Trooping the Colour protests, Marius Borg Hoiby sentenced, and more trouble with male-led monarchies

[00:00:07]Welcome to Off With Their Headlines. I am your co-host Amanda Matta, joined by the pinstriped Meredith Constant, or would we call that seersucker for summer? I don't know. I think it's a pinstripe. It's more of a pinstripe.

[00:00:20]>> Okay.

[00:00:21]>> Well, great.

[00:00:22]>> Hello. Welcome to the Welcome to the show.

[00:00:25]>> And if you would like to see Meredith's confirmed pinstriped shirt, we do post We do post We post video episodes over on Patreon. Early ad-free episodes over there as well. You can also get the video episodes on YouTube, but just a few days later with ads. But without further >> Oh, sorry.

[00:00:43]>> There is for cutting in.

[00:00:44]>> Yeah, there is. There is an update from our Friday news dump. Remember when you told me that story about the Lamborghini tractor?

[00:00:53]>> Yes.

[00:00:54]>> Somebody wrote on our Patreon, "I just want to let you know, because sometimes I listen to my husband talk," which was very funny, "that apparently Lamborghini started out as a tractor company. They started out making," which kind of makes sense if you're if you're coming up around I guess like the '40s, World War II, also like I don't know, it's always a good time for tractors. What do I know?

[00:01:16]>> That's where innovation was needed, I suppose.

[00:01:18]>> Yeah. Well, then why was Jeremy Clarkson such a piece of [ __ ] >> Why is he a piece of [ __ ] or why did his >> both. Why was the Why was Why was the tractor? Like, I kid you not, Meredith, so many warning lights were going off in this Lamborghini tractor. Anyway, not relevant. That's interesting. Good to know.

[00:01:35]>> Yeah, I just want to just want to throw it out there. So, thank you to Sorry, I forget your name. Who Whomever on Patreon told us that. Thank you.

[00:01:41]>> Oh, I love it. All right, well, we got a lot to get through today. A lot of hot goss, and just hot topics, not the not the mall store. Men being terrible.

[00:01:52]There are There is a little men being A little A lot of men being terrible.

[00:01:57]We're getting We're getting into We're getting into it, including that that Putney pusher, who I keep calling a pedal pusher.

[00:02:04]>> Yeah.

[00:02:05]>> not the same.

[00:02:06]>> Uh-uh. So, we're going to try and breeze through these topics today, I believe, but I could not let this article go by without bringing it up on the podcast, because Meredith, our burying the lead today is a relic from the past. When is the last time you laid your eyes on a worst-dressed list? It's been too long.

[00:02:28]>> Right?

[00:02:29]>> I think >> This used to be the a mainstay. Yeah.

[00:02:35]This used to be >> now it's like it's like hits and misses.

[00:02:38]It's just like hits and misses or great.

[00:02:40]>> We do best-dressed and just like leave people off the list, but no, we have the worst-dressed royals at Trooping the Colour 2026 from the list today.

[00:02:52]>> Some of this is catty.

[00:02:55]>> The first one is so good.

[00:02:57]>> It's really good. So, just to spoil it for you, no, Catherine, Princess of Wales, is not on the list, which is a bold choice. But, we start out with the feather duster on Queen Camilla's head was distracting. So, they are not talking about her military cosplay as a whole being a problem, which like fine, I'll allow it. This year, though, they do take issue with the fact that she updated her look by referencing the Grenadier Guards hat with a big white feather. This was undeniably distracting, and we can't help but wonder if there's a way to honor tradition while still looking chic. No.

[00:03:34]Just kidding.

[00:03:35]>> It It's giving colonialism. I hate I mean, I do hate this outfit, but the feather is like the least of my worries.

[00:03:42]>> I mean, in term the plumage is not my not my main issue here. I At first, I didn't know what to I didn't know what to do. I was like, is any of this official garb? Like, I don't want to be >> No.

[00:03:52]>> that disrespectful.

[00:03:54]>> No. No, cuz like you kind of run into a problem with the British Armed Forces and like women because the only one of them No, none of them have actually served. It It It just kind of It's a ceremonial honorary thing and traditionally queens have like had I think we talked about this the last time she wore this uniform. So I won't go on too long, but queens have had like skirt or dress versions of these uniforms made. Queen Victoria, Queen Elizabeth, now Queen Camilla. When they're like not necessarily trying to be a exact like regulation uniform.

[00:04:29]But at that point, I feel just wear something else. It just draws attention to the fact >> Just something like that. Listen, Anne doing her full military garb dress-up is my favorite every year.

[00:04:42]>> Yeah.

[00:04:42]>> She rides in like Napoleon or something.

[00:04:44]That's like my only reference, which is probably not a good one here. Also, just a side note, I need everyone to be so [ __ ] real about Prince William in the in in the cousin Itt hat. One outlet, people were swooning over Prince No one was swooning over Prince William in that furry-ass hat where you can't see any of his face. What are you talking about?

[00:05:05]Shut up. I also stumbled on a Reddit thread where people were critiquing his seat on the horse, like how he was sitting. Apparently, it was bad form >> That's [ __ ] I like that.

[00:05:17]>> like, "Okay."

[00:05:18]>> too far forward. And they're like, "Doesn't he play polo? Why is his seat so god awful?" I'm like, "I like this."

[00:05:24]>> Okay, equestrian shade? I'll allow I'm here for it.

