Andrew Challenges Epstein Search Warrants as Charles Spencer Accuses Palace of “Vengeance”

0:03 Caloroga Shark Media. Hello and welcome to Palace Intrigue. I am your host, Mark Francis. Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is asking the High Court to rule on whether police had lawful warrants to search his homes during the investigation into his dealings with Jeffrey Epstein. The Telegraph reports that his lawyers have been given permission to challenge the warrants covering his residence in on the Sandringham estate and his former home, Royal Lodge in Windsor. A private hearing is scheduled for Thursday to consider whether documents connected with the case should be released.

0:43 Those documents could give us a clearer picture of Andrew's argument. For now, we know he is contesting the authority police used to carry out the searches. There has been no ruling that the warrants were unlawful, and this case will not decide whether the allegations against him are true. Thames Valley Police says its investigation continues. Andrew was arrested in February on his 66th birthday on suspicion of misconduct in public office. He was questioned for almost 12 hours before being released under investigation. The inquiry concerns allegations that he passed confidential information to Epstein while serving as Britain's trade envoy. Detectives spent days searching the two properties and removed documents and other items. Andrew has consistently denied wrongdoing in connection with Epstein. People close to Andrew have been questioning why police arrested him rather than arranging a voluntary interview. An unnamed senior Metropolitan Police source told The Telegraph, I am not sure if the Met had been leading this investigation, they would have taken the same approach. Andrew is reportedly taking satisfaction in the criticism directed at King Charles over Charles Spencer's book, An unnamed source tells the National Examiner, Andrew loves that the King is being exposed for how callous he is. He feels this is his brother's karma for treating him so poorly. There may have been a time when Andrew would have been up in arms over this on his brother's behalf, but he's so angry with the way Charles has treated him, he's openly gleeful about how bad this is making the King look. The National

2:15 Examiner's unnamed source claims Andrew is very bitter about his own position within the family. The source accused Charles of walking around treating him like scum when, according to Andrew, Charles has done plenty of questionable things himself and shouldn't be looking down on anyone. Andrew has been stripped of everything he holds dear and the King is the one who's done that to him. Of course, Andrew is enjoying seeing Charles being turned into a royal pariah. He's thrilled. Woman's Day, citing an unnamed source, claims Queen Camilla has sought some distance at Raymill House, her private retreat in Wiltshire, while Charles remains unscathed. Preoccupied with allegations in Spencer's memoir, there's a lot of talk that she and Charles are well and truly at their breaking point and this is affecting the marriage in a very significant way, a source told the magazine. The growing consensus is that this Earl Spencer book is well and truly the last straw. All the King can talk about right now is this book and everything that's dredged up. He's enraged and can't believe that there was nothing that could be done to stop this.

3:14 He can't sleep, he's hardly eating, and he's so short-tempered, which is making him very hard to live with. Camilla is trying to be sympathetic, but she doesn't have a whole lot of patience because she feels attacked too. The whole atmosphere is very toxic. Camilla is finding the overall atmosphere at Clarence House too much to bear at present, the source said. It's no secret that she and the King aren't in a good place. The magazine also linked the alleged attention to Harry's reported return to Britain. continuing controversy surrounding Andrew and rumours of a possible tell-all from Sarah Ferguson. It's no wonder they are at their wits' end. Camilla was hoping the next few years would be calm, but instead the royal family is now constantly putting out fires.

3:56 But the Queen is nothing if not resilient and hopes a bit of space will put her and Charles back on track. After all, they've been through harder times than this over the years. Charles Spencer has accused the royal family of using its influence with sections of the British press to punish people who challenge it. In an interview with Marie Claire's Kristen Contino, Diana's brother said the response to his memoir, Swan Song Diana, My Sister, had reinforced his view of the monarchy's power. He said, I think it's surprising to people to know quite how powerful in real terms the royal family remain today. When somebody steps outside what the royal family would consider acceptable norms, They do galvanise sections of the UK media to take vengeance on their behalf, he claimed, adding that he had certainly felt that. Spencer drew a parallel with the reaction to his speech at Diana's funeral when he described her as the most hunted person of the modern age. 29 years ago, when I gave the eulogy at Diana's funeral, I was pummeled very much by the UK media, who did not want me saying things about them to the world. So there's been a reflex reaction to that again in the UK.

5:03 Spencer maintains that his account has been presented fairly, telling Marie Claire, There's simply nothing about the royal family that's not entirely in context. I find Americans have a broader view of the world and the royal family than in the UK, he said. He believes American readers have been much more rounded in their view of not only the book, but my intention. It's not setting out to be revengeful or point-scoring as it was portrayed before the book was out in the UK. Spencer described a different dynamic on the American tour, adding, I've always had a much better ride in the US anyway. Nigel Farage has joked that Meghan Markle could be sent back to the US if he became Prime Minister. The remarks came during an appearance on The Benny Show, where host Benny Johnson joked that Americans were happy for Meghan to stay in the UK.

5:49 Farage laughed and replied, You might get her back. You might get her back if I'm in charge. GB News described the exchange as a joke. Elsewhere in the interview, Farage spoke more sharply about the couple. The behaviour of Meghan and Harry has been an absolute disgrace. Now they're back in the UK living here for who knows how long and somehow I can't help it. I almost now begin to feel a bit sorry for Harry because it's the classic tale of the weak man and the strong woman. Farage also recalled Harry's popularity before the couple stepped back from royal duties. He was the most popular royal for 100 years. People loved him. I think he's made a bad life choice. I can't wish him ill because we all get things wrong from time to time. I hope he sorts it out. More Palace in just a moment.

6:37 On the Royal's unscripted podcast, Carol Malone suggested Meghan is trying to establish a career separate from Harry's. The discussion centred on speculation about another appearance at Paris Fashion Week, but co-host Emily Ferguson, Express's Royal editor, said a spokesperson she contacted told her it was the first they had heard of that suggestion. Malone nevertheless argued that Meghan's professional direction was becoming more independent. She's trying to carve out a solo career for herself. She doesn't want the appendage that is Harry and all the bad publicity that comes with him. And if you think about the last year, there aren't many things we've seen her at with him. He's done lots of solo engagements, but she hasn't, so I suspect they're moving away from each other as a couple.

7:20 It wouldn't surprise me if that was both personal and professional, but certainly professionally, she doesn't want to be associated with all the stuff that goes with him. All the bad publicity about the numerous court cases... All the bad publicity about his outbursts, the stuff he says, not just about the press, but about everything. So she's steering away, which is an odd thing to do from your husband, I think. Harry has recently undertaken several engagements without Meghan while she has continued developing as ever, including this week's chocolate advent calendar launch. The couple were also photographed holding hands as they arrived for lunch at the Falkland Arms in the Cotswolds on October 1st. Those pictures were published by The Sun the following day. And there you have it. If you'd like to email us, our address is thepalaceintrigue at gmail.com.

8:04 If you're on Spotify, leave us a comment. If you're on Apple, hit that button that says listen uninterrupted and get the show commercial free for just five bucks a month. We appreciate your support. I'm Mark Francis. My thanks to John McDermott. This is Palace Intrigue. Good times.