This week, Meghan Markle set a new bar for celebrity baby showers. The duchess arrived in New York City unannounced for a reportedly $200,000 event celebrating the impending arrival of her and Prince Harry’s first child. It was a starry affair, co-hosted by Markle’s close friend Serena Williams; attended by Amal Clooney and Gayle King; and reportedly featuring a few eyebrow-raising details (gifted suitcases, a cotton-candy machine) that skewed more Kardashian than Kate Middleton. What to make of the unprecedentedly American bash for the newest member of the British royal family?
On this week’s episodes of In the Limelight—the festivities warranted a bonus emergency installment—hosts Josh Duboff and Julie Miller dive into each and every granular element of the five-day Markle Takes Manhattan whirlwind. They discuss such topics as: the harpist Williams reportedly hired! What it means that Markle flew across an ocean to celebrate the milestone with her near and dear friends (and without her mother, Doria, and sister-in-law Kate)! The message Meghan sent to the world by departing the festivities wearing an accessory bearing the name of her friend Abigail Spencer’s television show. And so much more.
They then wrap up the show by discussing the baby shower’s coincidental grand finale—Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s surprise tribute to the duchess. It wasn’t necessarily timed to the shower, but the glitzy video shout-out—recorded for the BRIT Awards—was the equivalent of a firework conclusion to another Markle extravaganza. Josh also discusses his exclusive interview with Tim O’Brien, the illustrator whose work of Markle-related art was (shockingly to him) featured in the mega-star tribute.
So throw on your Rectify baseball hat, grab a plate of leftover baby-shower cookies, and queue up this week’s back-to-back episodes of In the Limelight.Afterward, please share your thoughts, questions, and feedback with In the Limelight on Twitter and Instagram, and subscribe to In the Limelight on Apple Podcasts. Listeners can also call in to the In the Limelight hotline at (347) 790-0966 to leave tips or ask questions!