CORGIS, CLONES & CHAOS: THE ROYALS' WORST WEEK YET - The Week In UK Royal News with Mark Francis

0:00 A Caloroga Shark Media. Hello and welcome through Pallace Weekly nam your host Mark Rancis. This is a recap of the week's events and if you'd like to hear the full episodes, please check out Palace Intrigue Daily. Here's what happened. We begin with Charles, who had a week of contrasts. On the plus side, he inaugurated a newly opened stretch of the King Charles, the Third England Coast Path along the Seven Sisters Cliffs, a project that will eventually stretch twenty seven hundred miles, making it the longest continuous managed coastal walking route in the world. Walking stick in hand, the King chatted with cyclists, quizzed Natural England's chairman about the style, maintenance and coastal erosion, and when told the cyclists were on e bikes, delivered one word cheating. He also hosted Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at a state banquet, one that broke with tradition by going entirely alcohol free and vegetarian in deference to the President's observance of Ramadan.

1:05 In place of the usual signature cocktail, the Palace introduced a bespoke mocktail called the Crimson Bloom, inspired by the Nigerian Chapman, blending rose flavored sparkling soda, grenadine, fresh lemon, and a hibiscus and ginger syrup. By all accounts, it was lovely. Catherine we note toasted with water. More on that moment now the less reassuring note. Royal journalist Tom Sykes wrote this week that the King's appearance at the Nigerian state banquet was quote worrying. He described Charles as pale with noticeably swollen hands, and suggested there is real cause for concern Sikes also speculated that a proposed US state visit, currently targeting an April twenty seventh start with engagements in Washington, New York and a rural location, may have been delayed less for diplomatic reasons and more because the Palace needed to feel confident Charles could manage it.

1:57 President Trump has told reporters he looks forward to seeing the King very shortly. Buckingham Palace has not formally confirmed the trip. A strong week for the Prince and Princess of Wales, William traveled to Bournemouth the Mark progress on his homewards initiative as it approached its third anniversary, meeting with international delegations, a youth Homelessness board and sixth form students learning about tenancy rights throughout the charity shelter. It's one of his signature long game projects, rooted in visits he made to charities alongside Diana as a child, and this week was a reminder of how quietly consistent he has been about it. He also made a surprise appearance during BBC Radio One presenter Greg james Charity Cycling Challenge, a one thousand kilometer ride from Weymouth to Edinburgh for comic relief. William appeared unannounced north of Doncaster, climbed into the back of a tandem bicycle, navigated some South Yorkshire potholes and told James he'd raised over a million pounds.

2:53 School children were reportedly unconvinced he was real. William suggested he was a look alike and that James was hallucinating. It was frankly a very good bed. William also attended the enthronement of Dame Sarahmalley as the one hundred and six Archbishop of Canterbury at Canterbury Cathedral, a historic occasion. She becomes the first woman to hold the role in the church's fourteen hundred year history, and Aid took the unusual step of telling these Sunday Times that William tends to build a strong and meaningful bond with the church ahead of his eventual role as Supreme Governor. The AID said the moment at Canterbury was a drawing of a lion in the sand. One commentator at Unheard suggests that this represents deliberate repositioning, an acknowledgment that without the Christian metaphysical scaffolding, the monarchy is harder to defend. Make of that what you will. On the personal side, sources say William and Cat have made it a household rule to eat dinner together every night as a family phones away Royal Business Park. Sounds simple for that family, It's probably quite hard. Kate made a stylee statement at the Nigerian State banquet and a green gown by designer Andrew Ginn pulled from his Fall twenty twenty one collection, paired with the Lovers Not Tiara, long associated with Princess Diana, she has, by her own admission, produced her alcohol consumption significantly since her cancer diagnosis, saying during a recent visit. Since my diagnosis, I haven't had much alcohol. It's something I have to be a lot more conscious of now. Sources described her as being deeply cautious about anything that could affect her health, with one insider saying she is almost a teetotaler, not

4:26 out of preference, but out of concern. Kate's nanny, Maria Teresa Turion Burallo received a Royal Victorian Medal in silver from Prince William at an investshire at Windsor Castle, a quiet but meaningful acknowledgment for over a decade of service to the family. Saturday Night Live UK launched its Weekend Update segment with Andrew as a primary target. The jokes were sharp enough that we can't repeat most of them, but the audience reaction was reportedly enthusiastic. You can hear a clip from that on one of our earlier in the week show. Princess Eugenie and Jack brooks Bank are said to be feeling the strain, with sources saying Jack is determined to protect his immediate family and business reputation while not entirely abandoning Andrew and Sarah. The couple are reportedly resisting pressure from Sarah Ferguson to move in with them.

