cocktail dress. And Trevor is wearing an oversized linen shirt, baggy khakis like he's Jake from State Farm and leather sandals to a cocktail party. Gross. There's one thing that's worse. What? Crocs. Which I'm sure he has, you know, he probably wears the socks, obviously, and there was other stuff like she's really deep and he's produced Santa baby.

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There is a lot to unpack here. Yeah, but still, Megan is a romantic and she isn't ready to give up when suits wraps at the end of the first season, Trevor and Megan go on a trip through Vietnam. They're hoping it'll be a chance to work through some of their differences and reconnect.

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They cycle from town to town, stopping to try all the local delicacies along the way. It's like their own little bachelorette episode. Sounds fun. Yeah, it is. Until Trevor gets violent food poisoning.

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OK, sounds very not fun. Yeah, it's not exactly the romantic reunion they planned. When Megan goes back to Toronto to film season two of suits, she's probably relieved to be on her own again. And that's when she makes a decision. Megan goes to the post office, she buys an envelope and then slips off her wedding ring, drops it inside and mails it back to Trevor. So hang on, that's the end of their relationship. She's putting her ring in an envelope and that's it for Megan.

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It is. And what better way to get over a breakup than go out on the town?

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Come with me for Daniel if I'm going to show you my favorite spots in Toronto. This is a promotional video that Megan made for a Canadian department store.

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I really wanted to show you the Shangri-La Hotel. I love this spot, especially when you could massage the spa upstairs. So good people love her.

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She starts a lifestyle blog called the BTIG and she gets involved with the U.N. It's good to be single. You get so much more done when you don't have to worry about some guy's feelings or what shoes they're going to wear to the next cocktail party.

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Fast forward a few years to summer of twenty sixteen. Meghan's thirty four years old and it seems like she's thriving. She's way past the break up. Production on suits just wrapped its sixth season and Megan's hanging with her new bestie, a woman named Violet Vaughn Weston. Holtze Violet is the PR director for Ralph Lauren and Megan is one of the brand ambassadors. Their tight. One day, Violet invites Megan to spend a few days in London, and at some point Violet gets an idea.

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She tells Megan there's a guy she knows, a friend of hers. She's known since high school. Apparently, they used to go skiing together.

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Her friend is handsome and single and lonely.

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You know, I feel like some telling music score to come in here. What, and give it all away. OK, Violet says any interest in a blind date? Megan thinks about it.

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Then she asks, Is he nice? Yeah, Violet says he's nice. So Megan says, Ride them, cowboy.

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You guessed it. No, she just says, OK, it's very anticlimactic. But later, when she's having lunch with a friend, she's so excited about it, she can barely speak. She whispers the guy's name in the softest voice.

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His Royal Highness Henry Charles. Albert David, the Duke of Sussex. I love Dan Burton and Baron. Kill, kill. I loved her.

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I'm sorry. I wonder, Violet, what's her face knew all along about Megan's obsession with Princess Di? I doubt it.

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It's not the kind of thing you really brag about, is it? But you've got to imagine it was on Megan's mind.

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Like she knows that Harry is one of the most eligible bachelors in the world and she has a leg up on the competition.

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She spent her childhood modeling herself after the greatest modern day princess of all, Harry's mummy. And as everyone knows, if you want to make a man fall in love with you, then you should definitely be just like his mother. OK, you know what? I'm going to run and research Ryan Gosling's mom real quick, OK?

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Good luck. Thank you. Erica, what's your favorite season fall? What's your favorite thing to wear during the fall sweaters? Did we just become best friends?

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Yup, yup. Well, a job of loving fall.

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We also love a good closet overhaul when the seasons change. And if you're looking to overhaul your closet with some fun fall pieces, there is only one place to go. Thread up. That's right.

[00:22:53]

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And you guys can get the styles you love at a fraction of the price. You'll look and feel good with thread up.

