Priyanka Chopra’s Prime series, ‘Citadel’, makes a ‘crude’ joke about Princess Kate

One of my favorite stories I wrote this month was that terrifically stupid post about the live-action Little Mermaid, and how there’s some “mockery” of the Princess of Wales, aka Kate. Ariel makes a disgusted expression when Prince Eric tries to guess that her name is “Catherine.” That’s it. That’s the whole “mockery.” The British media tried to make it sound like it was some kind of huge conspiracy involving the Duchess of Sussex’s many “Disney connections,” which is weird because I thought the British media believed that Harry and Meghan are deeply unpopular and powerless in LA? Regardless, it looks like The Little Mermaid isn’t the only affront to Keen Kate’s regal jazz hands. There’s also some kind of “crude and sexual jibe” about Kate in Amazon Prime’s Citadel. You know, the Prime series starring Meghan’s friend Priyanka Chopra.

A big budget thriller starring one of the Duchess of Sussex’s best friends makes a crude and sexual jibe about the Princess of Wales. Citadel, which is being screened on streaming giant Amazon Prime, stars Indian actress Priyanka Chopra Jonas who has repeatedly backed Meghan publicly. Ms Chopra Jonas, 41, plays the leading lady, an elite espionage agent Nadia Sinh in the five-part spy action series. And in the third episode, she is involved in a scene with a crime boss named Balduino Basto, portrayed by Sen Monro.

Richard Madden’s character Mason Kane goes to see Basto in Morocco under Nadia’s instructions and she is speaking to him in his ear. Basto is then asked for help to break into the armed forces chief’s office. It prompts him to say: ‘The chief of armed forces? You might as well have asked me how to get between the legs of the Duchess of Cambridge!’

Ms Chopra Jonas and the Duchess of Sussex, 41, became friends when they met at an Elle magazine event in 2016 and soon after the Duchess of Sussex interviewed for her blog The Tig, which is no longer in existence. They were also seen at the theatre together on New York’s Broadway where they were watching musical Hamilton shortly after.

In July 2021, Ms Chopra Jonas appeared to ‘ignore’ Kate and her husband, Prince William, as they were clapped into the Royal Box at Wimbledon. In a clip which emerged at the time, the Bollywood actress opted to fiddle with her scarf as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge took their seats to rapturous applause from the crowd ahead of the Women’s Singles Final.

[From The Daily Mail]

*adjusts pie chart* Ah yes, remember when Priyanka made a point of ignoring Kate at Wimbledon, therefore Meghan clearly ordered Priyanka to order Prime to hire anti-Kate writers and look what happened! A very weird joke using a title Kate doesn’t even use anymore. The Mail also says that this happened in Citadel’s third episode… which apparently was released on May 5th. It took the Mail two weeks to watch the episode, is what I’m saying. While I like Priyanka, it’s not like people are watching or talking about Citadel, so she’s got bigger problems than this. And no, this wasn’t a conspiracy, although I bet Priyanka doesn’t give a crap about Kate in general. But Priyanka didn’t write the script! And I don’t even think Priyanka and Meghan are all that close, but whatever. This might be dumber than the Little Mermaid thing.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

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71 Responses to “Priyanka Chopra’s Prime series, ‘Citadel’, makes a ‘crude’ joke about Princess Kate”

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  1. Duch says:

    I did love the scarf fiddling. whether or not it was, it felt like payback for the PW scarf fiddling on the Christmas Day outing when he ignored Meghan.

    • Abby says:

      That was my first thought. Totally agree.

    • Interested Gawker says:

      That scarf adjustment was filmy perfection.

      • Sugarhere says:

        And a subconscious reminder of William forcing himself to manically adjust his scarf, in order to avoid interacting with Meghan during their last Christmas walkabout together. Meghan was trying to small talk and he flippantly ignored her!

        Wasn’t the Boston near-comical tour intended fir the Wailses to become famous in the US? Now their prayer is being answered: Karen and the Dictator are the laughing stock of the country.

