u/Spaceley_Murderpaws

Welcome to Open Post and what is easily the dumbest article this week about Harry & Meghan. I'm in San Diego where locals are rabid about what exactly makes a California Burrito (fries or not is a big one), but a whole-ass article calling out the dip Meghan used for her fish & chips?? 😭 😭

Anyhow, feel free to use this post to talk about anything, whether it's shitty condiments- like curry dip sounding **nasty**, how you're staying cool in a heat wave, fun rumors you've read this week, or what you've been buying at Trader Joe's to more fully embrace your basic fall bitch. (I'm desperately craving their maple leaf cookies, but haven't caved yet.)

Archive link- https://archive.ph/dlumZ

Meghan Markle under fire for fish and chips 'misstep' at UK pub - 'sacrilege'

Express UK

Eleanor Burleigh

Updated Sun, October 4, 2026 at 7:23 PM UTC

"Meghan Markle has come under fire for a controversial meal choice after moving back to Britain with her husband and two children. The Duchess of Sussex has kept a low profile since leaving the US in August, but her friend Kelly McKee Zajfen offered a glimpse into her new UK life in a recent Instagram post.

Amidst the quaint view of England painted by photos of countryside walks and pub lunches, commentators spotted what appeared to be a "sacrilegious" misstep by Meghan, however. Russell Myers and Jennifer Newton, hosts of The Mirror's Pod Save The King podcast, singled out an image of the duchess's plate of fish and chips, combining tartar sauce with gravy, in an episode released on Sunday.

Mr Myers declared eating gravy with fish and chips "a sacrilege". "You'd have chips and gravy, but not with tartar sauce," he said. Ms Newton added: "If it was curry sauce, I can say 'fair enough'. But not with the gravy."

While gravy paired with fish and chips may be unusual in southern England, it's a more common combination in the north, where it is also regularly eaten with pies, sausages and chips from a chippy.

Meghan and Prince Harry's sudden relocation to Britain from California was widely viewed as a dramatic U-turn, six years after they stepped down as working royals and left the country on strained terms with other members of the Royal Family.

Their first month back on UK soil hasn't been smooth sailing, including a public spat with Buckingham Palace over their status, their children moving schools just two days into the autumn term and further tension with King Charles over a book published by Earl Spencer about Harry's late mother, Princess Diana.

The duke and duchess also hit out at "unacceptable intrusion" after international paparazzi were seen looking into the grounds of Princess Archie and Princess Lilibet's new school this week. Their spokesperson branded the incident "extraordinarily reckless".

Despite the furore that has surrounded them in recent weeks, Ms McKee Zajfen said Meghan had been given a "loving" reception in Britain which was "beautiful to witness" in her Instagram post.

The Californian, who appeared in the duchess's Netflix lifestyle show, With Love, Meghan, wrote: "There's something so special about getting a taste of this magical place with my bestie ... We're leaving with full hearts and definitely leaving a piece of ours here. To everyone we've met or bumped into, thank you for being so loving to my friend. It's been beautiful to witness. She missed you too!"

Nice little calendar of royal and not-so-royal events from Newsweek to keep score with at home. (Nice old photo of them looking vital, youthful, and attractive, too lol)

Will Meghan, Ellen, & James Corden materialize to play golf in festive sweaters and scream at their caddies on the morning of Catherine's carols?

Will Harry visit a veteran's retirement home high AF & twist old men's nipples on Remembrance then stop by the local cemetery with a wreath Meghan made out of eucalyptus leaves and shitty agapanthus in Montecito where she's likely to be spending most of her time?

Any other predictions? Any other thoughts on life in general since this is an Open Post à la Dlisted? I personally want to hear about/see your nail polish game if you have one and what you're planning to be for Halloween.

Archive link: https://archive.ph/hpFV2

Prince Harry’s Six Impending Moments of Conflict With the Royals

"Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's U.K. return has been complex already, following an argument with the palace over whether they were "private citizens," but there are several further potential points of conflict approaching over the next year.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex had been living in California for six years when they moved back to Britain in August. And there were signs of tension with Buckingham Palace earlier this month over a letter sent on King Charles III's behalf to officials in government and the military clarifying the couple's status. Harry and Meghan's team pushed back on wording describing them as "private citizens" rather than "public figures."

There are also multiple events in the royal calendar that the Sussexes could hypothetically attend now they live in Britain, if they were invited.

Only time will tell whether the Sussexes will expect an invite, get an invite, or mind if they do not get one. However, the palace may wish to think carefully about how they approach a potentially volatile situation.