[00:23:30]

And for listeners of our show, here's an exclusive offer just for you. Get an extra 30 percent off your first order at threat up dotcom slash rich. That's our ed yuppy dotcom slash rich for 30 percent off your first order one more time. That's threat up dotcom slash rich for an extra thirty percent off today. Terms apply.

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Everyone I know is indulging a lot right now. You might call it stress eating no shit. I mean, you got to do what you got to do and Lord knows I've been doing it.

[00:23:59]

But Brooke and I have a little secret to get in some nutrition and protein when you feel like you need it. Our sponsor, perfect snacks.

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[00:24:55]

Perfect snacks dotcom slash rich. OK, so before we get into what happens when Megan and Harry meet for the first time, I think it's important to know what Harry's been up to because it's not what you think.

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I'm picturing something real and dramatic, like flying to the states and enrolling in college under cover and falling in love with a premed student who falls for him, too, but doesn't know he's a prince.

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OK, that's the plot of the prince and me. Yeah, and it's a great film. Everyone should see it. Yeah, but finish this episode first.

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So, no, that's not what he did. He actually served as a helicopter pilot in Afghanistan, joined an expedition to the South Pole and founded a charity.

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Oh, he sounds like a pretty good guy. Yeah. In a lot of ways. But he also has this reputation in the tabloids for some not so good behavior. Like, remember when he wore a Nazi uniform? No. Yeah. Back when he was 20 years old, he went to a costume party dressed as a Nazi.

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Wow. And there's also the time Harry was into laughing gas. Laughing Gas was his dealer, a royal Dundies. You don't need a dealer to get the nitrous. Why do you know that? I don't know. I like calling it the nitrous, though. Like, I'm hip it in the dough. But no, he would go to clubs where they serve it.

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Well, I definitely miss that trend. To be fair. That was a long time ago. He called them his wild days.

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Now that he's all grown up and tame, he's looking for love, making him the most eligible bachelor in the world while he's not for everyone. The problem is any woman he dates has to deal with the press and by deal with the press. I mean, be OK with your entire life being picked over and judged for the rest of time. Harry was quoted in the Sunday Times saying, If I talk to a girl, that person is then suddenly my wife and people go knocking on her door.

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But don't let that fool you.

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It doesn't stop him from talking to girls. On a warm summer's night in Merry Old England, Harry and Meghan meet for a drink at a chic private club called Dean Street Townhouse. The walls are papered red, the chairs are plush and velvet, and the sparks are flying. They talked about it later on BBC.

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I never, never even heard about until this friend said like a I was like, right, OK, can you give me a bit of background? What's going on here? So, no, I never I never worked since I never heard a negative before. And I was beautiful, surprised when I when I walked into that room and saw her and then she was sitting there, I was like, okay, well, I have to love. Oh, my God.

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I got to say, that actually is pretty romantic. Yeah. And he sounds so shy. Right. Like all polite and British. It's kind of adorable, but Meghan plays it cool.

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I didn't know much about him. We went and had a chat for a drink. And then I think very quickly into that we said, what are we doing tomorrow? We should meet again tomorrow. Let's meet again.

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Have you ever planned to have date number two the day after date number one? Definitely not. And not only that, wait till you hear how date number two goes. It's ridiculous.

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It starts at this members only establishment where they talk themselves into a corner. They share a bottle of rosé and they talk for hours.

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He's like, I'm really into philanthropic work.

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And she's like, I love the U.N. Turns out that's not all they have in common.

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They both have divorced parents and they know what it's like to grow up in a messy, dysfunctional family.

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And here's the kicker. They find out they both love Africa.

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It sounds exactly like none of the dates I've ever bet on who bonds over loving a whole continent.

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Oh, you love Africa. I love Africa. Neat. Harry seizes the moment.

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He knows Meghan's leaving London soon going back to Toronto and the TV show he's never heard of. And he's desperate not to let her slip away.

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So he like puts it all out there.

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He tells Megan about an upcoming camping trip and asks if she'd like to come with him to Botswana.