[00:05:27]>> I'll allow. I'll allow.

[00:05:28]>> Wow, Keir Starmer's wife catches strays.

[00:05:31]>> She Right right after Camilla. Right after Camilla, who I'm not sure that feather is not just extra hair extensions of hers before we move on.

[00:05:40]It's the same color and texture as her hair.

[00:05:41]>> Well, maybe listen, they're getting resourceful. Reduce, reuse, recycle.

[00:05:46]>> Yeah, we were told next Victoria Starmer's clashing outfit was downright dull. It doesn't seem like Victoria Starmer, wife to the Prime Minister, set out to make a major fashion statement at this year's Trooping. Yet her apparent attempt to fly under the radar doesn't mean her outfit was a good one. Her cream-colored dress was simple and anything but bold. Yet she paired it, get this Meredith, with a stark white hat which created a totally clashing color palette. Huh? I think it's fine. I think it's okay. I can't tell his shoes though because if we're doing like I think we I think we should have done a more neutral shoe if she's wearing black shoes. I don't think they're black. I think they are neutral. They're just in shadow under her dress because she's sitting. I I need to see a better picture. This feels like it might be an unfair read but also she doesn't really stand out that much because a woman right over Keir Starmer's shoulder to her, I guess it's her right, is wearing white. So it's not like I think the issue is that she paired cream and white. You know how many times Kate has done like a mismatched monochrome where the colors don't actually go together.

[00:06:53]Yeah, damn. Come on. Oh, the next one.

[00:06:56]Wow, these are you know what? They're brutal. We I am so starved for this kind of savage really low stakes read.

[00:07:04]>> Wait till you get to number four. Okay.

[00:07:06]But number three, did a seagull crash land on Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh's head? Ouch. So they're talking about Sophie's all-white outfit and they mention hats are customary for royal events. Yet this hat in particular definitely wasn't the right choice.

[00:07:22]While it certainly added some interest to an otherwise simple look. She's wearing like a It looks like a nurse's uniform. It's like a short-sleeved collared shirt dress with a belt. They say Sophie's large haphazard hat evoked images of a tattered seagull who misjudged his landing mark.

[00:07:39]>> I don't think it's bad. I >> It's not. It's pretty standard. It's fine. I don't know. Like I think if we're going to go in terms of Camilla's plumage in this, but there's a there's a real like bird kind of thread line with these critiques.

[00:07:53]>> Yeah.

[00:07:54]>> [gasps] [laughter] >> Oh my god, the next Oh my god, the next one. I can't breathe.

[00:07:59]>> So we are told next, Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester, looked like she should be haunting a house.

[00:08:09]So she is wearing it's kind of a navy polka dot dress with like puffy sleeves, and it does have a quite curious collar.

[00:08:16]It's like fully a circle around her neck with like ruffles. It's a choice. I think she also wore this outfit to the Queen's Platinum Jubilee, and the list notes that because trooping rolls around every June, it's no surprise that most attendees lean into the summery vibes with light pastel color palettes. This made it a bit surprising to see the Duchess of Gloucester in a deep navy look.

[00:08:39]>> I love that.

[00:08:40]>> Also, navy not being a summer color is so funny.

[00:08:43]>> Number one.

[00:08:44]Yeah.

[00:08:45]>> It has polka dots. I also like to think that this is her way of taking a stand and being like this [ __ ] Also, we know those lesser royals don't have money. She's got to wear You're going to see that dress again. Yeah, the collar is giving kind of like Mary Queen of Scots or something.

[00:08:58]>> It's archaic, I will say. But haunting a house >> is wow.

[00:09:03]>> Wow.

[00:09:04]>> And then last, her husband, Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester, apparently reminded us of Mr. Peanut. Get this, man wears top hat to royal event.

[00:09:13]>> Okay, everyone is like wearing that outfit. Why did he look like Mr. Peanut?

[00:09:18]Why did he get shade? I mean, no royal suit fits that well, but he It looks pretty good from this photo. I I I don't think it's that I don't know. That was maybe unnecessary, but I would like to say, maybe a controversial opinion, but bring back Worcestershire sauce. I mean, we can do this without without the kind of late 90s early 2000s nastiness like Joan Rivers light.

[00:09:42]>> if we're going to do it, we have to do it and like not pull punches because of who someone is or their position in the family. You know which event could have used a worst dressed list? I'm going to say it, Peter and Harriet's wedding.

[00:09:52]>> I saw some hideous looks among the guests.

[00:09:57]>> ugly [ __ ] >> There was some ugly [ __ ] >> "Oh, I wouldn't have thought to No, it was ugly."

[00:10:02]>> Wow.

[00:10:04]>> Yeah.

[00:10:04]>> Okay.

[00:10:04]>> Maybe we need to do a worst dressed list for that.

[00:10:07]>> I >> That could be a fun Patreon thing.

[00:10:09]>> Ooh.

[00:10:10]>> It could be. Just have a little fun. A little writing exercise for us.

[00:10:14]>> Let's do it. I'll write it down so we don't forget.

[00:10:17]>> Yeah.

[00:10:17]>> All right. Someone asked They're like, "Do you save Do you save all your merch ideas?" I'm like, "No, it was it's just me texting Amanda." Didn't we come up with some idea of a woman with a fish head? And why was it that >> Cuz somebody called us fish wives at one point.

