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Calorouga, shark media at low and welcome through palace intrigue.
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I'm your host, Mark Francis. That sounds a little echoe
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for the next few days. It's because I'm on a
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boat in the Mediterranean and I'm using the bathroom as
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a recording studio. Well, it's been a week in which
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a king returned home in triumph, the Queen was spotted
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walking unaccompanied through an American airport too mild Internet astonishment,
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a prince turned to seven without a photograph, and the
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Duchess of Sussex was compared in print to Dame Edna Everage,
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Sarah Ferguson, and a witch. Not all in the same article,
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but it was close. Let's get into it. We begin
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where last week ended and this week began in front
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of Royal Virginia, where King Charles and Queen Camella wrapped
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up the United States portion of their tour with a
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something neither Washington nor New York had quite managed to
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provide warmth without complications, The King and Queen arrived to
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find Main Street lined with people waving British and American flags,
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marching bands, clog dancers, a parade of vintage cars, and
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bluegrass music. They sampled the atmosphere mets, scouts, veterans and
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young farmers, and brought with them a coronation keish, a
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victorious sponge and honey from Royal Hives. Queen Camilla stopped
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at a girl scout's stall and, in what may be
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the most quietly charming image of their entire tour, brought
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thin mints. Deep Crownd, reflecting on the visit, wrote that
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the ability to stand on a pavement in a small
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town and made people feel you are genuinely pleased to
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be there is a real quality and almost impossible to define.
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He noted the Charles whos been doing this for fifty years.
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The machinery is invisible, he wrote, that is what Front
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Royal looked like. The broader verdict on this strip has been,
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by almost all measures, extraordinary. The BBC asked whether the
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Royals had got their mojo back. The Guardian called the
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Congress speech a masterclass. Australia's Daniel Elsa wrote that seventy
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seven year old beekeeper and watercolorist had walked into a
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room containing the most unpredictable leader on earth and rendered
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him positively giddy. Several commentators noted that abdication talk, which
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had been circulating for months, had effectively evaporated. One piece
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in The Independent argued that in the space of a
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few days in America, charles image had been transformed more
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rapidly than an Atlantic squall. Tony Walters wrote that the
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King had emerged from the long shadow of Queen Elizabeth,
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and done so precisely the moment the institution needed it most.
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The submarine joke, it must be noted, continues to generate
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coverage a full week later. HMS Trump, a Second World
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War navy vessel that sank several Japanese ships and was
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scrapped in Newport in nineteen seventy one, has now been
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written about in more outlets than most active naval vessels.
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The joke that accompanied the presentation of its bell, should
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you ever need to get a hold of us, just
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give us a ring, has been described in a Radar
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Online report as the product of careful workshopping, with one
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source of saying every beat was deliberate, We are choosing
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to believe it was also genuinely funny. Trump, for his part,
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told Robert Hardman in the Oval Office that Charles is
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a great guy, said William will be a good king,
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and then asked whether Harry could make a comeback. When
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told this was unlikely, he replied that wife of his
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point and what she done to that guy. He also
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reportedly asked a British visitor separately, can you take him back?
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These remarks were not, it is worth noting, part of
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any formal diplomatic communic k the tariffs on Scottish whiskey
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were removed. Trump credited the King, saying he had achieved
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something nobody else was able to do without hardly even asking.
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Piers Morgan text to the President and reported back that
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he was ecstatic. On Saturday Night Live, Colin Joe suggested
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the entire visit of a covert mission to seek the
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release of a British hostage held by an American terrorist,
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at which point a photograph of Harry and Megan appeared
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on the screen. The joke landed more palasing just a moment.
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Now to the stories that ran in parallel with the
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state visit, which is another way of saying, now, to
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Harry and Megan, we begin with a birthday. Prince Archie
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turned at seven on Tuesday, and no photograph was released.