5:16 As one source put it, Sarah is difficult to live with and they don't want the responsibility of looking after her at the moment. Princess Beatrice's marriage to Eduardo Mapellimutzi is also said to be under strained, with reports of growing distance and Eduardo increasingly preoccupied with work and travel at what sources describe as a difficult moment for Beatrice. Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Police investigation into Andrew is reportedly expanding. Sources say detectives have moved beyond a narrow focus on misconduct in public office, a charge with a notoriously high legal threshold, and are now pursuing a broader inquiry across multiple lines. Former protection officers are expected to be questioned, those sources suggest some may be reluctant to cooperate given that the roles came with considerable perks. Investigators are also reviewing historical communications linked to Jeffrey Epstein. Andrew, for his part, has reportedly begun therapy when inside To described the situation as kind of a house arrest not legally mandated but understood remain out of public view. While the King's financial support may not continue. Princess Anne was heckled outside Waddham College, Oxford by republic protesters shouting questions about Andrew's ties to Epstein.

6:33 She did not respond and walked into the building, deep Crown's assessment, she has decided a very long time ago what she is for. She then traveled to complete her duties and will open a new guerrilla enclosure at Jersey Zoo. In April, Sarah had a week that can only be described as comprehensively strange. Reports emerged, later denied by a spokesperson that she had been involved in discussions about a reality television concept centered on cloning Elizabeth's Corgies. Whether or not those discussions happened as described, the denial confirmed that the concept was at least pitched to her. One source involved in the original discussions said the idea of cloning the dogs was discussed. A spokesperson said she declined the opportunity. Separately, reports emerged that William and Kate were left appalled by claims.

7:21 Sarah told friends the Queen was communicating with her from beyond the grave via the Corgies, which she was walking in Windsor Great Park, those close to the late queen reportedly found this a bizarre and tasteless way to claim a special spiritual connection to the monarch. The City of York is expected to vote this week on whether to revoke Sarah's honorary freedom of the city, following the precedent set when Andrew had his removed in twenty twenty two. One PR strategist suggested her best remaining option is to appear on the American version of The Traitors and lean into the villain card. He also said it's her only option. Tom Bauer's new book Betrayal generated significant coverage, including a claim that a brand ordered commissioned by Harry's charity Center Bali, found his personal brand value had crashed following Spare, and that the Netflix projects and that corporate partners were reluctant to be linked to Megan. Harry was reportedly stunned. He pointed to Johnny Depp as a counter example. The charity's chair reportedly told him that circumstances had changed. The Netflix relationship dominated most of the week's coverage. The streaming platform's chief content officer told a press event that the partnership remains active, with projects in development across TV and film.

8:37 She said, don't believe whatever you read. Multiple industry sources, however, described the end of the as Ever brand partnership as a result of poor sales, one source summarizing it as it was just all this jam, more palating, just a moment. Meghan's Garden t bloom Box launched this week two hundred fifty five dollars plus thirty five dollars shipping, containing peppermint tea, sage honey, and fresh flowers. Online reaction was pointed, with critics noting the price, the apparent looseness of the floral arrangement, and a large baguette included in the styling imagery that attracted commentary we can't reproduce in detail. She also posted an Instagram video of her self arranging flowers with her children, and a separate video in which she was seen dog earing book pages, despite her brand selling eighteen dollars bookmarks designed specifically to prevent that the Internet noticed. Harry and Meghan are also developing a scripted polo drama for Netflix, their second polo related project with the platform, following a docu series that struggled with audiences. The new series is set in the equestrian community of Wellington, Florida. Dig crownd observed that the premise messy dynamics between two rival teams and the families that lead them suggests the Writer's room may simply have been handed a Palace Intrigue subscription and told to take no notes. The Australia trip remains on track for mid April, amid a petition now exceeding thirty two thousand signatures asking that taxpayers cover no costs associated

10:10 with the visit a retreat organizer whose business went into voluntary liquidation last November reports of pooh balls washing up near the venue and a hotel pool that may not be open in time. Plans reportedly include cameras documenting the trip for a potential travel and lifestyle and documentary, and a podcast guest appearance to test the waters for a possible audio relaunch. We are Palace Entry formally welcome this development and there you have it. If you'd like to email us or addresses the Palace Intrigue at gmail dot com, please follow us on Spotify, Apple or the app of your choice, and by the way, check out Deep Crown on substack. He's our palace insider here and has a column that comes out several times a week. Just search for Deep Crown on substack or Google deep Crown, or follow the link in the show notes. I'm Mark Francis my thanks to John McDermott. This is Palace Weekly in good times.