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It's actually one of Harry's go to moves. Megan is the third woman he's whisked away to Africa. But either she doesn't know that or she doesn't care because she says yes. And off to Botswana, they go, they share a tent. They camp under the stars.

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Oh, how ala Harry tell because I love his accent and we can enjoy it for five days out there, which was obviously fantastic. So then we were really by ourselves. It was it was fantastic. It was absolutely amazing to get to know her as quickly as I did.

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So basically they did it pretty much though after the trip, when Morgan goes back to suits, she can't get Harry out of her mind.

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Or at least that's how I like to imagine, because seriously, who could forget African Prince taking you to Botswana for five days to get to know you better and Harry can't get her out of his mind either. Not long after the Botswana trip, he invites her to his family's castle in Scotland.

[00:30:04]

Sounds like the relationship was moving pretty quickly. And there's a reason for that Prince Harry only gets like a few weeks of dating someone before it becomes news. And let's be honest, an heir in line to the British throne dating a mixed race American actress. It's like a giant gift for the British tabloids.

[00:30:22]

You broke the story to find out. Well, I'd love to tell you that, Phil.. But I'd have to kill you. I'm afraid that's Camilla Tamani. She's a reporter for a British tabloid called the Sunday Express on October 30th, 2016. She's the one who breaks the news.

[00:30:37]

She writes a front page story with this headline, Harry's Secret Romance with TV Star When the News Breaks.

[00:30:44]

Harry's in Toronto visiting Meghan, and the last thing he wants is for the press to find them. So he leaks a story of his own to make it look like he's missed his flight to Toronto and is still at home in the U.K.. It's a crapshoot, but it works and it leaves the couple feeling bold, bold enough to dress up in disguise and sneak into a Halloween party. But the next morning they wake up probably a little hungover and they look out the window and that's when they learn that Harry's trick with the press didn't work at all.

[00:31:13]

There's a swarm of photographers on the sidewalk waiting to pounce as soon as the couple leaves. Just what you need when you're hung over a bunch of flashing bulbs, Pritch.

[00:31:23]

And then November 2nd, the Daily Mail drops the story with this headline, Harry's girl is almost straight out of Compton, gang scarred home of her mother revealed. So will he be dropping by for tea? Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hang on a minute. The press finds out on October 30th that Harry and Meghan are dating. And the story you're talking about comes out on November 2nd. So it only takes the tabloids three days to start spewing racist bullshit.

[00:31:53]

Yeah, and that is just the start. The very next day, another tabloid, The Daily Star, has this wonderful headline, Harry to Marry into Gangster Royalty, New Love from crime ridden neighborhood. Wow. Yeah. Megan's life, as she knows it is over. Nothing's off limits now. Not her family, not her past, and definitely not the color of her skin. I think I can very safely say, as naive as it sounds now, I did not have any understanding of just what it would be like.

[00:32:24]

I don't think either of us did that. We both said that even though we knew that it would be you know, I tried to I tried I tried to warn.

[00:32:29]

I tried to warn you as much as possible. And then you can you can have as many conversations as you want and try and prepare as much as possible. But we were we were totally unprepared for what happened to the. We get support from ring its doorbell season, the busiest time of year at your front door, and that's definitely true at my house right now, there are more deliveries than ever. And now even fun little surprise drop offs from my friends and family.

[00:33:01]

Well, with ring, you can keep an eye on all of this hustle and bustle no matter where you are right from your phone. If someone stops by or something's going on, ring lets you know. And with a ring video doorbell, you can see and speak to whoever is there from anywhere.

[00:33:15]

They've also got indoor and outdoor cams, plus their ring alarm, a powerful, affordable home security system. You can easily install yourself.

[00:33:24]

Yeah, I've been going crazy ordering all kinds of, like, holiday stuff and like decorations because, you know, I go all out with that stuff.

[00:33:31]

And so this makes it so much easier because I'm not just leaving packages at my door. I know exactly when they get here.