Why It Matters

For King Charles III and Buckingham Palace that means deciding how far Harry and Meghan should be welcomed back into the fold, following deeply personal criticisms in Harry's book, Spare, and past interviews. A years-long rift with Prince William, the heir to the throne, also persists.

Harry has said previously he is not on speaking terms with his brother and the last time they were at the same event together was Queen Elizabeth II's funeral, four years ago in September 2022. King Charles met Harry as recently as July and may be left needing to choose which of his sons to risk offending.

Remembrance

The first potentially tricky moment in the calendar is remembrance, when Britain holds a number of events attended by the royals to reflect on the sacrifice of the country's war dead.

In particular, there will be events in London at Westminster Abbey and the Royal Albert Hall before Remembrance Sunday, at The Cenotaph, the national war memorial.

These are generally for working royals and often attended by the prime minister and other senior politicians, past and present. However, Harry is a war veteran who saw front line service in Afghanistan at the guns of an Apache helicopter where he killed 25 Taliban insurgents, according to his book Spare.

In January, he paid tribute to the sacrifice of British troops during the war, saying: "I served there. I made lifelong friends there. And I lost friends there."

In 2020, Harry had arranged for a wreath to be laid on his behalf at The Cenotaph while he remained in America due to the COVID-19 pandemic, however, the move was blocked.

Biography Finding Freedom, by Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, later reported he was "saddened and disappointed by the decision," quoting a source who said: "Ten years of service and a lifetime commitment to the military community and this is how it's been acknowledged by his family."

Princess Kate's Carols

The Princess of Wales holds an annual carol service in early December at Westminster Abbey and in the past has invited royal family members. Not all attend, including King Charles III, who has missed a number of them.

Few would expect Kate to invite Harry, who said himself in a 2023 interview with Anderson Cooper for 60 Minutes that he is no longer on speaking terms with William, her husband.

However, there have been times when Sussex announcements lined up with, and potentially overshadowed, the event, deliberately or otherwise.

Most famously, in 2022 the second part of the couple's Netflix biopic Harry & Meghan dropped on December 15 at 8 a.m. U.K. time, the morning before Kate and other senior royals were due to attend the carols in person at the abbey.

The Pre-Christmas Lunch

The royals generally hold a lunch at Buckingham Palace, in London, on a Wednesday in mid-December, often the Wednesday before Christmas though this year that would be December 23, by which point the family has usually left London for Sandringham.

Attendance is for the whole family and not limited to working royals. In past years, it has been an opportunity for the less famous royals to celebrate with senior family members.

In fact, it was after the pre-Christmas lunch where Princess Michael of Kent famously apologized over allegations she wore a "racist brooch," in the Blackamoor tradition, to the first event where she met Meghan.

The broad nature of the usual invite list may create a greater expectation Harry and Meghan would be invited and greater chance they might be offended if they were not.

However, it is also possible the Sussex family will simply indicate they are heading home to California for Christmas and therefore turn down any invitation before it has been sent out.

Christmas Day at Sandringham

Similarly, attendance at the royal family's Christmas celebrations at Sandringham is not restricted to working royals and in fact is not even restricted to those still married into the family.

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, the former Duchess of York, attended in December 2023 and were photographed joining the royal family on their walk to church.

Mountbatten-Windsor was still a prince at the time but had stepped back from public life over his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein four years earlier in 2019 following a car crash interview with the BBC in which he did not express sympathy for Epstein's victims.

Virginia Giuffre accused Mountbatten-Windsor of sexually assaulting her in London, New York and the U.S. Virgin Islands in 2001, when she was a 17-year-old Epstein trafficking victim, and filed a lawsuit at Federal Court in the Southern District of New York in 2021. Mountbatten-Windsor has always denied the allegations and settled in 2022, paying an undisclosed sum in damages while denying liability.

Ferguson divorced him in the 1990s but they remained on good terms and have two daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, who have never been working royals. While Mountbatten-Windsor and Ferguson are not expected to attend the royal Christmas in 2026 following further developments in the Epstein scandal, their daughters went last year.

All of that precedent may make it difficult for the palace to avoid inviting Harry and Meghan but if the Sussexes did go to Christmas that might prove complicated for Prince William.

The Invictus Games Birmingham

The Invictus Games, Prince Harry's Paralympic Games-style tournament for the military community, is coming to Britain's second largest city, Birmingham, in July, raising the prospect that King Charles could potentially attend the opening ceremony.

Charles and William both attended the last time the games was in England, for the inaugural competition in 2014, but Harry was a working royal at the time and relations were still good.

There is little chance of William endorsing Harry's project but the king implicitly indicated his support for Invictus earlier this month after Uganda pulled out.

