Worst MFK Of All Time: 5.30.25 Newsletter
Plus, The Royal Appointment, Meghan's Fast Company Interview, What I'm Reading, and More
Happy Friday!
Didn’t the week just fly by? (Bad dad joke)
Let’s get right into it.
PolitICKs
Getting the hell out of DO[D]GE
Elon Musk is out of the Trump Administration, probably with all the data he was able to steal on the American people for his nefarious purposes. But not before allegedly getting involved with Stephen Miller’s wife, a true lateral move if I’ve ever seen one. This woman’s FMK game has to be unbelievably dark.
Qatar Loves Me, Qatar Loves Me Not
Turns out the Qatar bribe plane might not be as clear-cut as Trump presented it to the American public. Whether he was gifted it out of the “kindness of the Qataris’ hearts” or not, any ‘gift’ needs to go through Congress. Add this to the mountain of things that need investigating.
Trump is basically every teen girl on My Super Sweet 16 back in the early 2000s.
Royal Corner
On Monday, I wrote about the pre-coverage of King Charles’s trip to Canada, including a shady little number from a palace source who co-opted Prince William’s ‘revolutionary language’ of “short, but impactful” trips to describe Charles’s visit.
Well played, Buckingham Palace.
As royal historian, Justin Vovk told the CBC during the lead-up to the trip:
On the one hand, nothing is riding on it, because of the constitutional mechanisms that separate the head of state from the prime minister. Even if the visit is a gaffe, our system of governance will continue … and it won't negatively impact the lives of Canadians," he said.
But at the same time, we know that Washington will be watching. We know that the president will be watching. We know that the other Commonwealth realms will be watching.
We’ll get into the media reaction to this trip in our Rrrrroyal Appointment.
Not So Fast [Company]
A piece that quietly dropped the same day as King Charles’s speech in Canada was an interview with Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, and Fast Company.
It’s a rarity to read a piece about Meghan without the heavy skew of a pro or anti-Sussex slant. This one included insight into Meghan’s decision to partner with Netflix over her brand—easier than building out a brand-new, in-house production team—while making it clear that they are not financial backers. As for the name, Meghan wanted a separate name from the show, With Love, Meghan. Her brand, As Ever, exists in the same world as her show, but they are different entities.
What quickly made the rounds online was a now-edited section that made it sound like, rather than restocks, new products would not be announced until 2026. This has since been amended to say:
So, restocks are back on the table, but hinted at by the As Ever team? The attribution is strange. From the beginning, seasonal drops and restocks were teased by the brand. Unless there’s a production issue, I don’t know why you wouldn’t restock fan favorites, especially since the first season of the show featured summer recipes. Now’s the time for flower-sprinkled crudités and fruit-spread-filled parfaits!
I know it’s not a popular opinion, but I find the lack of cohesion between the behind-the-scenes happenings and the public-facing messaging confusing. I wonder if it’s an issue of a type-A leader micromanaging things (relatable issue). Meghan did mention in the first episode of COAFF that she spent hours up at night stressing over minute details about product packaging. Maybe an idea for a future episode in a possible season two.
Royal Appointment
The title reminds me of every instance Trump would make it through a speech without drooling, or attacking immigrants, or talking about Arnold Palmer’s XL Palmer, and a pundit on TV would solemnly declare that this was the moment Trump became President.
After days of the British media biting their nails over this delicate dance with soft power Charles would have to perform, here’s the scorecard:
As a source at the palace predicted in the lead-up to the trip, the King did indeed walk a diplomatic tightrope. He has reached the other side without mishap.
Well, I predicted that the sky would be blue today and I was right.
I mean…was it a diplomatic tightrope for Charles, or was it media/Palace spun for a story arc? He didn’t write the speech; the Canadian government did. He didn’t offer to stop on by, PM Mark Carney invited him.
Circling back to that “short, impactful” trip, the RA makes a point to write that this is not the King’s M.O.
It may have its benefits for a King who continues to have cancer treatment, delivering that favourite palace word of “impact” in the minimum time, but it is not really the King’s own preference.
His instinct is to meet people, to have proper conversations, and listen – not to mention ticking off meeting organisations which align with his own interests (I could list them, from the circular bioeconomy to the campaign for wool, but we would be here all day).
For now, though, it was a neat solution. Doing the best he can, when he can, is the order of the day.
Somehow it’s STILL SHADY. Who can expect Charles to do more when he is a septuagenarian with cancer? Obviously, a younger, healthier King would do much longer royal tours, meeting with as many organizations, having proper conversations, as he possibly can. (Hint, hint).
Shady boots.
What I’m Reading
I used to have two rules for reading:
I never DNF
I read one book at a time
Well, that’s out the window. I mean, who has time for a bad book? I pride myself on only DNF-ing 2 over the past 10 years, and no, I will not reveal the names of the books.
Right now, I am reading not one, but two books. What makes this doable is that they’re different genres, and one is a paperback and the other is an e-book.
When I crowdsourced Instagram for a fantasy series,
recommended anything by N.K. Jemisin. I just started “The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms” from The Inheritance Trilogy and I wish I had more hours in the day to dedicate to this book. The world-building is urgent and rich. I can’t turn (tap) the digital pages fast enough.
My boyfriend loves physical media, and his library does not disappoint. Belle wishes her ladder could swing along those walls of undiscovered books instead of reading the same old novel, while a sheep eats her favorite part. RUDE.
He recommended I try “Close Range: Wyoming Stories” by Annie Proulx. It includes the short story“Brokeback Mountain”, which went on to become the award-winning movie of the same name.
Westerns + short stories are not my jam. Yet, I find that each story forces me to slow down and savor the words, and the characters I only get to know for a brief time before they are ripped away from me.
That reminds me, I have a stack of Joan Didion essay collections calling my name. Maybe that’s next on my list to crack open.
Opening up the comments to everyone to see what you’re reading. Let me know!
-Meredith
I agree that there should have been re stocks in As Ever. Maybe make the floral sprinkles Spring/Summer only, if they don't want to repeat them too often. But jam is seasonless.
I do wonder if Meghan is working with a team that has experience in packaged food goods sales, as this seems to not be the way to build a business: one run and out of stock for how long/inability to repurchase what you have enjoyed.
Thanks for the book share! I really appreciate it. Since I have retired my kindle for something thicker in my hands that smells like reading too. I've taken to haunting a library once again. NIRVANA.
I'm glad you spoke to Charles as the Mouthpiece. Because that's what he was meant to be. Nothing wrong with it.
The speech itself was beautifully done with quiet foreign diplomacy and language, we don't hear of anymore. I myself went over it twice. I listened and then I read transcript to glean the quiet parts out load.
Another something not many paid attention to? The people's reaction to the visit. Canadians were willing to put aside the anti Monarchy feelings for outward support and unity of the Commonwealth against Trump and the 51st state threats.
Frankly, Carney did a masterful job.
Soooo... one last thought. Prince Harry was in China on the same day, for a Travelist conference.... already BS by rota happening as we speak.
The usual stuff. How dare he try to up stage. Why couldn't he have rescheduled. Why couldn't he meet his father in Canada with the kids....... they and William are a tired bunch.