[00:10:31]>> Which was so good.

[00:10:32]>> Yeah, I don't think we saved that review, but it might be in there still.

[00:10:35]>> Yeah, let's make her own zine.

[00:10:37]Bring it back.

[00:10:38]>> The royal zine. Well, moving on to the harder hitting elements from Trooping the Colour which was this Saturday past.

[00:10:47]>> Yes. I just posted my video on it today, Meredith, cuz I was so underwhelmed. I hate to say it. Does that make me a hater?

[00:10:54]>> Can I tell you what I texted a friend of mine that is in the royal kind of >> you text it to me?

[00:11:01]>> Well, to be fair, it was late at night and your silence things were on and I try I try not to bother you when that happens. Here's what I said about it.

[00:11:09]Everything written about Trooping the Colour could have been done without watching a second of it. Number one, cute kids. Number two, Diana cosplay from Kate. Three, protesters. Four, new leaf who needs Harry and Meghan.

[00:11:22]They didn't have to be there. Didn't even have to be there.

[00:11:24]>> segment.

[00:11:25]>> No, yeah, you're right because and I I talked about this too in a newsletter and on social media, it all just kind of feels like, "Okay, yeah. you got the monarchy you wanted, you got the slimmed down institution and your event went off without a hitch. This is the way forward. See how long people tune in that were like your newly captured audience. I get that the lifelong monarchists are always going to be going to tune in. Yeah, this is why I keep saying the monarchy is not winning over new followers in this current era. The drama, the storylines are what pull people in and through no fault of their well, through some fault of their own, they no longer have that. I also think it's a dangerous game to try to appeal to everyone and if we got to the root of the problem people have with the monarchy, which is how they make their money, how they get paid, how they're funded, I think we could get to a place where like listen, lean into the camp and the glitz and the glamour, but maybe under >> thing to go, the tiaras at the coronation.

[00:12:22]>> you already have tiaras, you might as well use them.

[00:12:25]>> It's sustainable, actually.

[00:12:27]>> Yeah, no, bring out the tiaras, do that.

[00:12:30]I I think it comes down to it's this impossible tightrope to walk because something really does have to change, which I think is why we saw a little more anger over protest this year, which is what I ended up doing a video on because I just thought to myself, this is nothing new, but the reaction >> was >> very telling.

[00:12:51]>> Yes, and I think it has to do with the institution very consciously now having to insist on its relevance. We hear people like Will and Kate talking about impact, wanting to move the needle forward, make sure the institution is fit for purpose. There's almost a sense among royalists like, well, why isn't that good enough? Like, why do you still have to be angry?

[00:13:10]>> Republic institution.

[00:13:11]>> Graham Smith, it was outsized this year, the the conversation around the protesters who you rightly say are at every royal event now.

[00:13:20]>> We had that famous picture last year of the yellow signs which are held up by Republic, which is a group that wants to abolish the monarchy. They want something like an actual uh I think an actual ceremonial head of state or an elected head of state that keeps a check on Parliament. Like actually creating a system that works, but also changing the way royals are paid and funded.

[00:13:40]>> I don't want to take sides, but I do think you've ended up in Britain with these two like parallel head of state bodies. You have Parliament and the Prime Minister and the monarchy and I do understand the urge to kind of trim the fat there and I think everyone agrees that there needs to be some renegotiation. How far do you take it is why you get people like this protesting.

[00:14:04]>> Yeah, but as we've said, this is at every single event. They have the yellow signs. Like they they work they work it out with police. Yes, there have been instances where they have been arrested and have felt there was an unfair crackdown. Like there's definitely always been some of that lingering. But this year, the reaction online when I saw the way people reacting and what they were saying about Catherine's glare with the kids in the procession, I figured I'm like, what were they yelling at these kids? I thought like a kid was being called out. You know, which I guess not my king is kind of like calling out Prince George. But I thought I was like, what was said? And then I played it and it's booze mixed in with cheers.

[00:14:44]>> Yeah, as always. Like just like the hecklers to King Charles are just kind of saying, what did you know and did you know it? Let's talk about the story of Kate Middleton's angry glare. I've also seen it called a cool stare. Can I What's the opposite of burying the lead?

[00:15:00]>> Revealing the lead?

[00:15:01]>> I guess. I think that's just her face. I think she just had RBF on this occasion and the sun was in her eyes. Because the thing about these processions, they go so fast. Like the camera angle can be deceiving as to the clip that the carriages are moving at and how crazy that the mall, not the mall, the mall is. Like there's a lot going on. It would be really hard for you in that moving carriage to pinpoint someone to give an icy glare to.

[00:15:26]First of all, that's like where I have landed on this.

[00:15:29]But I understand the impulse to write the narrative, write the storyline here.

[00:15:33]Oh, Kate's sick of it. She's clapping back because we really, if we're monarchists, would love for Kate's backbone to be on full display.

[00:15:41]>> It also says a lot that we haven't seen, or at least I haven't seen any stories pushing back on this narrative from favored outlets of the Waleses. Everyone is allowing that story to run, which I think is incredibly revealing, because again, there is no reason for Kate to act any different towards protesters than she has over how many years at this point.

[00:16:03]>> The kids are prepared for this. What I don't like is that the kids are put in this situation, because they have no agency and no choice. And then what I doubly hate is using the kids as a shield, because then people say, "How could you yell that at the children?"

