Sept. 1, 2026

Andrew ‘Relieved’ Harry and Meghan Took the Heat as Fergie Plans Her Return to Britain

Show Notes
Transcript

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is reportedly relieved that Harry and Meghan’s return has shifted attention away from his own troubles, while a new film prepares to dramatize the scandal surrounding him. Plus, Sarah Ferguson is said to be returning to Britain and considering a major television interview, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie face fresh speculation over whether they should give up their titles, critics question Eugenie’s tribute to Queen Elizabeth in her new baby’s name, and we revisit the extraordinary story of King Charles reportedly erupting over David Beckham’s private Buckingham Palace photographs.

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Palace Intrigue is a daily British royal family podcast covering King Charles, Meghan Markle, Prince Harry, Kate Middleton and the House of Windsor. New episodes every day. Follow on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen. Part of the Caloroga Shark Media network.

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Kalaroga Shark Media. Hello and welcome to Palace Intrigue. I

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am your host, Mark Francis. Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is said to

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be privately relieved that Harry and Meghan's return to Britain

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has shifted some of the royal spotlight away from him.

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One source told Radar Online, Andrew is under no illusion

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about the seriousness of his own circumstances. But Harry and

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Meghan returning has completely transformed the royal news agenda. Suddenly,

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everyone is talking about where the Sussexes will live, their

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relationship with the king and what happens with William. From

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Andrew's perspective, having somebody else at the centre of the

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royal storm inevitably provides some relief. Another unnamed source said,

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Andrew knows his position within the family has changed beyond recognition.

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The Sussexes coming back creates an enormous set of complications

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for the palace, and inevitably that means there is less

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attention available for him. He would certainly rather the headlines

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were about Harry and Meghan than another examination of his

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own problems. Andrew's downfall could soon be dramatized on screen

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with a new film called The Janitor, starring Peaky Blinders

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actor Harry Curtin as a publicist whose job involves cleaning

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up scandals involving wealthy and powerful clients. According to reports

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from The Mirror and The Mail on Sunday, Andrew features

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in the story, although producers have not revealed which actor

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will portray him. The Mail on Sunday reports that the

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filmmaker's contacted Andrew's lawyers before completing the script, and offered

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him an opportunity to give his version of events. Andrew, reportedly,

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did not engage with the production or provide a response.

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One fictionalized sequence described by the Mirror involves a journalist

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presenting Andrew with the widely published photograph showing him with

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Virginia Jeffery. A production source said the film's legal team

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has bulletproofed every single frame and is prepared for a

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reaction when the movie is released. The filmmakers are reportedly

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hoping the janitor could arrive before the end of the year.

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Sarah Ferguson is expected to return to Britain shortly after

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spending months largely out of public view following her departure

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from Royal Lodge. A source close to Ferguson has told

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the BBC she will be back in the UK shortly,

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while The Sun reports she is preparing to move into

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a rented six-bedroom gated property in the home county. Ferguson

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had been sharing Royal Lodge in Windsor with her former husband,

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Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, but she moved out in October, as scrutiny

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intensified over their past links to Jeffrey Epstein. Since then,

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she is believed to have been staying at a chalet

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in Verbier, Switzerland. A source told The Sun she's had

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her eyes on a return for some time, but it

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takes time to find the right new house. She hasn't

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had to worry about accommodation for 20 years, as she

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had Royal Lodge with Andrew. Now's the right time to

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get back to her life. With everyone looking out for

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Harry and Meghan, she thought she could slip back under

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the radar after seven months away. The Sun also reports

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that Ferguson's belongings were collected last week from Andrew's home

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at Sandringham, suggesting the move back to Britain is now close.

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Sarah is reportedly considering a major television interview as she

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prepares to return to Britain and establish a new home

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following her departure from Royal Lodge. She is said to

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have received numerous approaches from television producers and streaming services,

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interested in having her tell her side of the story

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surrounding the Epstein scandal. But rather than simply agreeing to

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an interview, Ferguson is reportedly considering developing a program herself,

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which would give her greater control over how her story

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is presented. A source told The Sun, Fergie has been

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bombarded with requests from all over the world to do

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sit-down interviews, especially with the big streamers to tell her

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side of the story. She is looking at her options.

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For her, it's more about retaining editorial control rather than

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making money. Sarah has a tight-knit group of friends and

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is extremely well-connected. She would only allow someone she knew

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well to tell her story. Radar Online claims Princess Beatrice

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and Princess Eugenie are facing pressure to voluntarily give up

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their royal titles because of the continuing fallout surrounding their father,

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Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. One unnamed senior palace source tells Radar, there

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are people who believe Beatrice and Eugenie could perform an

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extraordinary act of loyalty to the king by voluntarily stepping

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away from their titles. It would remove another potentially difficult

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issue surrounding Andrew's family and demonstrate that protecting the monarchy

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matters more than preserving their own royal status. Another unnamed

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insider stresses that this isn't supposed to be punishment for

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Andrew's actions, saying, Nobody is suggesting the sisters should somehow

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be punished for their father's actions. The difficulty is one

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of perception. Andrew's scandal created immense reputational damage, and his

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daughters remain highly visible bearers of royal titles, even though

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neither represents the king as a working royal. Radar points

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to one historical example of a princess voluntarily relinquishing her status.