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This in itself became a story. Reports suggests Harry and
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Meghan are at odds over how publicly to mark the
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children's milestones, with once was claiming Meghan had wanted to
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release a formal birthday image, particularly given that a lifestyle
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brand had just launched a candle named after Archie's May
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sixth birth date, priced at ninety dollars, while Harry is
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said to be more cautious about his children's visibility. One
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inside had said Harry worries about trolls and about putting
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a target mark on their young son's back, another suggestion
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he is also concerned that continued commercial use of the
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children's identities could put their royal titles at risk. The
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candle launched on Tuesday, regardless, alongside a Mother's Day collection
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that includes a full edit, retailing it one hundred and
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eighty six dollars with free standard shipping on orders over
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fifty dollars. Serena Williams received a gift set and described
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the chocolate as delicious, adding I don't like chocolate, but
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I've been killing them. Reports also emerged this week that
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the Sussexes have registered domain names, email addresses, and social
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media handles for the names Archie and Willibert, a move
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their team describes as protective and critics describe as the
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latest chapter in a familiar story about commercializing royal identity.
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Pr expert Chad Tkxera said the action would not cause
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long term damage, but keeps that say one thing, do
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another narrative in circulation. He is probably right on both counts.
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The one off fashioned platform controversy did not go away.
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The heat Well Report claimed the situation has caused friction
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between Harry and Meghan, with a source alleging that Harry
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winces at what he sees as excessive money talk that
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Meghan has told him to get on board. One source
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said Harry was raised never to speak about money, and
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it finds it goasch Another said Megan is incredibly driven
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and he has told Harry clearly they are building a dynasty.
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The report also claims she gets extremely defensive when accused
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of being greedy, so the fact Harry's giving her a
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hard time over it cuts a major nerve. Neither Harry
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nor Meghan's team commented on any of this. We present
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it in the spirit of which it was offered. Jenny Bond,
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speaking to The Mirror, described Megan's habit of linking commercial
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opportunities to charitable appearances as rather in your face, and
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suggested it might be prudent for her to choose the
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occasions more carefully. She also offered what was all things
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considered a fairly generous conclusion that Meghan is an independent
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career woman who found it difficult to have her wings clipped,
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and that perhaps the simplest solution would be to stop
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using the royal title and just use her own name.
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This suggestion will not, we suspect, be acted upon immediately.
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Tom Bower appeared on the podcast this week to offer
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his periodic assessment of the marriage, concluding that it will
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survive because he needs her and she needs him, prescribing
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Harry as a lonely sad man who needs the relationship
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and Megan is someone who needs the label. He also
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said Harry would probably like her half in half out arrangement,
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but that Meghan definitely would not want to live in
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London and that as long as they are married, this
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is a completely untenable solution. He did not appear to
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find any of this contradictory. Rob's Shooter reported that a
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trip to Africa is being discussed, described by Inside as
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a design to walk, talk and feel like a royal tour,
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which one source noted is exactly the issue. Sources also
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claimed that UK visit may be in the works, potentially
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coinciding with Invictor's preparations in Birmingham, with Meghan described as
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in two minds and having conditions that need to be met.
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Harry is said to be considering acquiring a base near Windsor.
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Meghan is said to consider that a deal breaker. The situation,
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as one source summarized, is that neither seems ready to budge.
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Deep Ground. Writing in a paid substack Piece drew a
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line between Harry's Kiev's speech and the King's Congress address,
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noting that both men argued for American leadership on Ukraine
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in the same week, but that one spoke from a
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security forum in Poland with no institutional backing, and the
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other spoke from the floor of Congress to a standing ovasion.
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Harry and his Kiev speech urged American leadership on Ukraine,
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Deep Crown wrote five days later, his father made the
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same argument from the floor of Congress to the people
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who actually vote on American foreign policy, and received a
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standing of vation. He did not suggest that Harry was wrong.
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He simply observed where the architecture matters and where it
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doesn't More Palace. In just a moment elsewhere in the family,
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Princess Eugenie announced that she is expecting her third child,
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due this summer. Buckingham Palace confirmed the news, noting that
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Sons August and Ernest are very excited. The King, we
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are told, is delighted. The baby will be fifteenth in
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line to the throne, will not hold an HRH title,
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and will become the fifteenth great grandchild of Queen Elizabeth.
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This is by any measure happy news, and we offer
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our congratulations. The Prince and Princess of Wales revealed the
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name of their new puppy, Otto, the chocolate cocker Spaniel
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born to their older dog Orler, celebrating his first birthday
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this week. Cancling of Palace shared the news with the
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caption welcome to the family, Otto one today. Otto has
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already appeared in the couple's anniversary portrait and William's birthday photographs.