[00:16:18]>> And it's not like they were going to yell it regardless.

[00:16:20]>> The response that is disturbing is the crackdowns on protest, which is where this is all This is where it heads. It's a crackdown on protest and what is considered appropriate and respectable.

[00:16:34]When I mean, the word is protest.

[00:16:36]>> Right.

[00:16:36]>> The one thing I will say, specifically to Republic, not to Republic, but about Republic at these events. They have signs, they have umbrellas, they have banners, they have flags. This is a horse-centric event. That is the one reason I think it is appropriate to say, "Please stay in this area." The shouting, the waving of banners, like can happen here, but not here. Do I know for a fact that in practice it has been sort of limited to that? No. It very well could also be an effort to crack down on the protests in general.

[00:17:08]But I think the reason that gets put on paper is public safety. We want to avoid spooking the horses, we want to avoid any incident, because these horses are well-trained. They're not that well-trained. Every year during trooping like training in London, you see videos of these horses either spooking or last year there was one like running amok with blood running down its chest. Do you remember that? People thought it was like the horseman of the apocalypse.

[00:17:32]>> It was weird. I I and I I think that there can also be legitimate reasons for wanting protesters in certain areas and what they're using. When there's animals involved, I also think that this is a trend that we've seen in the United States where we where where we're not only going for safety, but we are labeling protesters as I've seen online >> Yeah. Unruly, un- predictable, yeah.

[00:17:55]>> instead of the message that they're pushing. And really it's more I think the royal family is reacting strongly this year because yeah, things are really kind of bad and it's their fault.

[00:18:06]It's the handling of Andrew. It is the information out there about rentals and the Duchy and all the royal finances and that's on >> them and those are legitimate questions and legitimate things to bring to light.

[00:18:19]I think that that has more to do with why we're reacting to protesters this way this year because >> We don't want to talk about it.

[00:18:26]>> Yeah, it feels a little little shakier maybe. I I just I feel like something is going to be in that royal financial report this year. I don't know what it is. It just feels like something is coming.

[00:18:35]>> You think?

[00:18:35]>> I don't know. It just feels like something weird is going to come out of that.

[00:18:39]>> And they'll say, "Well, we we welcome we welcome the chance to contextualize."

[00:18:45]>> Yeah. It's it's always that stuff.

[00:18:47]But yeah, this was boring. So, congrats.

[00:18:49]Also, Kate's outfit was a combination of what she wore last year, a Diana 1987 dress, and that gray dress that she wore a couple weeks ago when there was a state visit.

[00:19:00]>> Can I tell you something kind of embarrassing? The morning of trooping, so it's like Saturday morning, first of all, my beloved husband, I love you. I hate that you've made me a morning person. I was up at like 6:30, 7:00 and I was resisting the urge to check my phone cuz I was like I know I'm going to go right into duping. And in my head I woke up with like a vision of what Kate was going to wear. I was wrong. But isn't that so embarrassing? Like I woke up speculating to myself what she was going to wear. If you want to know what it was, it was that navy dress with the white piping that she wore to like launch a Scottish ship and like she was dressed like the Scottish flag. And I thought she would wear that with just like a different hat. So I was kind of close. Blue, white piping. You were close. Listen, this is a hazard of the job. How many times have I texted you >> Yeah.

[00:19:43]>> something about >> Stress dreams.

[00:19:45]>> whomever.

[00:19:46]>> Yeah, stress dreams.

[00:19:48]>> The worst. It It comes with the territory. It's okay. I don't There's no judgment here, sweetie. It's a judgment-free zone.

[00:19:53]>> Thank you.

[00:19:54]>> Thanks.

[00:19:55]>> Yeah. I don't know. It was fine. It It felt like a culmination. I wrote in my Substack that it It feels like armor now, which is interesting because we always hear how much more comfortable Kate is calling the shots for her family, comfortable in her in her own skin, carving out her own path. Comfort usually comes along with you know, getting loose. You get more comfortable in the clothes as well. The clothes have been getting more angular and bigger and sharper. They kind of hold you at arm's length now in a way that the frills and the ruffles and the soft fabrics of yesteryear did not. If you go back and look at Kate's Trooping outfits of the past, not only are they more pastel before she becomes Princess of Wales, but they are softer across the board.

[00:20:40]>> Just found that interesting.

[00:20:41]>> Yeah, I I thought I hallucinated when I saw that Kate was at some of I don't know what the event was. She is wearing the padded hip look. I was like, what?

[00:20:50]>> Baby girl.

[00:20:50]>> to get a stylist in. Baby girl, I don't think you understand There are layers here that I don't think we're picking up on to the irony of this. So much of it was wild to see. It did not suit her. It again, it feels It's weird cuz it some of it's kind of on trend, right? Some of this kind but it just isn't executed correctly. I don't know. I was surprised and it looked like she didn't know where to put her arms. She really really wanted you to know that that dress had pockets. The arms were straight down.

[00:21:16]I'm also weird with my limbs in public, so I would fit in there, I will say.

[00:21:22]>> Yeah.

[00:21:22]I would be the the pictures that would be captured of me. I do not envy this woman and her >> I'm a leaner. I'm most like most Americans, I lean when I'm out in public, you know, which you guys make fun of us for.

[00:21:35]>> Yeah. I'm I'm swaying back and forth.

