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Calarogu Shark Media. Hello and welcome to Palace Intrigue. I
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am your host, Mark Francis. There are some cracks in
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the Kates Wonderful narrative this morning. Speculation is growing about
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a possible rift between the Princess of Wales and her
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sister Pipper Middleton, following a series of high profile absences
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and renewed scrutiny of their relationship. When Catherine married Prince
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William in twenty eleven, she ended a royal life with
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the full support of the Middleton family behind her, with
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Pepper famously standing beside her as maid of honor. In
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the years that followed, the sisters were frequently seen together
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at public events, appearing close and relaxed. Kate also played
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a prominent role in Pepper's wedding to financier James Matthews
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in twenty seventeen, attending with a visible show of support. However,
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since the start of this year, rumors of tension between
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the sisters have been circulating. Observers of notice that during
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what has been a difficult period for the Princess of Wales,
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including her cancer journey, Pipper has largely been absent from
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public view. In relation to her sister. Attention intensified after
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Pipper did not attend Kate's annual together at Christmas Carol Service,
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an event she has not previously missed. The rest of
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the Middleton family was present, with Carroll and Michael Middleton
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arriving together following their son James and his wife Alisee Thavina.
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Reports suggest Pepper was in the Middle East at the time,
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having made what some described as an awkward appearance on
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Sky Sports while attending a Formula One event. Royal watchers
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have pointed to this as part of a broader pattern,
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raising questions about the sister's relationship. Commentary online has been
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blunt when user wrote, just as a reminder for all,
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Pepper was diving off a yacht when Kate was having
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surgery for her precancerous cells, and also did not accompany
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Kate to a single Wimbledon game this year. The same
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post added, It's very clear that something is up with
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those sisters, and I'm not surprised. Kate is a mean girl.
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Others highlighted a past interview in which Pepper commented on
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her sister's illness, saying Kate was not sick in the
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traditional sense. A remark that true criticism at the time.
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Another user claimed they haven't been on speaking terms in
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a long time, while someone else suggested Pepper has probably
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had enough with all the drama and lies. Some have
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framed the situation as long standing sibling tension, pointing to
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claims that their mother, Carol, has prioritized Kate and her children.
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One post said Carol has always prioritized Kate and her
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kids over everyone else. Carol always goes on vacation with
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them and never Pepper. Carol always spends Christmas with Kate
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and never Pepper. I bet Pepper is fed up with
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Kate's lies and her mother catering to her all the time.
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While the Princess of Wales has never been known for flamboyance,
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her choice of jewelry at the state banquet drew particular attention.
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Kate wore the Oriental Circlet tiara, commissioned by Prince Albert
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for Queen Victoria in eighteen fifty three, and set with
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more than two thousand, six hundred diamonds and rubies. It
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was her largest tiara to date, and to some observers,
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overshadowed Queen Camilla's more understated selection. Sources suggest the choice
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was deliberate. One said it was no accident that Kate
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wore that enormous tiara. It was highly symbolic, effectively telling
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the world that it won't be long before she's queen.
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She's so adored within the family and by the British public,
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it makes sense that she would start taking a bigger
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hand in shaping what the monarchy looks like moving forward.
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It is a highly publicized fact that King Charles is
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not well, so there is a sense of urgency to
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all of this, and Kate is stepping up in a
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big way. Kate was later photographed alongside Prince William in
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front of a Christmas tree, the couple presenting a united
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front after fourteen years of marriage. Speaking earlier this year
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on Eugene Levees, The Reluctant and Traveler, William reflected on
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his priorities, saying I want to create a world in
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which my son is proud of what we do behind
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the scenes. The Princess of Wales is said to be
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closely aligned with William's vision for change. A source said
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William is very focused on accountability and Kate is very
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much of the same mind. She believes every senior royal
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aught to show exactly what they are doing, why it matters,
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and how it helps the public. She wants to streamline
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their workload to what could really help. If an engagement
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does not support a real charitable impact, it gets cut.
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That approach has reportedly caused friction, according to one inside,
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and the Old Guard is not happy about this, especially Quincammella,
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who does not appreciate being told what standard she has
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to meet. But Kate is stronger than people thinking she
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is not stepping back. A source told Closer Online that
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the Queen believes that the princess' behavior is unacceptable. The
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source said, by all accounts, she was hopping mad that
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she wore the giant tiara at the banquet last week.
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She said it was another blatant attempt by Kate to
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hog the limelight. The fact Kate and William are throwing
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their weight around and essentially swaggering around like their own
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Buckingham palaces totally unacceptable and she's not willing to let
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it go. There's no doubt she's panicked about where she'll
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stand in the new scheme of things, But instead of
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falling into line and respecting Kate, she has chosen to
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be petty and territorial royal inside a deep crown tells
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Pallas intrigue. If William is indeed operating as de facto
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king in twenty twenty six, and the evidence increasingly suggests
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he will be, then Catherine's positioning becomes perfectly logical. She
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isn't preparing to be queen, She's already performing the role,
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and the Tierra was simply making the subtext text. As
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for Camilla, and one must have some sympathy for her predicament.