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Here's by available evidence. Extremely cute Kate, meanwhile, was reported
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to have turned down an invitation to the Mett Gala
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despite what was described as a personal push from Anna
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win Tour, who allegedly views the princess as the one
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celebrity she wants and cannot get a palace, saw us
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that Kate has no interest in playing that role and
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was never going to turn herself or Diana into a
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met gala moment. Megan separately was reported not to have
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received an invitation a spokesperson tonight. She was upset by this.
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The denial was not universally believed. Williams's portrait for Tattler
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generated its own conversation this week after Nigerian artist Olin
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wally Oma Femei depicted the Prince of Wales with a
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noticeably full ahead of hair than he currently possesses. Multiple
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outlets around the image alongside photographs of the real william
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The contrast was observed in what we will diplomatically call
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extensive detail. One source described the portrait as sycophantic and
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a fantastical characture. The artist did not comment. Andrew's situation
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continued to develop on multiple fronts simultaneously, which has become
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something of a weekly feature of this program. Robert Hardman
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revealed this week that Andrew had a long standing tactic
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of bypassing Palace officials by raising sensitive requests directly with
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the Queen during Sunday afternoon tea at Windsor What Know,
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when no advisers were present. Having obtained the Queen's informal agreement,
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he returns Monday morning and declares the matters settled. On
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source described this as sneaky behavior and identifying moments of
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minimal oversight to secure outcomes. Hardman more diplomatically called Andrew
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impressionable and noted he could say the wrong thing, do
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the wrong thing. Former PM Gordon Brown wrote in The
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New Statesman that the police investigation should be widened immediately.
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Emily Makeeless announcing she is fronting a new Channel four
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documentary series examining the Epstein case, and a peerage expert
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argued this week that despite the Palace's announcement of Andrew's
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removal from the role of the peerage, he may still
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legally hold his titles unless Parliament passes legislation to remove them.
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His new front door at Sandringham is painted the scene
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light blue, as all the other properties on the estate.
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A local resident noted this shows just how far he
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has fallen from grace. Sarah Ferguson tillby seeking a meeting
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with King Charles to present her side of events, a
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request that it's reportedly not being warmly received. She and
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Andrew are also said to no longer trust each other,
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but once was describing the state of mutual paranoia in
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which fears the other could take a large payment for
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an interview, blaming them for everything. Neither has done so yet.
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On later matters, Anne opened a new gorilla enclosure at
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Jersey Zoo. Silverback led the troop inside immediately and begun
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testing the climbing structures. Charles, we learned, has disliked cats
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since Princess Margaret gave them one as a child and
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disliked it. On site, he does not allow anyone, including
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William and Harry, to drive his Aston Martin. Queen Camilla
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prefers full sugar Coca Cola at lunch on the grounds
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there is no points otherwise, and Queen Elizabeth, according to
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former dresser Angela Kelly, used to dance to ABBA's Dancing
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Queen while getting dressed in the mornings, swaying to say
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it while Kelly spun around like it was at a disco.
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Queen quilt. The Queen Kelly said had a good voice.
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Kelly did not. We also learned from the book The
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Queen and Her Presidents by Susan Page, that Bill Clinton,
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Barack Obama, and Joe Biden were all joking at a
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funeral about the Queen's talent for making every Democratic president
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feel like her favorite. Clinton said he would be shocked
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if she ever singled one out. Trump meanwhile told the
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author he had asked her constantly what she really thought
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of Harry and Meghan, that she would only ever say lovely, lovely.
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He claimed it hurt her. He also said he couldn't
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get her to say it, which was given the context,
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sounds very much like she handled him perfectly. The British
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summer season is now beginning. Chelsea Flowers Show is weeks away,
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Garden parties trooping the color Royal, Lascott, Wimbledon and Henley
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follow in sequence. The monarchy dresses itself in its fineness
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and proceeds through the calendar as it has for generations.
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This week, a king returned from Washington visited a small
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shop in Bermuda and was described as delighted that is,
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in its way exactly what the institution is for, and
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they have it. If you'd like to email us on
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and they have it. If you like to email us
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our addresses the Palace injuryotmail dot com. I'm Mark Francis.
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My thingks to the John McDermott. This is Palace Weekly
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and good tings