[00:21:37]>> We would not cut it.

[00:21:40]>> Nope. Nope. We're out.

[00:21:46]>> Um speaking of people who are out, let's go over to Norway for our first terrible man of the episode, Marius Borg Høiby, the stepson to the Crown Prince Haakon, the son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit from a previous relationship, has been sentenced. If you'll remember, he was on trial for originally 32 counts. It went up to 40 counts because he was I believe because he was arrested a few days before the trial started. Yes, including four counts of rape. He has now been convicted of two counts of rape and I believe 32 of the additional charges against him, which ranged from violating protection orders, domestic violence, uh threatening, drug-related offenses. He has been sentenced to, get this Meredith, four years in prison, in a Norwegian prison, mind you, which is not, you know, the US for-profit experience.

[00:22:39]>> I just Here's my thing. I don't know a lot about the Norwegian prison system.

[00:22:43]Not really my area of expertise.

[00:22:44]>> I feel like you don't have to to know.

[00:22:46]>> like you don't have to. And I understand that sentencing in the US and some of the sentences are wild, especially that are applied, you know, >> Yeah.

[00:22:57]>> inordinately against people of color and and tend to be longer, three strike rule, all those things during the Reagan years in the war on drugs, which cracked down on people who used crack and not cocaine cuz cocaine was the white drug.

[00:23:08]So, there's a lot of things going on in the United States. But, 4 years, this man, there is something wrong. This isn't I made I messed up once in a I did I did something bad. He has a repeated track record. He is He is a threat to the safety of women in Norway. Multiple Multiple specific women who >> were the reason that the judge ultimately decided to hold him in custody while the trial >> Good.

[00:23:34]>> went on.

[00:23:35]>> ask you a quick question? So, is he still going to have to stand trial for other counts that he was arrested for during the trial or before the trial or was that rolled in? I I don't know how that works.

[00:23:48]>> do not believe so. What I understand, because the number of charges changed, I think he is done. What I also understand about the Norwegian system is they don't have like life imprisonment or the death penalty. So, what you can ask for in terms of sentence is different than here in the US. Prosecutors were asking for 7 years and 7 months in jail. Little angel number there.

[00:24:10]>> Like wow.

[00:24:11]>> And they they judge decided on four.

[00:24:14]This was not a jury trial. This was a court where there were three judges presiding. Obviously, Marius pled not guilty to most of the accusations against him.

[00:24:24]>> How do you rehab someone like this?

[00:24:26]That's what I just keep thinking. How do you rehabilitate [clears throat] someone like this?

[00:24:30]>> I guess you try and get them clean if drug use was influencing it.

[00:24:34]>> But also, if this is something psychological, >> Yeah.

[00:24:38]>> there are some things that you really can't deal with. Like, this is like serial level assault.

[00:24:45]>> And I mean, the whole family is kind of dealing with this reckoning right now, right? About accountability, entitlement, what you can get away with, what you can hide from the public. And tomorrow, of course, is on the lung transplant list, which we now kind of have clarification on. You don't get on that list, I understand, unless you have about 1 to 2 years to live. Met tomorrow's doctors say she has about a year to live unless she can get her lung transplant.

[00:25:09]>> My god.

[00:25:10]>> Yeah. So, it's a it's a rude awakening, I think, for everybody involved. Like, how did we get here? Oh my goodness.

[00:25:17]Just across the board. I I also wonder if it provides something of a test case or maybe a worrying parallel for one Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor in the UK.

[00:25:28]>> Oh.

[00:25:28]>> Just a There is that. You want to talk about a different terrible man?

[00:25:31]>> I guess. Do I want to?

[00:25:34]So, I didn't know about this story at the time, but >> Yeah, I sent it to you yesterday and I was like, this is >> down a rabbit hole and this is wild.

[00:25:42]>> Yeah, so yesterday I sent you the headline, "Millionaire with ties to UK royal family accused of being notorious jogger seen pushing woman in front of bus." I did not know the rabbit hole I was about to go down. It is wild. I Have you watched the video?

[00:25:59]>> I have not. Do you want me to?

[00:26:00]>> Okay. I Yeah, if you could pull it up and play it, I think it's important to see exactly what we're dealing with here cuz it's 2017. We're on the a Southwest London bridge, the Putney Bridge, and you see a man jogging. He's in gray, he's got blue running shorts, and then there's also two people walking in his direction on the left side.

[00:26:23]Wait, are you watching it?

[00:26:24]>> Yeah, I'm watching it.

[00:26:25]>> God.

[00:26:26]>> Describe Describe what you saw.

[00:26:27]>> So, he's jogging down this bridge and it's There's enough room for like two-way traffic, pedestrian traffic, right? And this woman is sort of walking, not even towards him, just the other direction, and he genuinely seems to swerve out of his way to push this woman in front of an oncoming bus. So, her She like hits the sidewalk and falls backwards into the bus lane and there is a bus coming. It barely swerves out of the way in time to like not hit her.

[00:27:00]It's So it's very clear to me that this man pushed this woman. She does get up.

[00:27:05]She is okay, but intentional like I don't even want to say allegedly. That was intentional.

[00:27:11]>> And that's what is so chilling about it is that you sit there and think what about cuz there's also he passes a man.

[00:27:18]Passes a man in a suit as well. It's not They are the only three people we see on the CCTV footage. And he you know kind of has to go around him a little bit.

