Nov. 15, 2025

Andrew the Entitled and Fergie the Feast Queen

Show Notes
Transcript

A former royal chef calls Prince Andrew “demanding” and “arrogant,” revealing tales of midnight TV calls, golf-ball retrievals, and butlers summoned just to open curtains. Meanwhile, biographer Andrew Lownie says Sarah Ferguson dined nightly like a Tudor monarch, complete with beef, lamb, and chicken fit for Henry VIII. Elsewhere, King Charles earns praise as the royals’ most adventurous eater, a butler hints Christmas could move back to Windsor, and Meghan’s “boiled water recipe” sparks fresh ridicule online. Plus, Norway’s future queen studies Down Under — and handles the paparazzi better than most Windsors ever did.

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WEBVTT

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A calorogu shark Media. Hello and welcome to Palace Intrigue.

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I am your host, Mark Rancis. In his book entitled

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Royal biographer Andrew Lowney delves into some of the more

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extravagant aspects of Sarah Ferguson's spending. Among the more eyebrow

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raising claims is the revelation that she once dined nightly

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as if she were hosting a Tudor feast. One format

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staff member, who Loudey says was dismissed from their post,

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claimed every night she demands a whole side of beef,

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a leg of lamb, and a chicken, which are laid

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out on the dining room table like a medieval banquet.

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It's a feast that would make Henry the Eighth proud.

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But often there is just her and her goals be

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a Eugenie, and most of it is wasted. There is

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no attempt to have it called the next day. Even

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the Duchess of staff reportedly felt the strain, with one

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butler said to have arrived at four thirteen in the

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morning just to put watercress on. Ice Dan Ottaway, who

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cooked for Queen Elizabeth Iond during his time at Buckingham

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Palace told The Irish Independent that not all Royal diners

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were created equal. According to Ottaway, Andrews stood out for

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all the wrong reasons. We used to say that he

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was quite difficult. He would have been more demanding than

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the rest of them, for sure, he recalled. There would

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have been last minute requests for lunches, guests and stuff

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like that. Other family members would have told us weeks

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in advance because they understand we needed to prep for them.

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The chef said Andrew's behavior stemmed from knowing he could

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get away with anything, really, because who's going to tell

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him off? And he was probably the Queen's favorite child.

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He was definitely different to the rest of the family

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in his meal requirements. Ottaway, however, had far kind of

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words for the Princess of Wales. He revealed that Kate

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would often bring her children to the kitchen after a

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meal to thank the staff. She didn't want them to

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be ungrateful or whatever, but it meant a lot to

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us in the kitchen to see the kids really bubbly,

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he said. A source told the biographer that Andrew believed

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his staff were there to serve and not to question

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his actions. Describing extravagant behaviors such as ordering maids to

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clan four flights of stairs to open his curtains while

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he lay in bed beside them. On another occasion, he

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is said to have summoned a television technician to his

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home in the middle of the night to explain how

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a remote control worked, and even instructed police protection officers

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to retrieve his used golf balls. Lowney said, he's a

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very self entitled, arrogant, pompous guy who has never really

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been given any boundaries in his life, has never actually

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been disciplined, I mean even talking to his school friends,

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they said this was an accident waiting to happen. When

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it comes to Royal kitchens, the King has officially earned

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the crown for being the most daring diner in the family.

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According to former Royal chef Darren McGrady, his Majesty brought

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a much needed culinary shakeup to palace menus during his

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time as Prince of Wales, and his influence still lingers

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Prince Charles now King Charles was the most adventurous, McGrady

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told Hart Bingo. He brought organic food into the Royal

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kitchens long before it became mainstream, he'd bring his own

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hampers with homegrown fruits and vegetables, especially at Sandringham. It

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didn't stop with produce. The King is said to have

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a strong love for Italian and Mediterranean cuisine, nunting the

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royal chefs away from the stiffer fair of classic British

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and French dishes. He loved Italian cuisine and introduced Mediterranean

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dishes to the menu, said McGrady. He also enjoyed foraging

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for wild mushrooms, which he would bring to the kitchens

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for us to use in meals. His healthy approach to

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food has long been a hallmark of his lifestyle. At

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High Grove House, Charles keeps chickens that supply his preferred

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eggs and Clarence House once confirmed he enjoys them in

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the morning, adding a handful of nuts and seeds and

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a cup of tea, reportedly also a daily staple, and

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you have the makings of a king's breakfast. As for lunch,

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don't expect to find Charles lingering over a midday meal.

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It's well known that the monarch often skips it entirely

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in favor of packing in more royal engagements. Dinner, however,

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is another matter. The King reportedly goes big on seasonal ingredients,

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favoring meals made from fresh producee sourced directly from his own.

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Former royal butler, Grant Harold, believes King Charles could soon

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bring a major change to the Royal family's Christmas traditions.

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For decades, the royals have gathered at Sandringham, walking to

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church on Christmas Morning to greet the public. But Harold,

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who worked for Charles at Highgrove House between two thousand

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and four and eleven, told gb News that the King

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may eventually shift the holiday back to Windsor Castle. After

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the fire at the Windsor Castle, the Royal family were

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forced to relocate their Christmas holidays from Windsor to Sandringham.

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The trip to Norfolk has been a part of their

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annual diary ever since. But I think the King may

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make another change and bring Christmas back to Windsor Castle,

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he explain. Harold said the move would make sense given

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that many senior royals, including the Prince and Princess of

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Wales and their children, are now based near Windsor. It's

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where the King's parents and grandparents are laid to rest.