[00:33:36]

Yes, I've been doing the same, but holiday eating and by holiday eating, I just mean eating and ordering a lot of food delivered.

[00:33:43]

And it's just so nice to be able to see who's at the door and have them leave it there and me pick it up and eat it and love it. Yes.

[00:33:52]

Love that whole series of events and for a limited time, go to ring dot com forward, slash rich to get special Black Friday and Cyber Monday offers. That's ring dot com forward slash rich. La, la, la, la, la. Here, read this. Now, read it out loud, why? Because your English accent is way better than mine.

[00:34:22]

A statement by the communications secretary to Prince Harry, November 8th, 2016. Since he was young, Prince Harry has been very aware that there is significant curiosity about his private life. He has never been comfortable with this, but he has tried to develop a thick skin. But the past week has seen a line crossed. His girlfriend, Meghan Markle, has been subject to a wave of abuse and harassment. Prince Harry is worried about Miss Michael's safety and is deeply disappointed that he has not been able to protect her.

[00:34:55]

It is not right that a few months into a relationship with him that Miss Markle should be subjected to such a storm. He knows commentators will say this is the price she has to pay and that this is all part of the game. He strongly disagrees. This is not a game. It is her life. And is what is this?

[00:35:14]

It's the monologue you're going to read for your Santa baby to defend. It's going to be a star game book in that role, no question.

[00:35:23]

But really, that's the statement Harry made his press secretary put out after all those racist tabloid articles.

[00:35:28]

OK, he's fired up and I love it. The press deserves to be smacked down for this.

[00:35:34]

Yeah, 100 percent. But not everybody agrees with you. Harry's older brother, William, thought he overstepped behind closed doors. William tells Harry to slow down, but Harry's not interested in his brother's advice. He's smitten. He gives Megan a necklace with empennage charms and they buy a Christmas tree together. Then they go to Norway in January when the sun literally never shines. Now that's love. Oh, yeah, they're serious. Which means Megan has to get serious about looking like a royal first.

[00:36:03]

She shuts down her lifestyle blog and then selfies begin to disappear from her Instagram, including one of her holding a beer can. Actually, a lot of photos where she's drinking disappear, which is odd because the queen supposedly still drinks wine with lunch and a dry martini in the afternoon. Oh, and champagne with dinner followed by some port before bed.

[00:36:22]

Sounds like my grandmother. I'm serious.

[00:36:25]

Yeah. Nanny knows how to party. She does, but Megan doesn't want to take any chances.

[00:36:30]

She wants to be liked by Harry's family. And she knows that if you want to charm your way into the cold English hearts of the British royals, then you need to have impeccable manners.

[00:36:40]

In the summer of 2017, Megan starts visiting a nondescript suburban house in Pasadena. There's a sign on the door that says Downton Abbey spoken here. The house belongs to a British expat named Edmond Fry. He's turned the front parlor into a mock English tea room. They're dressed in a vintage tuxedo and wearing white gloves. He serves high tea and dispenses etiquette advice. I feel like we should be doing this. I mean, I already have a British accent down.

[00:37:06]

You're almost there. We can get a tuxedo easily from Men's Wearhouse wherever else they sell tuxedos. That's the only place.

[00:37:13]

Yep, it's over. Several visits. Megan learns the basics. Don't slouch. Make sure your teacups handle is always pointing at three o'clock. Don't slurp. Always cut your scones in half. It's like a PhD in British manners.

[00:37:28]

Yeah, well, Megan doesn't just want the queen to like her. She needs the queen to like her. Under English law, the queen has final say on who her immediate heirs can marry, and that includes Harry and she's picky. She insisted that her son Charles marry Diana even though he had his eye on someone else. Why?

[00:37:46]

Because Diana was young, beautiful and well-bred, whereas Meghan is in her 30s and divorced. So if Meghan wants the Queen's blessing, she's going to need to knock her herringbone socks off.