[00:27:26]But then he intentionally >> Yeah, he moves closer to the woman.

[00:27:30]>> closer to her and shoves her. I mean hard enough he's running she's walking hard enough that she fully falls over.

[00:27:40]Her head is hanging in the bus lane. It That bus driver it's a double-decker London bus. It is I don't know like an inch or two away from crushing her skull. And the man keeps jogging. And it's just it is so chilling and it so embodies the violence that just exists being a woman. Because we don't know the motive. We don't know you know this is all speculation, but >> Right.

[00:28:01]>> he just saw a woman walking.

[00:28:02]>> Well, >> And he Yeah.

[00:28:04]>> What?

[00:28:05]>> Yeah, so this was back in 2017. The man was unidentified. The case gave him a name. He was known as the Putney Pushed.

[00:28:12]And in like the initial reports it was even said like while the woman was receiving medical attention on the sidewalk, he ran past going the other direction and she said that's that's the guy.

[00:28:25]>> Like dude right there.

[00:28:26]>> And he just kept going. Like he did not stop. So since 2017 this has kind of been a dead end. I don't think the case was ever closed.

[00:28:34]>> closed it.

[00:28:35]>> Did they?

[00:28:35]>> They They closed the case like a year or two later. They interviewed 50 people.

[00:28:40]And they basically said we we there's nowhere else to go with this. And the the thing that people kept talking about in fact, someone made a play about it, which I kind of want to see in 2024, which looks at three different vantage points, the woman, the jogger, and the bus driver. And so many people were saying, "The CCTV footage is clear enough. Somebody somebody's knows who this person is, and they are not coming forward, and I think we might have an idea why based on the arrest that just happened."

[00:29:10]>> Yes. So, fast forward, that play opened in 2024, the author of the play urged people to come forward if they had information. It seems like that happened because there has been an arrest, and the Metropolitan Police Force announced it, saying it related to the incident in May 2017, and that the suspect was a 44-year-old man. Now, in Britain, we don't typically name individuals who've been arrested.

[00:29:36]Like, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has not been named in like most of the arrests.

[00:29:41]>> It's like man man was arrested.

[00:29:43]>> Man in his 60s in the Windsor area.

[00:29:46]Like, that's kind of where the media has to stop.

[00:29:49]>> Yes.

[00:29:49]>> Uh the Daily Mail was the most brazen in saying it's a 44-year-old man from the banking world. He's a millionaire. He has ties to royal families. And there was one report that he had been involved in a previous arrest for like crashing a motorbike, which led the internet to make a conclusion about who this man in custody likely is. Now, we are not here definitively saying that this is the guy. The Daily Mail said, "The suspect has familial links to some of Europe's leading royal dynasties, including the House of Windsor. Since leaving the British Army, where apparently he was an officer, he has enjoyed a successful career in the city and advises a string of high-net-worth individuals and institutions." He was said to be arrested in like a multi-million-dollar townhouse.

[00:30:38]>> 1.4 million pound West London home.

[00:30:42]>> Right.

[00:30:42]>> Yeah.

[00:30:43]>> So, based on those context clues, people online are speculating that this man is named Nicholas Brandram. He would if that if this is him, he is the grandson of Princess Katherine of Greece, which also would make him a descendant of Queen Victoria. Now, again, we are not sure that this is the man. It has not been confirmed that this is him, but when all of those context clues are laid out, this is the name that comes up.

[00:31:11]>> Yes, and if it is that person, he works for a very well-known bank, and I think something happened in his personal life, someone said, "I'm spilling the beans on this." He crossed someone, there's some sort of messy breakup, something happened, and someone finally said, "I'm coming forward." Because everyone a lot of the reporting at the time is like, "Somebody knows who this man is." Like, "Somebody knows who this man is and is just they're not coming forward." And I think we don't know yet, but this is probably yet another story of two different justice systems, of people protecting those in power or those that are in these elite circles from accountability.

[00:31:50]Allegedly. It's Allegedly is probably what we're saying. Also interesting to note, he's 44. William is 44. Harry is 40. This may I like I just want I wonder, is this someone that they knew?

[00:32:01]We don't know. I'm not alleging anything. It doesn't mean any doesn't say anything about William and Harry, but it's just a reminder of how these elite circles operate with or without this story, you know?

[00:32:12]>> Yeah.

[00:32:12]>> All the keeping mum about Andrew Windsor-Mountbatten, and you know.

[00:32:17]>> I mean, we can't even It's interesting to see what happens. Again, this is a cold case, nearly 10 years old.

[00:32:23]>> There are activists calling for better handling of ecological crimes on royal estates. Like, the the lowest rung of accountability we can't even reach when we have to go into these elite circles.

[00:32:34]So, yeah. Yeah. So, that was just something that crossed our radar, the royal ties thing really caught my eye.

[00:32:40]So, >> Yeah. We'll keep you posted. I want to see what happens with this.

[00:32:44]>> I do, too. I want to see if there's another exposé from the Mail.

[00:32:46]>> One.

[00:32:47]>> He rubbed shoulders with, let's be honest, it would be Harry, not William, but >> Well, Carolyn Graham is going to fly to the UK.

[00:32:55]Take a photo.

[00:32:55]>> From Where does she live? The Philippines?

[00:32:58]>> Yeah, but she doesn't. She Yeah, she lives She lives in the LA Sure. Whatever. But, also speaking of shocking news, Amanda.

