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Calorogus Shark Media. Hello and welcome to Palace Indriga. I
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am your host, Mark Francis. The New York Times asked
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can King Charles Hill a royal family crisis before it's
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too late? The details of the crisis will be very
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familiar to listeners to this podcast, but to catch everyone up, maxit, Netflix,
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spare BBC interview. The Times writes some royal watches warm
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that unless Charles finds a way to heal that rift,
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it could define his reign, undercutting the messages of tolerance
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and inclusiveness that he has long championed. They cite former
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BBC Royal correspondent Peter Hunt, who says, when history comes
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to be written about the King, this will reflect badly
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on him. He represents an institution that is about family
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unity and fostering forgiveness. His role is to bring people together,
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and yet he can't bring people together on his doorstep.
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The article then recaps the fight between the brothers and
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the various Prince Andrew scandals before focusing on Williams workload.
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Historian Ed Owens said William has sometimes been seen as
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work shy, but we see him gravitating toward bigger more
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media friendly events. He's burnishing his reputation as a statesman.
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The notion of William being lazy has been coming up
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more often. Royal expert Richard fitz Williams discussed the subject
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with Anti Monarchy group Republic CEO Graham Smith, perfects Williams,
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there's no doubt that if you take charitable activities, the
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monarchy has an absolutely unique profile. Smith fired back, there's
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so much stuff staiding about the monarchy which isn't true.
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There has been a very deep, detailed study on their
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impact on charity by an independent authority which said the
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impact is close to zero. Part of the problem with them,
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and part of the problem with William, who is in
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line to be the next monarch, is he's incredibly lazy.
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He doesn't do anything. In the last month he did
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about four days of work. When I say work, I
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mean turning up and waving at people, most of which
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is done in or near their houses. They cost us.
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It cost us half a billion a year for a
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whole family, which we do not need, including people that
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most people would have never heard of. They're all included
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in this cost. New figures from the House of Commons
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Library revealed that the Sovereign Grant, the primary source of
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public funding for the monarchy, has risen from thirty one
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million pounds in twenty twelve to one hundred and thirty
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two million in the current financial year, representing a threefold
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increase when adjusted for inflation. The most recent jump, a
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fifty three percent increase from eighty six million to one
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hundred and thirty two million, was attributed by Palace aids
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to the ongoing ten year Buckingham Palace Reservicing Program, a
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three hundred and sixty nine million pound refurbishment effort to
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modernize cabling, plumbing, wiring and safety systems at the palace.
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The palace spokesperson defended the increase, stating the sovereign grant
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were made virtually flat five years from twenty twenty during
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a period of high inflation. The majority of the increases.
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This year's Sovereign grant is to fund the Buckingham Palace
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Reservicing Program, which is ensuring that the Palace, a national asset,
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is accessible and protected from fire and flood. In twenty
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twenty three to twenty four, the monarchy's spending included one
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million pounds on helicopter flights to zero point two million
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pounds in electricity twenty three thousand pounds for a three
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day visit by the Duke of Kent to regimental events
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in Scotland. In return, the Royal Household supported twenty three
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hundred public engagements, hosted one hundred five thousand guests, and
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ran four hundred events while fulfilling constitutional duties and supporting diplomacy.
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As public finances remained strained and generational attitudes shift, the
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Royal Household may continue to face questions not just about
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what they cost, but what they're worth. Once vilified for
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a column widely condemned as misogynistic and cruel, Jeremy Clarkson
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now appears to have found a path, however, unlikely into
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the royal circle. The former top Gear presenter caused uproar
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in December of twenty twenty two when writing in the
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Sun he declared he hated making Markel on a cellular
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level and fantasized about seeing her publicly humiliated. The backlash
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was swift and severe, prompting Clarkson to issue a formal apology,
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which he said he had sent personally to the Duke
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and Duchess of Sussex. A spokesperson for Prince Harry dismissed
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the gesture, condemning Clarkson's long standing pattern of writing articles
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that spread hate rhetoric, dangerous conspiracy theories and misogyny. Despite
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that grim chapter, Clarkson has since made a number of
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public appearances alongside members of the royal family, chief among
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them Prince William, who was said to appear in the
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newest series of Clarkson's Farm. The Prince of Wales visited
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Clarkson's Ditty Squad Farm in Oxfordshire in March of twenty
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five and met cast regulars Caleb Cooper and Charlie Ireland.
