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Ah Calarogu Shark Media. Hello and welcome to Palace Intry.
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You I'm your host. Mark Francis, Megan Markle and Prince
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Harry have confirmed another senior change behind the scenes of
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their charitable work, announcing that longtime advisor James Holt is
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stepping down from his day to day role at Archwell. Holt,
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who has served as executive director, shared the news in
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a statement published by People. Reflecting on nearly a decade
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of work with the Duke of Sussex, he said, from
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my first project with Harry eight years ago to improve
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mental health support for soldiers in the British military, to
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our recent work helping injured children in Gaza, he has
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consistently challenged me to think bigger about how we can
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make a difference. He added that meeting Meghan revealed a
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kindred spirit, someone who finds joy even in difficult moments
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and connects authentically with people regardless of circumstance. Explaining his departure,
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he noted, after five incredible years in Los Angeles, it's
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time for my family to return to London. One imagines
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Harry can understand. Holt said he would hand over responsibilities
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with immense pride and optimism for what lies ahead. In
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a joint statement, Megan Markel and Prince Harry praised Wholt
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as a stellar support for nearly ten years, adding his
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enthusiasm and talent in overseeing our philanthropic endeavors has been extraordinary.
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The announcement follows recent staffing changes at Archwall, including the
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departure of Chief Communications Officer Meredith Mainz after about ten
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months in the role. According to Page six, James Holt's
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longtime counterpart at Archwell, vice President Shawn A. Knapp, is
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not a full time employee and has been working on
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a consultant basis. The outlet says that following Holt's departure,
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Archwell Philanthropies had effectively been reduced to just Halt and Knapp,
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and sources now claim the foundation has been essentially shuttered.
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One industry source familiar with the Sussex's told Page six
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anyone still there is simply an enabe. Were enarmored with
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what the couple once was, not who they are today
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from a year ago. They have decreased their staff by
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at least eighty to eighty five percent. Another source said,
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every time someone leaves, Harry and Meghan They say they
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are staying on in some capacity, but they are never
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heard from again. Shawna hasn't been a full time employee
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in some time. This is crazy. They have lost their
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foundation in a matter of weeks. On the production side,
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page six notes that only a handful of staff remained.
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Chanelle Sine continues as head of Unscripted alongside producer Tracy Ryerson. However,
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sources say the future of the team depends heavily on
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whether Megan's Netflix series With Love Meghan is renewed. One
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source asked, if Meghan's Netflix show isn't picked up for
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another season, then what happened to their staff? In the Telegraph,
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Hannah Thundress writes, of all the Duke and Duchess of
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Sussex's staff departures of recent years, there have been a few,
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and this one will hit the hardest. In the normal world,
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the departure of a senior member of staff after a
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relatively long tenure would not be headline news. Mister Holt
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has had good reason to seek a new challenge after
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working his way to the top of the Sussex employment
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ladder and staying there for some time. But the Sussexes
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are not and never have been the normal world. His
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exit is the latest in a string of staff departures
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so long that there is no complete public record of them.
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No one has yet coined a phrase for the exodus
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of Sussex staff sussexit, but it has become a central,
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unfortunate part of Prince Harry and the Duchess's public image.
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Some have disappeared quietly, Others have issued glowing statements about
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how wonderful the time with the Sussexes was and what
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a wrench it was to leave. Mendana Deani, their former
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chief operating officer, called them kind, decent, caring people who
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am very proud to call my friends. Three days ago,
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Meredith Mainz, the eleventh PR person to leave in five years,
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said she would be pursuing a new opportunity a year
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of inspiring work. However, the anonymous briefings tell a different story.
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Bullying allegations filed back at the Palace by a concerned
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press secretary who said the Duchess seems intent on always
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having someone in her sights, have not gone away. PR
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expert Nick E tells The Express from a PR point
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of view, twenty twenty six feels like a pivotal reset
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year for Megan. The appetite isn't necessarily for more from Megan,
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but for clarity from her. We want to define who
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she is and what her place is in the world
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of celebrity. She has scatter gunned herself constantly over the
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past few years, and it's not really worked. For maximum success,
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she should focus on two things, consistency and credibility. That
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means choosing one or two core areas to concentrate on.
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Whether that's philanthropy, female entrepreneurship, or just being a celebrity
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with a brand. She just needs to commit to it
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long term without constantly reframing her narrative. The biggest win
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for Megan would be to let her work speak louder
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than her story. When she's at her strong longest, she's
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impactful and influential, which is the lane she should stay in.