        On a side note, I was loving that fushia dress on Prianka, now I love Pri altogether.

  2. death by bacon says:

    I say blame the man who wrote the joke. It went out of the way to be weirdly misogynistic.

    • otaku fairy says:

      Exactly. But they want to push a conspiracy theory about evil Meghan encouraging industry buddies to attack Kate.

      • Underhill says:

        I guess, for the gutter press, a cat fight is more exciting than the same old everyday misogyny.

    • BeanieBean says:

      Yeah, it was crude. Nothing to do with Meghan though. Call out the guy who wrote it.

    • Kïkkï says:

      It’s not insulting to Catherine (they are saying she’s hard to get not easy) and it’s not funny at all. Makes me want to avoid the show. I abhor lame jokes, I prefer NO a jokes to that kind of lazy cringe line

  3. Pinkosaurus says:

    Hahah this is so deranged. I’m sure they’re just sad it’s on Amazon Prime and not Netflix to continue that nutball conspiracy. Maybe Priyanka doesn’t want to clap for unrepentant colonizers who won’t return the Koh-I-Noor?

  4. Rapunzel says:

    So Meg, who the RRs have painting as a desperate, grasping, golddigging, Kardashian level wannabe with a failing brand because nobody likes her…. is powerful to order Disney and Amazon to insult Kate for her? GMAFB.

    And I thought it was M&H that complained all the time? So why is Kate complaining?

  5. Rapunzel says:

    This whole thing reeks of “The Waleses got around to binging Citadel and watching that advance copy of The Little Mermaid someone sent them”

    Do they do anything but watch TV?

    • Nic919 says:

      Richard Eden is still obsessing over little Mermaid too. He apparently wrote to Disney about it.

      Maybe Kate isn’t as popular around the world as they think.

    • swaz says:

      I was surprise too that they watch so much TV 🙄

      • Anna says:

        They are boring with a lot of time on their hands. In can see them laying on the couch all day watching tv.

      • B says:

        But is the implication that she’s very virtuous and chaste and would never take a hall pass?
        It could be that instead of implying that the task is undoable because of its grotesqueness….

  6. Chantal says:

    This is the RRs wanting Hollywood to be as obsessed with their obnoxious and useless princess as they are with Meghan. How many Americans/people know that K was the DOC? I guess they’re going after Priyanka bc she has stopped taking about Meghan in her interviews. And she clearly doesn’t care about the monarchy.

    I’ll probably watch Citadel after all of the season’s episodes have dropped.

    • Josephine says:

      Unfortunately, Citadel is not good and I really wanted to like it. The script and the acting are subpar with a couple exceptions. Leslie Manville makes an excellent villain and Roland Moller is great with what he’s been given. Even Stanley Tucci can’t rescue the show. But maybe this will get more people watching!

      • Kokiri says:

        It’s terrible.
        I’m watching just to laugh at how bad it is.
        Every single trope is being used, in 6 short episodes.

        I won’t post spoilers, but episode 5, Nadia’s great revelation, was so stupidly ridiculous.

        And zero, and I mean zero, chemistry between them. Priyanka is a beautiful woman, she’s doing what she can with this role, but he’s just so so bad. Like, so bad.

      • The Old Chick says:

        It’s terrible! The telegraphing of every plot point, the tropes. Ugh.. The writing is awful. I started watching it for the cast but not sure how much more I can take. They must have spent a fortune on everything except the writers.

      • Pumpkin says:

        I watched the first two eps and totally agree it’s just every single trope put into one show.

        I did think about continuing to watch because it’s good as a “turn your brain off for 45 minutes” type show/movie but haven’t had the time. So far I think Tucci and Manville are the only good things about it. I like Madden in general but don’t really care about him or Priyanka in this show – both as individuals or as a couple.

