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Ah Calorogus Shark Media. Hello and welcome to Palace Intrigue.
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I am your host, Mark Francis Boyle. Author Tom Bauer
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claims that Andrew mount Batten Windsor was recently approached about
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voluntarily stepping away from the line of succession. According to Bauer,
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an individual traveled to Sandringham to raise the issue directly.
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He said, as I understand it, someone went up to
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Sandringham last Saturday from the Palace to suggest to Andrew
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that you voluntarily give up the succession and he can
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do that. He can sign a form saying he renounces
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the succession that ends it straight away, and that would
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be the cleanest solution. Bauer added that the messenger acknowledged
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the sensitivity of the task, stating, they gave me the
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dirty work to do, but it's a good thing that
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they've started it, and that's the way to handle it.
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Former staff who worked around Andrew mount Batten Windsor are
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reportedly anxious as in investigators continue examining his past links
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to Jeffrey Epstein, according to claims made by sources familiar
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with the inquiry. According to reports by Radar Online, investigators
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reviewing material linked to the wider Epstein inquiry are examining
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whether anyone working around Andrew may have had knowledge of
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suspicious behavior during visits connected to the financier. One source
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familiar with the situation said the discussion was preliminary in nature,
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but it was conducted in a very straightforward and candid way.
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Investigators were clearly trying to establish what background knowledge might
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exist among people who previously held senior responsibility for royal security.
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That conversation alone has people who used to guard Andrew
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Windsor extremely nervous about being interviewed about what they might
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have known or witnessed. None of them want to be
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seen as accessories or enablers, and none really want to
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be grilled on what they really knew about Andrew's slees.
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Another palace insider suggested the anxiety is not limited to
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former protection officers. The source said it is not just
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the police minders who are worried. Anyone who worked closely
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around Andrew Windsor is running scared right now because investigators
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appear determined to reconstruct exactly what everyone knew at the time.
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Investigators are reportedly paying particular attention to trips Andrew made
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to properties connected to Epstein, including visits to New York,
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where Epstein maintained a townhouse that later became central to
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a number of allegations. The police source said detectives want
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to understand whether anyone on the protection teams noticed anything
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unusual during those visits. The focus is on what people
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observed firsthand and whether any concerns were ever raised. Internally,
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officials are said to be encouraging former staff to come
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forward with any details they may recall, even if the
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information seemed insignificant at the time. One source said, at
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its core, the inquiry is straightforward. Detectives want to know
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exactly what people observed at the time and whether there
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is anything they are made that could shed light on
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the wider picture. It's not really about getting former officers
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in trouble, but there could also be consequences for them
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if it turned out they enabled, ignored, or covered up
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illegal behavior. Another person familiar with Royal protection operations said
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that the long assignments around high profile individuals can sometimes
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blow a professional boundaries. They said, in a few cases,
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it began to look as though certain officers were absorbing
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the habits, speech patterns, and attitudes of the individuals. They
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were tasked with protecting, which raised eyebrows among colleagues. When
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protection officers spend long periods around the same high profile figures,
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there was always a risk that the relationship becomes overly familiar.
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In some situations, it gave the impression that the officers
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were moving within the same social environment, rather than maintaining
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the clear separation that the role normally requires. The investigation
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is being handled under the code name Operation Ironville, suggesting
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authorities believe the inquiry has grown into a significant and
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complex operation. One insider tells Radar Online. When an investigation
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reaches the point where it has formally labeled something like
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Operation Ionville, it usually means authorities believe the case has
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grown into something substantial. These kinds of code names are
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not handed out lightly. They are typically used when a
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probe involves numerous lines of inquiry, intelligence coming in from
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different directions, and multiple teams working together. References to Operation
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Ionville reportedly appeared in a search description connected to the
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Major Investigation Police Portal, a system used by law enforcement
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agencies to gather intelligence and tips from witnesses and informants
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across the UK. Another source to the code name helps
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investigators manage complex operations, they explained. In practical terms, a
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code name like Operation Ionville allows officers across different departments
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to coordinate information quickly and efficiently without constantly referencing the
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sensitive details of the case itself. The source outed that
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such designations often indicate a probe involving significant evidence gathering
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and potentially cooperation between different agencies or jurisdictions. In practical terms,
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investigators are likely coordinating information from around multiple sources, previewing
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documents and witness accounts, and enduring different units can communicate
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efficiently about the same investigation. A code name is a
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strong indication that the matter has progressed well beyond the
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stage of simply asking preliminary questions or conducting a small
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internal check. The Sun reports Andrew was referred to as
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Detainee A during his arrest. A source told the Son,
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it brings it home, doesn't it to go from Prince
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and Duke and Earl Baron Knight, all those fancy titles,
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and then suddenly your detainee A. He must have thought
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just being plain and he was awful at one point.