The east African country's armed forces had withdrawn following a letter sent on behalf of the king by the head of the Royal Household, the Lord Chamberlain, clarifying that Harry and Meghan were "private citizens" not "working royals."

Uganda returned to Invictus only after Charles' most senior aide, Sir Clive Alderton, personally rang to confirm that the monarchy would support their readmission.

If the king were to attend, it would represent major institutional backing just a month out from another major potential flashpoint.

Princess Diana 30th Anniversary

August 2027 will be the 30th anniversary of Princess Diana's death and Prince Harry has been in talks about a range of possible projects. The Sussexes have a "first look" deal with Netflix, meaning if he makes a TV show it will likely be offered to the streamer for first refusal.

That could be controversial, in part because William said the brothers would not open up about their mother's death again when they made a series of shows to mark the 20th anniversary in 2017.

Any film that was made for profit would also potentially open up the Sussexes to allegations they were making money from Diana's memory.

There is an additional risk too that knowing the film was coming could sour relations between Harry and his father. Charles met Harry for tea in July but continuing to see his son in the run up to a film about his ex-wife could potentially risk looking like a tacit endorsement of a project William would likely oppose.

In all examples, there are multiple paths both sides could go down, some of which would not result in conflict. Equally, there are many potential landmines to avoid along the way."

I just saw this article in RG2 & it was so bananas I had to share. I can't believe Meghan's WhatsApp jumped right to threats so quickly. (I thought they'd build up.) It's definitely less subtle than when she told The Cut, "I have a lot to say until I don’t. Do you like that? Sometimes, as they say, the silent part is still part of the song.”

Archive link: https://archive.ph/veyWz

"For the past few months, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have appeared to be locked in a very public tit-for-tat with the Palace.

First came Buckingham Palace gate. Just two months ago, a representative for Harry said he had been ‘disappointed’ by what they claimed was a ‘withdrawal’ of an offer for him to stay at the royal residence during his UK trip at the eleventh hour.

The Palace was then forced to clarify that Harry hadn’t accepted the invitation in time.

Now, just weeks later, and with the Sussexes widely believed to be attempting to re-ingratiate themselves with the Royal Family, they’ve responded to the latest Palace statement with their own carefully chosen words.

Asked about the letter issued by the Lord Chamberlain on the direction of King Charles, the couple were said to be ‘a little bit surprised’ – which may or may not be code for Absolutely Furious.

The letter, sent to UK officials last week, made clear that Harry and Meghan remain ‘no longer working members of the royal family’, describing them instead as akin to ‘private citizens with commercial and charitable interests’.

On the face of it, the message could hardly be clearer. The Palace is drawing a firm line between the senior working royals – most notably King Charles, Queen Camilla, Prince William and Princess Kate – and the Sussexes, who have faced growing speculation over the future of their own royal titles.

But behind the scenes, we’re told, there’s a much bigger story unfolding.

According to a source, Harry, 42, and Meghan, 45, have been quietly keeping a detailed record of their correspondence with the Firm since returning to the UK – and we’re told they’re doing it for their own ‘protection’.

An insider says, ‘Meghan and Harry don’t want to react to every problem, but they say they’ve learned the hard way that they need to keep a record of what’s being said and agreed to by people within The Firm, because the goal posts constantly change.

‘There is so much going on behind the scenes. It’s not as though their interactions are limited to the King, as there are so many people within his orbit. It’s a very intricate chain of command with lots of emails back and forth.

‘The Sussexes say the only way to keep track properly is to catalogue and save everything, so they know what each individual’s stance is.

They’ve had some very tricky situations where one courtier has given them instructions and another tells them to do the opposite, so they say they have no choice but to document everything the way they’re doing - it’s for their protection day-to-day.’

And this apparent habit of documenting their lives is certainly not new.

When their Netflix documentary, Harry & Meghan, aired in 2022, viewers were given an unusually intimate look at the couple’s departure from royal life, including footage filmed around the time they left the UK for North America.

In one clip, Harry filmed himself leaving with Meghan on what he called their ‘freedom flight’, appearing to address an audience before the couple had reportedly secured their lucrative Netflix deal.

Elsewhere, Meghan filmed herself in Canada in an emotional moment, telling the camera, ‘I don't know what to say anymore… I just really want to get to the other side of all of this.’

Whether the footage was intended simply as a personal record is unclear. It was later claimed that representatives for the couple had ‘touted’ some of the footage to Netflix bosses during early partnership discussions.

Elsewhere, Meghan filmed herself in Canada in an emotional moment, telling the camera, ‘I don't know what to say anymore… I just really want to get to the other side of all of this.’

