[imagesource:thequeensreadingroom]

One might say that Queen Camilla followed in the royal footsteps of the Duchess of Sussex (and Princess Eugenie) who have their own podcasts, but really she is outshining Meghan Markle in a way that will apparently make the ex-royal quite “livid”.

Last year, Her Majesty announced the brand new eight-part series (available on Spotify and Apple) that takes listeners into the world of one of her favourite activities: reading. The podcast, based on and named after Camilla’s online book club The Queen’s Reading Room, has become a massive success in the ratings.

It is so popular that another event is set to be recorded soon at a “star-studded” Hampton Court Palace, which is in stark contrast to Meghan Markle’s Archetypes that was axed by Spotify last year.

Media reports circulated at the time that Spotify was unhappy with her lack of output and engagement for the £15 million deal, which only saw 12 episodes released. She was booted when she was down when Spotify’s senior podcasting executive Bill Simmons tore into the royal couple on his own podcast, calling them “f***ing grifters”.

“Given Meghan’s apparent disinterest in Queen Camilla, I doubt if she has a nice word to say about her or her podcast,” royal author Ingrid Seward dished via Ok! Magazine.

“Camilla’s podcast has been a great success,” she added. “She has proven many times over she can bring in any of the big names from the world of the arts she wants. “

The upcoming ‘Queen’s Reading Room Festival’ is set to take place on June 8, and is only returning due to “popular demand.” According to a press statement about the event, it will feature: “Harry Potter [stars] Miriam Margolyes and Helena Bonham Carter, thrill-writer Harlan Coben, and a special musical showcase of the musical comedy Operation Mincemeat.”

 

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Literacy is “Her Majesty’s signature initiative,” according to a royal insider, who also pointed out that the Queen “enjoys promoting childhood literacy, in particular.”

 

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Queen Camilla’s reputation was thrown into the spotlight in early 2023 when Prince Harry’s memoir, Spare, revealed numerous “incendiary” passages about her, calling his stepmother “dangerous” and claiming she enjoyed using others to deflect negative press from herself.

This led one brand expert to label the podcast as the Queen’s “perfect revenge”.

“After all the hurtful things Harry has said about Camilla, she has finally got her own back on them,” director of Borne Media, Denise Palmer Davies told an outlet. “I bet Meghan, in particular, will be livid over the whole thing, and probably a bit embarrassed that hers fell at the first hurdle.”

Seward added that she doesn’t think Camilla has the time or inclination to feel anything much about Meghan:

“She is confident and comfortable in herself and would see no necessity to give Meghan or what she is doing or saying a second thought. She is far too polite to say anything. Should she come across Meghan soon she will be detached but as charming as always.”

Reports have repeatedly suggested that Prince Harry and Meghan are flailing on the other side of the pond, with Meghan resorting to selling jams while moving her audio venture over to another publisher.

In a statement earlier this year, Meghan said “I’m proud to now be able to share that I am joining the brilliant team at Lemonada to continue my love of podcasting. Being able to support a female-founded company with a roster of thought-provoking and highly entertaining podcasts is a fantastic way to kick off 2024.

As OK! reported, the upcoming series has reportedly been “pushed back”, with some claiming a lack of “A-listers,” for the Duchess to interview as the possible reason.

[source:okmagazine&tatler]