On Thursday, 6th March, the official royal family Instagram account which showcases the day-to-day engagements of King Charles and Queen Camilla posted a cryptic Instagram stories that has fans everywhere scratching their heads. The story in question was a video of an ‘on air’ sign being switched on, implying the royals are gearing up to announce some kind of audio project. What could that look like? Perhaps a podcast, At Home with Charles and Camilla? Or a radio show, playing tracks spun from Buckinham Palace?

Well given the timing of the post, many royal watchers are speculating that it actually has something to do with the Duchess of Sussex. Could they be about to issue a competing product that lets us into the realities of the royal family? Or, are they gearing up for a public announcement via the radio  or docu-series just as the King’s grandfather, King George VI, did in 1845 when Germany surrendered World War II, on the anniversary of VE Day on May 8.

Either way, the timing of a crypitic royal post is interesting particularly as all anyone’s talking about is Meghan Markle’s latest venture— an eight-episode Netflix docuseries entitled With Love, Meghan— which has garnered plenty of criticism and praise alike.

BBC’s Sean Coughlan writes that With Love, Meghan is about ‘escapism and aspiration’ adding ‘it’s a glass of something sparkling on a grey day.’ Melanie McDonagh from The Evening Standard gave the show four stars and called it ‘ridiculous’ but a ‘hoot’ to watch. Alternatively, The Guardian’s Stuart Heritage wrote that ‘With Love, Meghan doesn’t just represent the hard launch of Duchess of Sussex’s new career as a Martha Stewart-style lifestyle inspo guru; it might also be the final thing she makes for Netflix.’

The show, despite the mixed reviews, may have ended up garnering the Duchess even more fans. One tweeted, ‘With Love, Meghan is actually what people needed, and numbers are proving it. Watching Meghan just being herself, so positive and joyful, cooking with her friends is the best thing.’ Regardless of whether the critics loved it or loathed it, the show has earned the Duchess plenty of views.

Unlike their 2022 docuseries Harry & Meghan, there was little to no reference to the royal family in With Love, Meghan. However, that didn’t stop fans wondering how the royals felt about it online – especially the Prince and Princess of Wales. ‘I don’t think they’ll pay [the series] an awful lot of attention,’ royal author Katie Nicholl told Grazia. ‘We’ve got the Princess of Wales in remission, back at work, travelling around the country, doing brilliant things with William. I think they’ve got more
important things to focus on.’

Markle’s reveal that she is now using the surname Sussex—as are Prince Harry, 40, and Prince Archie, five, and Princess Lilibet, three— has caused outrage among fans. Many are criticising Meghan for choosing that as their combined name despite leaving the royal family in January 2020— ignoring the sentimentality behind choosing to pay homage to Harry’s family and upbringing, like so many royals before them have done.

All this and more has led royal watchers to read into Charles and Camilla’s ‘on air’ sign. 

The last time the royals threw open the doors of Buckingham palace to the public was their disastrous documentary series over five decades ago. The documentary film, titled Royal Family, originally aired in June 1969 and was jointly produced by BBC1 and ITV. The film attracted over 38 million viewers in the United Kingdom and was seen by an estimated 350 million people. However, the backlash was almost immediate. Although their intention had been to convey themselves as down-to-earth, hardworking people, the monarchy soon deemed it ‘too intrusive,’ and regretted allowing the nation in. The Queen later had the documentary banned and it has not been aired on British TV since 1977. Now, only researchers with who pay a fee of 35 pounds and gain prior permission from Buckingham Palace are allowed to view the film at the BBC. If that isn’t sign enough that they had made a grave error, David Attenborough, then Controller of BBC2, warned director Richard Cawson, ‘You’re killing the monarchy with this film you’re making.’

However, their latest ‘on air’ story could mark another try. After all, times have changed since 1969. However, viewers are more vocal than ever, and to open themselves up to the public again could invite the same criticism Meghan Markle has had to face all these years.

This new venture could follow their new strategy to be more relatable to the public. While Kate Middleton spent 2024 largely out of the public eye due to her battle with cancer, the Princess of Wales has been venturing out more and more in recent weeks. She has also become noticeably more tactile according to royal fans.  At the Royal Marsden Hospital, Kate was pictured embracing a cancer patient who went on to describe it as a moment of ‘mutual connection’ to MailOnline. ‘She was giving me the love and I was giving her the love. It felt so true,’ Rebecca Mendelsohn told the paper. ‘She was so genuine, you felt it.’

So, will the royal family follow their traditional stiff upper lip attitude of keeping the public in the dark, or could they be hinting at a tell-all podcast? If so, we’ll be tuning in.