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So it's very special to him, he noted, though he

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also pointed out that Charles remains fond of Sandringham and

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may find it hard to abandon completely. More palacing just

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a moment. Meggan is facing ridicule from Royal Watches and

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social media users alike after sharing what many have dubbed

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her boiled water recipe. The Duchess of Sussex posted a

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video to promote her new as ever holiday collection, featuring

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a spiced cider mulling spice kit. In the clip, Megan

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demonstrates how to make what she calls a really cozy,

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warm beverage that everyone can enjoy by placing a pouch

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of a spice blend into a pan of hot water.

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She then pours the mixture into glasses, adding cinnamon sticks,

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a slice of lemon, and a teaspoon of her brand's honey.

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Viewers were quick to mock the demonstration, accusing the Duchess

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of reinventing mulled water. One user commented, so she boiled water,

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while another joked next week, Megan chose us how to toast

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bread where it. Watches also questioned the simplicity of the content,

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suggesting the video was tone deaf given its branding as

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a luxury product. She's selling an image, not a recipe,

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one critic said, but even the image feels hollow. Newly

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declassified files have revealed that North Korea once tried to

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cash in on Britain's royal wedding fever. In nineteen eighty one,

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as the marriage of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer

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captivated hundreds of millions around the globe, Pyongyang quietly issued

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commemorative stamps of the royal couple. The move was part

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of the Kim regime's broader use of philately, the collection

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and sale of stamps as a way to earn hard

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currency and weave itself into the global pop culture markets.

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British diplomatic memos from nineteen eighty two show officials were

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both bemused and weary after learning of the stamps, which

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depicted Charles and Diana at Saint Paul's Cathedral, on the

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Buckingham Palace balcony and in the throne room, alongside images

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of the concord Jet. One diplomat in Beijing joked that

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the British Post Office should retaliate with the geriatric dictators

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of the world. Set featuring Kim Il Sun. The Royal

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philatelic collection, worth an estimated one hundred million pounds, only

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automatically accepted stamps from commonwealths, though officials admitted the Palace

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would probably still accept the North Korean issues if they

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were formally presented. North Korea's intentions were seen as purely pecuniary,

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with one note in the fail remarking that the stamps

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could only be purchased in Britain as part of a

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full royal wedding collection priced at six hundred pounds. The

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wedding stamps were only the start. Pyongyang went on to

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issue stamps marking the couple's first anniversary, Prince William's birth

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in nineteen eighty two, even Princess Diana's twenty first birthday.

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Later sets featured portraits of European monarchs, including Charles and Diana,

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Georgia sixth and Queen Victoria or aimed squarely at the

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lucrative British stamp collecting market of the nineteen eighties. Princess

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Ingrid Alexandra of Norway has given her first major interview,

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and she did it from Sydney, where she is now

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living as a university student. The twenty one year old

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heir to the Norwegian throne, spoke to her country's national

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broadcaster and Arka from the University of Sydney campus, where

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she begins her studies in August. I'm enjoying it very

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much so far, she said. I think Sydney was the

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right choice for me. She described the Australian city as

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a beautiful place, but admitted she hasn't seen much of

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it yet. I haven't explored as much as I'd like,

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but I've been here for three years, she said. A

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keen surfer, she added that she's already had a chance

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to experience the local waves. The princess is studying social science,

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specializing in international relations and political economy, a degree she

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says will help her prepare for her future role. I

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definitely think that my education will be very relevant to

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the job I will do in the future, she said.

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I think it is important to have a basic understanding

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of the political system of international relations and how things work.

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Princess Ingrid Alexandra will one day become Norway's first reigning

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queen in more than six centuries. For now, her move

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to Australia means stepping away from royal duties for three years,

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though she plans to return to Norway for holidays. She

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will set her university exams in mid November before heading

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home for Christmas. Adjusting to life abroad has been mostly smooth,

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though she admitted the mediate attention in Sydney has been

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more intrusive than at home. I have experienced some paparazzi here.

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There have been some situations that may seem a little uncomfortable,

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but fortunately it has calmed down a lot over time,

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she said. The princess also spoke about her mother, Crown

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Princess Madame Marie, who has battled a chronic lung disease

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for several years. Mama's had a chronic illness for a

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long time, she said, but I try to keep in

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good contact with her. We often talk on the phone,

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but of course it's hard to be far away, she said,

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her grandparents, King Harold and Queen Sonia staying in touch

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from Oslo. Grandma is very good at sending long messages

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on behalf of both her and Grandpa, but admitted she

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misses her family and even her dog Molly. Princess Ingrid

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Alexander also addressed the difficult situation involving her half brother

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Marius borg Hoebi, who faces criminal charges in Norway for

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alleged domestic abuse and rape. Of course, it's difficult, she said,

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both for those of us who are around, for me

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as a sister, and for mum and dad, and of

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course for everyone affected by the case. The trial is

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due to beginning Oslo in February and run through March.

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To learn more about the Norwegian Rebels, listen to our

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season of Crown and Controversy Norway's Royal Rebels, and to

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find that just look for season one on the series

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00:10:15.080 --> 00:10:19.240
currently labeled Crown and Controversy Prince Andrew. Prince Andrew is

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the second season. The Norway's are the first season, So

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just look for Crown and Controversy Prince Andrew in your

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podcast app and you'll find the Norway Royal Rebels there

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as well at the habit If you like to email

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us addresses the Palace intrig at Gmail a dad com.

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Please follow us on Spotify, Apple or the Apple You're chosen.

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Believe it's a nice review. If you're enjoying the show

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and my francis my thanks to John McDermott. This is

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Andrew the Entitled and Fergie the Feast Queen

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