[00:33:09]>> [music] >> We have a We have a royal a royal announcement. Take it away.

[00:33:17]>> Why did you just hand me an ice cold cup of tea, Meredith?

[00:33:20]>> And like all the little like loose leaves are in there. It's not a good cup.

[00:33:24]>> Uh-uh, no. Uh yes, also speaking of elite social circles, Prince George is officially confirmed to be following in his father's footsteps and attending Eton this fall when he enters secondary school.

[00:33:38]So, in case you were wondering what the tab is right now for a semester for a year at Eton, it is 63,000 or about 80,000 US dollars. Yeah.

[00:33:49]I just have to laugh that the news cycles about doing things differently, wanting an wanting a more egalitarian co-ed environment for George. Like, what was all that for? What You knew if he was going to Eton, you knew years ago.

[00:34:05]>> It's the whole idea of we're going to leak to the media and make it seem like we're considering things cuz we're modern parents, but ultimately we're kind of following in the footsteps of of of everything else.

[00:34:15]>> Kind of. We are.

[00:34:17]>> We are. We are. Yes, you're right. My favorite tweet though was the Daily Mail's Rebecca English, who is the royal rota domestic captain, who said, "You might remember I first broke the story a few years ago that Eton was earmarked for Prince George." And wow, the accuracy I mean, who could have even predicted that one of the schools earmarked might be his father's alma mater? Who could have said?

[00:34:44]>> Yeah.

[00:34:45]>> That's the kind of reporting that we want to see.

[00:34:47]>> And it makes sense. Like, you do want the future king in this very insular society to go to school and get to know his peers who will someday be his prime ministers, his cabinet officials that he has to deal with. Like, that is the level that we are operating at when it comes to the school population at Eton. I Like, yeah, of course.

[00:35:10]>> But we're not creating a monarchy that's fit for purpose. We are not >> Women don't know them.

[00:35:15]>> fit for perfect fit for purpose >> fit for purpose doesn't mean anyone outside of the upper crust. The only time Think about it, when they engage with the regular people, it's to go and visit homeless charities and stuff, which I'm not saying is a bad thing. But there are people in the middle who exist.

[00:35:33]>> Everyone is either like us or not our kind, dear. Like, those are the two >> Or the people that are kind of middle working class that maybe that maybe can afford to live, but don't like the way things are going. They're protesters, and you're supposed to ignore them. You know, so it's What are we doing here?

[00:35:52]What are we doing here?

[00:35:52]>> Groundbreaking stuff. All right, our last, thank goodness, male-centric story here I threw into the outline because I have been kind of following this in the last few years.

[00:36:03]Taking us to Japan really quick. I wish we were going to Japan. That would be a fun trip.

[00:36:07]>> That would be really fun.

[00:36:08]>> The boys could go nerd out in the city, and we could go to the country and just sit in a tea house and meditate.

[00:36:15]>> Yes.

[00:36:16]>> Two different trips on the same flight.

[00:36:18]No, Japan. So, in Japan, I'm not sure how much you know about their imperial family, but there is currently an emperor who sits on the chrysanthemum throne, unfortunately, women cannot inherit in this imperial throne situation. So, they have had to kind of scramble in Japan to address this. I previously thought that Japan was trying to phase out the royal family who are pretty much still just figureheads, symbolic, because women, if they marry commoners, they automatically like are stripped of their royal titles and status. Like they cannot marry anyone who's not royal. And >> Didn't one of them do that?

[00:36:59]>> Yes.

[00:37:00]>> Okay, I knew that.

[00:37:01]>> did. God forbid we we let women, you know, give this whole leadership thing a spin.

[00:37:06]>> Yes, currently the Emperor Naruhito has a niece, Princess Mako, who married her college sweetheart, and I believe she moved to New York with him, but she had to officially renounce her royal titles, her official duties, and her state financial support. She's essentially a private citizen now, and it's like she didn't even have the choice. It wasn't a choice of do I want to be in or out? It was if you do this, you are out. You are disinherited. So, this, understandably, has kind of led to a crisis for the Japanese royals. Right now, the family only has 16 members, with five of them being men.

[00:37:45]>> It's a slimmed-down monarchy.

[00:37:47]>> It's a slimmed-down monarchy. I personally always thought that was by design, because it's the oldest monarchy in the world. Japan is a constitutional monarchy, so I sort of assumed, I had seen this reported a few times in the past, that the intention was to whittle down the imperial family until it was like strictly bare-bones ceremonial, and then could be easily abolished.

[00:38:09]But apparently, that is not the case, because the country has introduced a proposal that would allow the imperial family not to marry commoners. That would be crazy.

[00:38:19]>> Ew.

[00:38:20]>> But to adopt distant male relatives into the Imperial family in order to boost their numbers. Hear me out. Reality TV show competition, becoming Imperial or something like that. Yes. Yeah, I'm It's a great idea. If they could make I want to marry Harry. And it would be a Japanese TV show, too, which would be absolutely insane. There's going to be wild challenges that have nothing to do with leading the country, but it'll be really funny. We will do anything. We will do anything, including apparently a reality TV show competition, in order to avoid a woman being Of course. I mean, it's the least sensible option. Why wouldn't you just put in a proposal to then scour your family tree for some man when there's a woman right there? Like, why would you do that? Yeah, so I would be offended if I was the daughter, Princess Aiko. But, I don't you know, the culture's different.