[00:37:57]

On a rainy day in October 2017, Megan accepts an invitation from the queen to have tea at Buckingham Palace.

[00:38:06]

For the queen, it's a chance to meet the young woman she's heard so much about. For Meghan, it's the most demanding audition of her life.

[00:38:14]

Well, thank God she trained at Edmund Frys, royal house of Pasadena, Downton Abbey spoken here. We have no idea what they talked about. But I like to imagine that Meghan refrain from slurping and that she pointed her tea cup to E, because the one thing we do know about this afternoon is the queen was impressed and apparently the dogs were, too. They laid on Megan's feet the entire afternoon.

[00:38:37]

Oh, was the queen impressed enough to give Harry her permission to ask Meghan to marry him?

[00:38:43]

I'm so stunned as typical because he was what we're doing, just roasting chicken in front of us. It's a chicken.

[00:38:53]

Wait, this is their engagement story. Wait for it. While the chicken is in the oven, the prince decides it's time to propose the old fashioned way.

[00:39:02]

He got on one knee. Yes. As a matter of fact, I could barely let you finish proposing. I said, can I say yes now? She didn't even let me finish. And then there was hugs and I have the ring on my finger as I. I give you the Rangers, always the in the ring has four diamonds, one from Botswana, where they camped under the stars the year before, and the other three came from Diana's jewelry collection.

[00:39:24]

That's actually really, really sweet.

[00:39:26]

How do they celebrate after they release a bunch of photos where they're walking around Kensington Palace looking all beautiful? And then they did a long interview with the BBC where they announce it to the world.

[00:39:37]

That's the clip that you heard.

[00:39:38]

Megan also announces in the interview that she's giving up acting.

[00:39:42]

Wow. So she's really putting her past behind her. Well, there's one more thing she has to do to let her old life go.

[00:39:49]

She flies home to Toronto and throws a party for her closest female friends. She invites everyone into her closet and tells them to take what they want. She calls the party Sayonara, Zara. She's ready to upgrade to a more royal wardrobe.

[00:40:03]

OK, how do I get invited to a party like that? Seriously, I'll take her old shit.

[00:40:07]

I'm not royalty yet, but as the saying goes, you can give away all your polyester clothing, but your past still has a way of catching up with you. And when Megan's past gets a hold of her, it'll stir up a scandal that threatens her image, her relationship and the entire royal family. I'm guessing we're saving all that for next time. Yep. Consider this thatis.

[00:40:37]

This is episode one of our four part series, Diana Ptarmigan, if you like our show, please give us a five star rating and a review and be sure to tell your friends subscribe on Apple podcast, Spotify, the Wonder App or wherever you're listening right now. Join hundred plus in the wondering app to listen at free. In the episode notes, you'll find some links and offers from our sponsors. Please support them. Another way to support us is to answer a short survey at one dotcom slash survey.

[00:41:04]

We use many sources when researching our stories like Vanity Fair, Town and Country and yes, a few tabloids.

[00:41:10]

But we especially recommend the book Harry and Meghan by Kate Nicholl, as well as Andrew Morton's biography. Megan, a Hollywood Princess. I'm Brooke Saffron. And I am Erica Skidmore Williams. This episode was written by our producer, Caleb Bissinger. Our associate producer is Kate Young. Our audio engineer is our Danny Charism and Sergio Henriquez. Sound Design by Jeff Schmidt and James Morgan are executive producers are Stephanie Jones, Marcia Louis and Hernan Lopez for wondering.

[00:41:49]

A few words from a story can take you anywhere, it can take you to faraway lands to find a dragon or fly with the lost boys from wandering.

[00:42:00]

I'm Robbie Damit. And I'm Virginia Madsen. This is a little stories everywhere. Every week we will bring you some of the most magical, adventurous, fantastical children's stories ever told, premiering December 1st with some classic holiday tales. Subscribe on Apple podcast Spotify or wherever you're listening right now.

[00:42:21]

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