Whether the footage was intended simply as a personal record is unclear. It was later claimed that representatives for the couple had ‘touted’ some of the footage to Netflix bosses during early partnership discussions.

Now, the source claims the Palace is conscious that the material Harry and Meghan are allegedly accumulating today could potentially become much more significant in the future – particularly if their royal titles come under threat.

‘It’s not lost on anyone that this could very easily be used one day for protection on a much bigger scale. The Royal Family is legitimately worried about that, even though both Harry and Meghan insist that’s not why they’re doing it,’ the source says.

‘Having all this material to refer back to is very helpful in a war of words with the family, but it also opens up the door to things being leaked for sympathy. They could potentially make the royal family look very bad, either directly, by writing some sort of book or doing another Oprah-style interview, or indirectly by handing everything over to biographer to use off the record.

‘Either way they are holding a lot of material with the potential to be really damaging to the royals, everyone knows that.’

The Sussexes, however, are said to insist there is nothing covert about their approach.

Indeed, we’re told they fully expect Charles and William to be doing exactly the same thing, with their respective teams keeping records of interactions with Harry and Meghan.

‘They are very open about the fact that they document everything that happens just in case they need to prove something later on. They know that everything is being kept by the King’s staff, and by William’s too, no doubt,’ the insider says.

And while the Sussexes may still be officially outside the royal fold, their actions since returning to Britain suggest they have no intention of keeping a low profile.

Harry has already begun a new schedule packed with engagements in the UK and overseas, while Meghan has shared a series of snapshots from their new life in the English countryside – potentially giving her lifestyle business a whole new British backdrop.

But there’s one thing the royals still have that Harry and Meghan don’t: the power to decide what happens to their royal titles.

The Sussexes have faced widespread criticism over the way their royal status has featured alongside their commercial ventures, and there has been speculation over whether their titles could ultimately be removed.

According to the source, that possibility is precisely why the alleged dossier could become so significant.

‘They’re often the ones keeping track of all of this stuff, because their staff is so much smaller these days. The fact that they’re willing to add this to their list of duties speaks volumes about how important record keeping is to them,’ we’re told.

‘They would be quick to say that it’s simply so they can maintain a clear picture of what’s been agreed to, but of course everyone knows that keeping such detailed records could be very helpful if and when things do completely fall apart with the royals.

‘If and when they lose their HRH titles, it will inevitably change things. It seems inevitable they’ll want to fire back, and right now they’re collecting all the ammunition they’ll need.’"

The Mercury News is Silicon Valley's newspaper.

Archive link:

https://archive.ph/IBqFd

BBC- "President Trump was asked Wednesday his thoughts on Prince Harry and his wife Meghan returning to the UK. The president said he is “happy” that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have left, stating he is “not a fan” of the pair."

ETA- Below is the actual BBC clip I meant to post from YouTube. (This embedded clip is the same footage, but from a different news agency.) https://www.bbc.com/news/videos/c33k72m7x11o

Ok, y'all. I need help. Who are your favorite reporters, journalists, authors, & YouTubers for royal gossip? What newspapers, publications, & Substacks do you like best? I'm talking solid sources, not newly minted royal "experts" or hacks like Kinsey Schofield, Lady C, or Dan Wootton, who all make me want to eat glass.

On that note, who/what **don't** you like?

I'm so burned out on most every royal YouTuber I initially liked because they're all just regurgitating the same BS they find on Reddit to the point of them being one big echo chamber.

FWIW, I've read the Tom Bower books & liked them to a point. He seems to solidly source and hasn't been sued yet by Meghan or Harry. (On a personal level, I think he's a relic.)

What got me really thinking was a podcast I just listened to, recommended on RG2, that featured Alison Boshoff talking about how she actually reports on the Sussexes, specifically. (Yes, she says they're just as much of a leaky mess as we all think.)

https://youtu.be/TB2\_8vTecNA?si=zL4Ca2Sjo98oXmCP

Now please spill on who spills best. I need some new stuff in my algorithms.

Royals- they're just like us! 🤪

Archive link-

https://archive.ph/QdH07

The NYT still seems to (mainly) be doing what I believe is paid PR akin to People. I say paid because there's no other way she would have previously got a cooking piece & big-deal banal interview with them otherwise.

I'm gifting someone an ILNP polish & their preferences are cool to neutral nudes, classic shades, trendy, or vampy. She doesn't seem to like a lot of holo or special finishes. Maybe just a touch of holo shimmer or a cream. What are your absolute favorite ILNP polishes in these shades?

I had to miss the Resident Alien farewell panel at SDCC last year & now wondering what the odds of one this year might be.