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Princess Patricia of Connard, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria, gave

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up her title and HRH style when she married Alexander

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Ramsay in 1919, becoming Lady Patricia Ramsay, but those circumstances

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were Obviously very different. As yet another unnamed source puts it,

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the princess's supporters would argue that they have behaved loyally

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throughout an extraordinary painful family scandal and shouldn't sacrifice something

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that is theirs by birth. But critics see voluntary relinquishment

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as a powerful gesture, one that could finally draw a

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clearer line between Andrew's branch of the family and the

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future working monarchy. Radar Online is taking a pretty cynical

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angle on Princess Eugenie's new baby name, suggesting some critics

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see the tribute to Queen Elizabeth as an attempt to

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strengthen Eugenie's standing with King Charles. A source unnamed, as usual, said,

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Eugenie adored her grandmother, and this feels like a very

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personal way of keeping that connection alive. but critics are

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saying that she is deploying the Elizabeth tribute in a

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deliberate ploy to tug at Charles' heartstrings, as, due to

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the considerable turbulence around her wider family, particularly involving Eugenie's father,

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she is now fighting to secure her place in the

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royal family. A new baby provides a much happier focus,

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and using the child as a tribute to Elizabeth is

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seen by some cynics as a way Eugenie can curry

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favour with Charles. More palace in just a moment. Catching

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up on some stories knocked out of the news by

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Harry and Meghan, King Charles was reportedly furious after David

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Beckham shared photographs from a private Buckingham Palace gathering for

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his daughter Harper back in 2017. The story has resurfaced

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in Alison Boshoff's book, Brand Beckham, which looks back at

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the controversy surrounding Harper Beckham's sixth birthday. David posted several

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photographs from the July 2017 visit to Instagram, including pictures

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of Harper and her friends inside the Buckingham Palace quadrangle.

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Princess Eugenie was also photographed with the children, some of

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whom were dressed as princesses and wearing cardboard crowns. David wrote,

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Happy birthday to our special little young lady, such a

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special girl who brings so much joy and happiness into

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our lives. Happy sixth birthday. I can't believe you're six already.

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Have the most amazing day. We love you. Pretty lady. Kiss.

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Victoria Beckham, who was away on fashion business, also posted

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a photograph of Harper dressed as Princess Elsa from Frozen, writing,

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Our little birthday princess kiss kisses. The photograph quickly attracted

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criticism with questions raised about why the Beckhams had apparently

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been allowed to use Buckingham Palace for a child's birthday celebration.

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Dickie Arbiter, a former press secretary to Queen Elizabeth, said

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the Beckhams had no right to be there. He asked,

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Is Buckingham Palace being opened up as a theme park?

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It devalues what the place is all about. Why do

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the Beckhams get special treatment? But according to Brand Beckham,

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this was not a case of the Beckhams booking Buckingham

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Palace for Harper's birthday. The gathering was reportedly hosted by

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Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor in his private apartment at the palace, with

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the invitation apparently suggested by his former wife, Sarah Ferguson.

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Ferguson and Victoria had known each other for years, dating

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back to Victoria's days with the Spice Girls, and moved

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in some of the same social circles. The bigger problem?

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reportedly came when photographs from the private gathering appeared publicly.

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Boshoff cites a Palace insider who described the social media

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posts as a serious breach of protocol. The source claimed,

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Prince Charles is apparently seismic with rage, and this will

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only deepen his feud with Prince Andrew. Photos are absolutely

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not allowed in the Buckingham Palace quadrangle. Prince William will

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not be amused. There was also criticism of the timing.

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The gathering took place only weeks after the Grenfell Tower fire,

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adding to questions about the optics of a wealthy celebrity family.

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enjoying private access to Buckingham Palace. David Beckham responded the

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following day, saying reports about what had happened were giving

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the wrong impression. He wrote, Just to be clear, this

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wasn't the palace opening the gates for Harper's birthday party.

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This was a tea party where us and other guests

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were invited, so it was a beautiful thing to do

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with my mum, Harper, plus a few school friends. We

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were honoured to be able to be there. Beautiful tea party.

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Whatever Charles may have thought about the episode in 2017,

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it clearly did not permanently damage his relationship with Beckham.

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Eight years later, in November 2025, King Charles knighted the

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former England football captain at Windsor Castle for his services

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to sport and charity. And there you have it. If

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you'd like to email us or address us at thepalacentric

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at gmail.com. If you're on Spotify, leave us a comment.

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30 days. I'm Mark Francis. My thanks to John McDermott.

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This is Palace Intrigue. Good times.

Andrew ‘Relieved’ Harry and Meghan Took the Heat as Fergie Plans Her Return to Britain

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