    • Nic919 says:

      Priyanka didn’t write the series and her character doesn’t even speak the words so blaming her is straight up misogyny.

    • Julia says:

      I’m watching Citadel. It’s dumb and SUPER predictable, but I find it moderately enjoyable. It’s very much a “could have been written by A.I.” script, but it’s also the kind of show you can exercise or fold socks to or whatever.

      • Ange says:

        It’s so dumb but it’s completely confident in its dumbness so I don’t mind watching.

  7. FancyPants says:

    She was probably using the Cambridge titles back when the joke was written. Regardless of who it is about, it is an unnecessarily sexist, misogynistic joke. They could have said Fort Knox or something similar to make the same point without sounding so vaguely rapey.

    • AlpineWitch says:

      I don’t think that’s the only issue with the writing of the show (I’ve been watching it, that’s how bored I am, I guess), however it barely registered with me as it was told in such a quick manner that it seemed a nonsensical word salad.

    • AmB says:

      @FancyPants – Agreed, if this is the level of writing for the series there are indeed bigger problems afoot.

  8. Jais says:

    The whole fixing her scarf as Kate walked by at Wimbledon was epic. I’m not even sure it was purposeful but it was funny.

  9. ML says:

    Never complain, never explain? Probably a lot less people would be aware of the potential Kate Middleton Little Mermaid and Citadel comments, but now they are not being ignored, these comments reaching a wide audience via the British media. And unfortunately, it looks like the British media is going after WOC.

  10. Dutch says:

    I’m watching that show (ok half-watching) and didn’t remember that line being in the episode.

  11. AlpineWitch says:

    I saw this episode and the ‘joke’ barely registered with me as everyone keeps calling the Duchess of Cambridge with her name and maiden surname, so when it was said I didn’t even understand what they were talking about, let alone who….

    They’re desperately clutching at straws to find ways to get offended on her behalf lol

  12. MsIam says:

    Well now, Meghan is not supposed to be in her feelings about South Park but Kate is up in arms about this? By the way, Amazon says “Thanks!” for the free publicity, lol.

    • Em says:

      I don’t get what the joke means, it’s either complimentary as she’s not promiscuous or insulting as she’s a frigid bint. So I don’t get where they’re going with it

    • Amy Bee says:

      @MsIam: You make such a good point. Where’s Kate’s sense of humour?

  13. Marysia says:

    I don’t get why are they dragging Priyanka for a scene she wasn’t even in?
    There was no intern to look for connection between William and Richard Madden?
    Also, the joke is bad but it actually puts Kate in good light? As someone not cheating on her husband?

    • Em says:

      I think they mean she doesn’t even have relations with her husband anymore, as in she’s frigid

  14. Jais says:

    Honestly, I don’t the BM is offended. They’re just happy that she is somehow relevant. That’s why they’re the ones bringing it up for relevance when no one else even noticed. The BM doesn’t give a sh*t about misogynistic jokes. Please.

  15. Amy Bee says:

    The British press is unhinged.

  16. Dee says:

    I’m west coast so always behind, but Disney definitely did a dig at the princess of Wales. They do those jokes very tongue in cheek-double entendre. Wouldn’t blame Megan though. And that other joke was just awful. Such a stretch to even try to blame Megan.

    • MsIam says:

      What has Meghan got to do with Disney? We see you, deranger.

      • Dee says:

        As stated, wouldn’t blame Megan. It’s all on Disney. But was definitely meant to slight Katherine.

    • Saucy&Sassy says:

      Dee, you have to remember that an American writer did this. For all you know he doesn’t know anything about the royal family was searching his memory for names people might recognize. Frankly, Catherine the Great comes to mind when I hear the name Catherine. Just sayin’.