[00:39:20]Very true.

[00:39:21]Uh, society is very different than US.

[00:39:24]They have different cultural sensitivities.

[00:39:26]Obviously, too, we are simplifying a very fraught issue, a constitutional one.

[00:39:32]Please, but we know we know that we are just skimming the surface of this. But, I saw that reported and I was like, it's it's happening everywhere. Everyone Yep. And then, yeah, you're right. The last story isn't about a man, but it's about a dead woman. So, Unfortunately, our last update today also involving a world monarchy. The I believe she was like informally second in line to the throne of Thailand, Princess Bajrakitiyabha. She has unfortunately died at the age of 47.

[00:40:05]It is She had been in a coma since December 2022. She was hospitalized after she collapsed with heart problems while she was out walking or training her dogs. There have been few updates regarding her health ever since. I'm quoting the Guardian here. And her condition worsened in May. The Thai royal household said that it was the result of multiple infections in several organs. And physicians were unable to stabilize her heart rate. So, she her kidney function and breathing was completely supported through medical equipment. So, she did pass away earlier this month. So, she was The succession in Thailand is different than what we know in other countries. It is not It's one of the ones where you can kind of handpick your successor.

[00:40:50]>> Okay, yeah.

[00:40:51]>> Sort of like Jordan. Like Saudi Arabia.

[00:40:52]>> Yeah. So, Princess Bajrakitiyabha was one of three children of the King Vajiralongkorn to hold a royal title.

[00:41:01]She was also very accomplished. She never married. She was, I believe, a lawyer like dealing with human rights.

[00:41:08]She held several degrees including a doctorate from Cornell. She served as Thailand's ambassador to Austria as well as in the Attorney General's Office, the Royal Security Command, and as a goodwill ambassador to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime. And she campaigned for the rights of female prisoners.

[00:41:24]>> Why is it that these are the people that die young?

[00:41:27]>> It's It's a shame. She never had kids of her own. So, even if she didn't inherit in her own right, it was thought maybe she would act as a regent for her younger brother who is currently 20.

[00:41:40]He's reported to have learning difficulties. Yeah, so it would have been, again, another situation. I mean, it'll still be interesting to see how it plays out, but she would have been Thailand's first ruling queen if she had ascended.

[00:41:53]>> It's rough.

[00:41:53]>> Well, I hope she is resting peacefully now and that That is very sad. It's We are seeing, though, a lot this ripple effect with monarchies, though, all over the world grappling with succession, with accountability, with It's very interesting cuz it's it's impacting monarchies in different ways, but there are there are overlaps.

[00:42:15]>> Life continues to get more complicated and yes, institutions like this have to grapple. And I just read in The Heir Apparent, which is our book club choice for this month, there was actually a quote that I bookmarked because the Prime Minister at one point says to our heroine, Lexi, "I think all institutions are being re-examined and they'll have to justify their place. Those that don't evolve will be cast out before they even know it's happening."

[00:42:39]>> And Rebecca Armitage, Australian reporter, also reports on the Royals. So >> All all of my tabs in here so far as I'm doing my reread are parallels to life in this book.

[00:42:50]>> It's actually it's so good. It is so good. Yeah, you should definitely read that and join our book club for our discussion near the end of the month.

[00:42:57]That Zoom link will be coming out soon.

[00:42:59]That of course is the $8 Patreon tier and above and you get bonus episodes, you get all sorts of fun stuff. So go check that out.

[00:43:05]>> You can join the Royal Archivists tier to get into the book club. You can also, if you want our undying love and support, become a press secretary or crown jewel. Thank you so much to everyone who supports us at those levels. We truly appreciate it. With that, I think we're going to hang up our crowns until Friday.

[00:43:23]>> Yeah, maybe we'll have something interesting from Ascot to talk about. I mean >> I hope >> going to be at least one ass there.

[00:43:29]>> Today was day one and we did have well, I don't know if this is confirmation so much as just the Royal Ascot carriage list be starting drama as always.

[00:43:37]>> Harriet Sperling >> Harriet Sperling was listed as Mrs. Peter Phillips.

[00:43:41]>> The reporting around it says Harriet Phillips, so I guess she's changing her name.

[00:43:45]>> I guess.

[00:43:47]>> Do what you want, girl.

[00:43:48]>> Are we disappointed?

[00:43:48]>> I mean, I didn't think Harriet Sperling was like this really like staunch feminist, so >> Fair enough.

[00:43:54]>> Yeah, fair enough. To to to choose at age, what is she? 47 herself?

[00:43:58]>> She's 45.

[00:43:59]>> Yeah, to Yeah, anyway anyway, good for you.

[00:44:02]>> I hope you're enjoying doing the social circuit in Britain this summer.

[00:44:06]>> Yeah, Harriet.

[00:44:07]>> Give us some good outfits. Don't end up on our worst dressed list.

[00:44:10]>> [laughter] >> Avoid feathers and seagulls. Do not dress as if you are haunting a house.

[00:44:15]All right. Thank you so much for listening. We will see you on Friday for [music] the Friday news dump. Until then, keep it sexy.

[00:44:22]>> Can I say that? Yes.

[00:44:23]>> Yes, keep it sexy. We'll see you later.

[00:44:25]>> Bye.