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Royal observers speaking to Radar Online claim Prince Harry's deep
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mistrust of the media can be traced back to the
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very start of his relationship with Megan. Following her public
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debut alongside him at the twenty seventeen in Victors Games
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in Toronto, Prince Harry and Meghan appeared together publicly for
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the first time at the international sporting event, walking hand
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in hand and immediately drawing intense press attention. Insiders say
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that moment marked a turning point in Harry's relationship with
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the media. A Royal expert told the outlet they were
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surprised by Harry's reaction to press coverage at the time,
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saying we were absolutely stunned by that. I couldn't believe
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he actually did it. The source pointed to the statement
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Harry released shortly afterward accusing the press of crossing a lion,
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and described it as an early sign of what they
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called a horrific relationship with the media. Looking back, the
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same insiders said there were perhaps a few comments in
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some columns that were unkind about Meghan's background, but overall,
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the vast majority of coverage around ninety nine percent, was
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very positive and welcoming. The expert described Harry's response as
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an instinctive effort to protect Megan, characterizing it as paranoia
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that was inevitably linked to Mikel's arrival in the Royal Fault.
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The source added, she came across as a real breath
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of fresh air. I couldn't believe Harry went to the
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press claiming she was being mistreated, because for the most part,
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the consensus was that she wasn't and he was being
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overly sensitive and paranoid. According to Inside As, that period
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also saw Harry bottling up frustrations that would later surface publicly,
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including his memoir Spare. One source said, from Spare and
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everything That's happened, since it's clear Harry bottled up and
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released a lot of anger and frustration. The comments come
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as Harry and Meghan continued to face scrutiny over their
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personal lives, including criticism of Megan's ongoing estrangement from her father,
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Thomas Michael Senior. One source said, most other daughters would
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be by their father's side if he was in that much,
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need not just send him a letter. It's pathetic and
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also hypocritical when it's seen in comparison with her promotion
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of family friendly messages on her Netflix shows more palace
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in just a moment. The Cabinet Office has been accused
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of shielding the Royal family after withdrawing documents about royal
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travel costs at the last moment, citing an administrative error.
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The files released to the National Archives included material on
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the death of Diana, an internal correspondence following a misaddressed
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birthday telegram sent to the Queen Mother by the office
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of former Prime Minister John Major. However, minutes from Number
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ten dating from two thousand and four and two thousand
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and five covering royal visits were pulled shortly before publication.
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Journalists who saw the documents before they were withdrawn said
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the material appeared routine. The minutes included references to overseas
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trips by Prince Andrew during his time as a UK
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Trade Envoy. Those minutes reportedly discussed allocating an additional ninety
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thousand pounds in public funds to cover the form at
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Duke of York's foreign travel while he served as a
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UK Trade Envoy. The material was later withheld under what
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was described as a legal exemption connected to the royal family.
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The decision has prompted accusations of a coverer. Graham Smith,
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chief executive of the anti monarchy campaign group Republic, said
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there should be no royal exemption at all. But this
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exemption surely doesn't apply to Andrew now he's no longer
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a royal. The Royals have sought to keep everything under
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wraps when it comes to Andrew, not to protect him,
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but to protect themselves. Jimmy News also weighed in, reporting
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that the decision to withhold the Andrew Mountbatten wins of
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files had sparked fury and arguing that continued secrecy could
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not be justified following his removal from official royal duties.
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The release also revisited a material relating to the death
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of Diana, Princess Wales, much of which had already been
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made public in two thousand and five under the Freedom
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of Information Act. Newly available papers include an account by
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Briton's then ambassador to France, Michael Jay, but also confirmed
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that Downing Street refused to release details of a phone
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call between Tony Blair and French President Jacques Shirac, arguing
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that such conversations were confidential and not in the public interest. Separately,
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the files reveal an episode from nineteen ninety four in
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which Number ten was forced to apologize after a birthday
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telegram to the Queen Mother was incorrectly addressed. John Major's
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office blamed British Telecom for the error, while the Queen
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Mother herself later responded with thanks, appearing unconcerned by the mistake.
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For now, the files will remain unavailable to the public,
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further fueling debate over transparency, public funding, and the extent
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to which the royal family continues to receive special treatment
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under government disclosure rules. And there I haven't. If you'd
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like to email us addresses the Palace intrig at gmail
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dot com. Please followus on Spotify, Apple or the app
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of your choice, and you can find us on Facebook
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and Instagram and leave us a nice review. If you're
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enjoying the show and Mark frantis my thanks to John McDermott.
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This is balanced intrigue in good times