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I don't suppose he thought he could get much worse.
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Police in Norfolk are fed up that he's effectively been
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dumped on them and made their problem. Andrew's legal position
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is under anew scrutiny, but one legal expert says any
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further action would depend on whether a very specific threshold
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could be met. Despite the reputational damage caused by his
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friendship with Jeffrey Epstein and his appearance in the Epstein files,
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experts say that does not automatically translate into a viable
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criminal case. Speaking to The Mirror, Simrajot Singh Judge, managing
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partner at Judge Law, said some offenses, such as misconduct
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in public office, do require the individual to be acting
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as a public officer at the time. That is a
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relatively narrow legal category and is not automatically satisfied simply
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because someone is a member of the royal family. It
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would depend on whether they were performing an official public
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function recognized in law. Judge went on to explain that
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even if someone could be considered a public officer, prosecutors
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was still need to show serious wrongdoing connected to that role.
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He said. In addition, misconduct in public office requires proof
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not just of status, but of serious misconduct connected to
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that public role, and that the conduct amounted to an
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abuse of the public's trust. Financial gain can be relevant
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to some offenses, but is not always a strict legal requirement.
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The criminal law sets out precise legal definitions and evidential thresholds.
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If those elements are not met, then there is simply
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no basis for prosecution under that specific offense. Judge also
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drew a distinction between legal exposure and public fallout. He
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said it is also important to distinguish between legal liability
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and reputational consequences. The absence of a criminal charge does
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not automatically resolve public or institutional concerns, which operate under
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entirely different considerations. More palace in just a moment, Andrew
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was reportedly living a highly restricted and increasingly isolated life,
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described as huffy teenager style, with an insider telling Radar Online.
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People who know what is going on say Andrew spends
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much of his time in his fairly slobby check this way,
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just getting up and wandering around in his pajamas without
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showering or changing. And said he passes time just eating
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and huffily playing video games and binge watching shows on
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Netflix on his sofa and computer. From what people around
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the estate understand, Andrew is more or less confined to
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wood Farm for the time being. His routine seems very restricted,
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with clear limits on how freely he can come and
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go what activities he can pursue. Removal vans were seen
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at Andrew's new residence, Marsh Farm. Three lorries from specialist
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to fine art firm Gander and White were spotted outside
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the five bedroom property. The company, which holds a Royal warrant,
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is known for transporting valuable artworks for major institutions and
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private collectors, raising questions about whether items from Andrew's previous
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residents are being relocated. It remains unclear exactly what the
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removal vans were carrying, although Andrew's former home, Royal Lodge,
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was known to house a number of valuable pieces connected
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to the Royal collection. In the Mirror, Juliet Banham describes
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Andrew's new home. She writes, standing on the other side
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of Marsh Farm's modest fence, it's difficult to believe you're
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looking at the home of the Sun of the Monarch, Molehill,
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puckered lawn, and all chosen for its privacy. The abode
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is by no means hidden, just a future. It meters
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away from the country Lane, where vans and tractors make
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their steady way along the bends. Passes by walking their
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dogs can easily see through the windows or note the
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ghostly steam billowing from the pipes out into the chill air.
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Local resident Shanna told The Mirror, I don't really particularly
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like the things he's done, so I'm not very happy
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about it, to be honest. But you can't stop it,
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can you. You just have to get on with it
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and hopefully he moves somewhere else there ah. But if
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you like to email us addresses the Palace Intrigue at
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gmail dot com. Please follow us on Spotify, Apple, the
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app of your choice. Leave us a nice review from
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joining the show and Mark Francis My thanks to John McDermott.
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This is Palace Intrigue and good terms.