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During the visit, William shared that his eldest son, Prince George,
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is a fan of the show. You've got George watching now,
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William told Caleb. I said to him, what shall I
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say if I meet Caleb? He said, tell Caleb to
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mind his language. It's not the only royal connection in
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Clarkson's orbit. Hugh van Kutzen, a lifelong friend of Prince Harry,
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has also made appearances on the show. Hugh and his
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wife Rose have previously hosted Harry and Meghan for supper
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and were guests at the Sussex's wedding in twenty eighteen.
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Clarkston's re emergence in royal company didn't end in the Cotswolds.
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He was a guest at Queen Cammella's private Christmas luncheon
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in December of twenty twenty two, mere days after his
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infamous article, and in March of twenty four he mingled
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with Zara Tyndall and Princess Eugenie during a weekend in
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Bahrain for the Formula one Grand Prix Palace Intriga be
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right Back. The relationship between William and Harry appears to
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have reached a new low, with reports suggesting the rift
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between the royal siblings is now, in the words of
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one expert, fully broken. According to Royal photographer Arthur Edwards,
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speaking on The Son's Royal Exclusive program, Prince William just
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can't stand Prince Harry anymore, making a dramatic shift from
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the brothers once famously close relationship. Edwards said William and
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Harry were so close all their life. Everything they did together,
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they went, and they did everything together. They so close
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and now something must have happened that seriously happened that
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William just can't stand him. Anymore, and that's just so sad.
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The deterioration in relations is believed to have worsened following
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Harry's BBC interview earlier this month. Edwards is hopeful, adding
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I do believe in the prodigal son. You can say
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I'm sorry and repent and promise not to do it again,
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and I'm sure the King and William will say, okay,
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let's give it another try. Edward's also disgustedly perceived change
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in Harry, saying when we were on the road with Harry,
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we never got the feeling that he hated the press.
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Then he was very cooperative with the press. We used
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to go to the pub with him and have a
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drink with him, and he was different then. Since he
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married Megan, he changed. Royal expert Robert Jobson says, Prince
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Harry may not be the sharpest tool, he may not
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be the smartest, but he's smart enough to realize that
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at this moment in time, at this moment of our world,
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his father has a big role to play. By doing
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what he's doing, he's undermining not only his country, his
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father as a father, but the King. He always tells
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us that he loves his country, he always tells us
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he loves the institution of monarchy. The reality is his
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father is doing a very important job at the moment
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and that should be respected by somebody who, after all,
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served in Afghanistan. Despite saying the UK is too dangerous
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for his family, Prince Harry has undertaken solo visits to
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some of the world's most volatile regions. Most recently, he
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traveled to Leviv and western Ukraine, a city which, while
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not on the front line, has endured repeated aerial bombardments
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during Russia's ongoing invasion. His visit to a rehabilitation center
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for wounded soldiers was unannounced and not cleared with Buckingham Pawace,
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leading some to question the optics and motives behind the trip.
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Veteran royal correspondent Richard Palmer noted the apparent contradiction, saying
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people are saying any on, it's come over because he
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needs police protection because he's not safe in the UK.
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But then he's gone to a war zone in Ukraine,
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and that is not the only eyebrow raising destined nation.
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In recent months, the Duke and Duchess have also visited Nigeria,
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Columbia and Mexico, all countries under official travel advisories from
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both the UK and US governments due to crime, civil
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unrest or terrorism, while in Columbia last August, the Peers
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quasi royal tour reportedly cost the host nation some one
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point five million dollars in security expenses, a point not
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lost on critics in a country where many lived below
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the poverty line. A British former Royal Protection officer told
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Mail Online they have been chosen to visit one, if
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not the most dangerous countries in the world, but nothing
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amazes me with Harry and Meghan these days. Despite all this,
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the Sussexes have maintained their commitment to philanthropy and causes
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close to their hearts, namely mental health, veterans affairs, and
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online safety. A spokesperson insisted that many of their travels
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were self funded, with logistical support provided by international agencies
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and in some cases host governments. Still, the issue of
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Harry's security remains a contentious one, as legal team argued
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that the threat to his life is real and specific,
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citing terror threats made against him in the past, but
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critics point to an incident last year in which the
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Prince reportedly ordered a delivery takeaway to a friend's London home,
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move deemed an unthinkable security risk by former protection officer
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Ken Wharf. And there you have it. Like the email us,
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our addresses the Palace Entry get gmail dot com, please
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follow us on Spotify, Apple, the Apple of your twice
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and leaves a nice review from enjoying the show. And
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don't forget. We have a new show out called Diddy
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Do It. It's a daily update from the court case
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of Sean Diddy Combs, a daily podcast bringing you up
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to speed. Check it out wherever you get your podcasts.
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Diddy Do It. I'm Mark Francis my thanks to John McDermot.
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This is Palace Intrigue and good Damns.