    • Glitterachi says:

      I think most audiences know her as Kate, not Catherine. Thinking it must be about Kate gives a sort of Carly Simon vibe…

  17. aquarius64 says:

    I am really sick of this nonsense. Meghan, Harry and Doria could have loss their lives last week but we have this faux outrage over alleged sleights at Kate. But here we are. Why do business in the UK when the apparent requirement is kiss up to the Crown? There is #boycottDisney on Twitter because of Name-Gate and people tweeting I won’t go to see TLM because of it. This comes off as if you don’t bend the knee to the BRF and forsake your native daughter Meghan we will ruin your enterprises.

    • Amy Bee says:

      This is being put out to distract people from paying attention to the incident.

    • Nic919 says:

      Disney is more powerful than the BRF and they are going to learn that as did the idiot governor. A mild comment that may or may not apply to live action Evil Queen from Snow White is not going to stop that movie from making billions. And now that they have linked this specifically to Kate, she will be laughed at by millions than would ever have made the connection prior to this.

  18. Pumpkin says:

    Is it a terrible joke? Yes. But Priyanka didn’t write it, the *writers* did. And last time I checked, Priyanka didn’t write the show. And involving Meghan is a stretch that even Olympic gymnasts can’t do.

  19. Lili says:

    LOL, i had started watching the series, and put it on the back burner to watch later, now i think i’ll binge watch it lol. great promo BM

  20. Becks1 says:

    Ohhhhhhhh, okay. This explains it. My twitter algorithms are all messed up somehow and I get all these tweets from anti-sussex/deranger people. I block or just try to ignore but sometimes I was clicking on the tweet in a “who is this person” kind of way so now twitter throws me constant deranger nonsense. So I’ve just started blocking all of them. ANYWAY one this morning was some rant about Priyanka’s and Meghan (basically listing the ways they’re both awful people) and I was like what on earth is this? I blocked but now it makes sense.

    Back when blue checks meant something this did not happen to me.

  21. Vanessa says:

    Kate and her mother are beyond desperate first Kate copy’s Meghan clothes hairstyles mannerisms . And the British media and Kate are trying to make her victim of Disney and now this none story . Kate was exposed for the bitchy vile disgusting liar who obsessed with copying Meghan it wasn’t not enough for Kate to lie about Meghan making her cry for years now kate is trying to make herself a victim of Meghan friends . Who supposedly bullying Kate when Kate and her mother and William are the bullies .

  22. pyritedigger says:

    Priyanka has some bad politics (there was some hindu nationalist stuff a few years back), but why should anyone clap for a prince or any other royal? “Oh yeah, look at you for existing!” I wouldn’t clap either. She’s not even British.

    • Debbie says:

      Come on now, the British royal family stole her country’s jewels so the least Priyanka can do is applaud Kate and William for… walking to their seats.

  23. Hannah says:

    Citadel is really shite tho. Richie Madden (who has quite a thick Scottish accent) sounds truly awful attempting an impression of an American accent. He and Priyanka have absolutely no chemistry. Like I have to wonder if they have some kind of real life beef I don’t know about because they are wooden together. OMG and the plot, so much 2nd hand embarrassment. Welp!

    • Debbie says:

      I’ve never heard of this show before but if the British media is going to play Six Degrees of Separation with Meghan anytime an American show airs, then shouldn’t they have tied this perceived slight on WanK since this actor appears to be Scottish and Scotland and England are the ones who that the relationship?

  24. Athena says:

    I think they meant to say Cornwall ( the whole Camilla Charles tampon gate thing) but the writer being American and not knowing one royal title from another wrote Cambridge.

  25. Lux says:

    I agree that Priyanka is not that close to Meghan anymore. Not to say tabloids are always credible, but I think it was reported at the time that she felt snubbed Meghan didn’t come to any of her four, brand-sponsored weddings and refused to attend her NYC baby shower in return. The article was super salty and described Priyanka as being a much bigger international star and that, along with the thirsty wedding antics, always stuck with me. I think she issued a denial but even the response was off?

    But kudos to her for not clapping at Wimbledon. And no, no one cares about the horrible line. What’s pretty shocking is that Keen registers as a relevant punchline in pop culture at all.

    • Becks1 says:

      I think she and Meghan may not be super close but there’s no bad blood. Like sometimes friends just drift apart, it happens.

      who knows though, maybe Priyanka and her Jonas brother are in Montecito every weekend hanging out, lol.

  26. jra says:

    Won’t watch this show. Rape-y jokes not my thing.

  27. Jill says:

    Okay so I don’t really follow other royal families but are any of them as deranged as the British Royal Family? Like, do tabloids in other countries with royal families churn out hundreds of stupid stories every day like the British tabloids? Every damn story I hear about when it comes to the British royals make them sound like the dumbest, most desperate bunch of thin-skinned clowns/bullies on earth.

    • Dora says:

      They certainly appear to be the most scandal heavy one. I think it’s their “we are better than you,you’re a peasant. They take themselves way too seriously used their incestrous relationship with the Uk tabloids and their toxic reporting doesn’t help.

  28. Cel2495 says:

    I actually enjoy Citadel 😂

  29. Dora says:

    Welp, when they suggest in a widely read paper, magazine, or by a popular presenter etc that Kate should be striped naked, made to ride a horse in all of England while shit gets thrown at her, we’ll talk. Until then, miss me with the bullshit fake outrage. The only person that spends that much time thinking of Kate is her and her mother, as they try come up with a plan to maneuver William from Rose’s bed

  30. Saucy&Sassy says:

    Frankly, I think the bm is trying to make Wails relevant or in the public eye, so they do this stuff. If they were really affronted, they wouldn’t publicize it. The problem they have is that this is only reaching the UK audience. I cannot imagine American media paying attention to this. Well, Rupert Murdoch is always ready for anything to stir the pot, but his media is being very puzzling right now about negative stuff, or should I say lying. I think that $780 billion dollar loss told him he doesn’t control the press or Courts here. Republican’s may have some Judges in the Country who clearly are wack jobs, but not as many as he would hope.

  31. HeyKay says:

    I have zero interest in Citadel or The Bodyguard.
    Richard Madden is dull, dull I say. His PR team is working hard to keep pushing him forward. Next Bond? Ha!
    Also, it’s an action story. WTH bring Kate into it? Cheap and lazy writing.
    Amazon has a long way too go on it’s Original programing for my taste.

  32. AC says:

    I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the script writers are starting to take a dig at Kate. Well , In the US we still have our 1st amendment rights there’s nothing the British Press can do. They’re the only ones complaining at this point. Not everyone thinks that Kate is a perfect saint. The BP narrative of Kate being so perfect and pushing that to the world is getting OLD. Lol.. and everyone knows She’s never worked in her life except made a career of partying with wealthy men. What are they going to do boycott Disney and Amazon and troll them . Look what Disney taunted to Florida/Desantis. 🙄😀 it’s like how they tried to troll Netflix too, and look what happened, Netflix didn’t care and trolled them back lol..

  33. Murphy says:

    Most Americans wouldn’t even know who “The Duchess of Cambridge” is right away, if anything she’s known simply as Kate Middleton here. Or Prince William’s wife.

  34. AC says:

    Following up my post above. SNL and all our late shows(from Colbert to Fallon to Kimmel) have always taken digs at Celebrities and our politicians. It’s nothing new. They’re jokes and we like to laugh at ourselves most of the times. They don’t seem to care unless you’re as narcissistic as Trump.

  35. Steph says:

    If you aren’t watching Citadel, you should be. It’s really good.

  36. AC says:

    Sorry my last comment on this topic 😊. I mentioned on my earlier comment above Netflix has previously trolled them back(on complaints they had with the Crown and the HM documentary). And then just now I saw my feed announcing that they’re going to have all the seasons of Suits on Netflix in the US in June. 😀. Could be all coincidental , but It’s just funny to think that Disney, Netflix, and Amazon are all trolling them at the same time.. lol..