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She spent decades in the wilderness, endured public opprobrium, and
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finally achieved acceptance as Queen consort. Now she faces the
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rather uncomfortable reality that if Charles receives from public life,
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her own relevance recedes with him. The jealousy isn't new,
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it's resurfacing. Catherine represents everything Camilla never quite managed, youth,
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public adoration, and an unassailable position. Small wonder the reported
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friction feels less like a policy disagreement and more like
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existential panic or palace just a moment. Hey, if you
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tied all these commercial breaks, why not buy yourself a
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little Christmas present and a subscription to Palace Intrigue for
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just four ninety nine a month. You can get this show,
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along with hundreds of others, commercial free from Calaogu Shark Media.
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Plus you get sneak previews on our bonus series and
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you get the whole series before it goes public. Check
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it out. There's a little button up top there on
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the Apple Player that says listen uninterrupted and you can
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try it out for a month free. After that, it's
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four ninety nine a month, and we really appreciate the
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support you all give us. Prince William appeared in a
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video walking through a park in Surrey with former England
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Lions footballer Jill Scott as they mark the one hundredth
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anniversary of Fields in Trust, the charity that protects parks,
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playing fields and green spaces across the country. William is
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the charities patron, while Scott serves as its president. Speaking
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at the Windlesham Field of Remembrance, the Prince told Scott
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having access to fresh air, a bit of peace and
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quiet greenery so good for our minds and bodies. You
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need to have that space. You need to have that
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in as many communities you can. Scott reflected on how
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access to green Space shaped her own life, saying her
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local pitch in Sunderland was transformative. She told the Prince
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a lot of my childhood was just going to the
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local park playing football. Without green Spaces, I probably would
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never have gone on to play football at any level.
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The video was released to celebrate a century of work
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by Field's Intrust, which has helped secure permanent protection for
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around three thousand green spaces nationwide. William said his family's
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connection to the organization goes way back, including his grandfather
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Prince Philip, who served as president for sixty four years.
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He said the green space protection part is really important
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because once a green space goes has gone forever. Gord
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and Trust have done for many years is make sure
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that everyone has somewhere as amazing as this on their doorstep.
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Princess Beatrice is facing an uncomfortable festive balancing act after
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being invited by King Charles to spend Christmas with the
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royal family at Sandringham. The situation has left both Beatrice
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and her sister, Princess Eugenie caught between competing loyalties with
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their parents Andrew and Sarah still excluded from official royal gatherings.
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Following their fall from grace. Beatrice is said to be
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under particular strain, with one report suggesting she feels pressure
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to be in three different places on Christmas Day. Her
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preferred option would be a quiet celebration at a Cotswold's
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home with her husband edwardom Belly Motzi, the children and
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her mother. At the same time, she feels a sense
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of duty to appear with senior royals at Sandringham. Complicating
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matters further is her desire to spend what could be
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her father's final Christmas at Royal Lodge ahead of his
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expected departure from the property next year. One source summed
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up the dilemma by saying unless she makes a decision
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to pick one side and one side only, she will
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spend a lot of time in the car. Overall, it
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falls to the princesses to soothe family divisions they are
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struggling with Christmas. Union bosses are warning that King Charles
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and the royal family could face fuel shortages over Christmas
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and the New Year, as heating oil delivery drivers plan
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strike action that would affect supplies to the Sandringham estate.
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Around four hundred tanker drivers at Surtis Energy which supplies
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heating oil to Sandringham, are set to walk out as
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part of a pay dispute. The Unite Union says the
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industrial action could leave the King and Queen facing what
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it described as a cold Christmas, with the estate dependent
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on sarters for fuel deliveries. Drivers are planning to strike
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for a total of fifteen days between December twenty second
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and January twenty fifth. The King and Queen are expected
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to travel to Sandringham, around eight miles north of kings
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Lynn in Norfolk, this weekend and to be joined over
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Christmas by more than forty members of the royal family.
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The Prince and Princess of Wales are expected to stay
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at Annema Hall, which sits with the Sandringham estate, alongside
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Saint Mary Magdalene Church, where the royal family traditionally attends
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the Christmas Day service. The wider estate also includes Marsh Farm,
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where Andrew was expected to live once he leaves Windsor.
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The Unite Union's General secretary Sharon Graham said service drivers
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don't expect to be treated like royalty, but they do
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expect a fair pay raise from their employer. Any impact
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on Sandringham may be partly eased by alternative energy sources
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on the estate. A biomass bowler, installed by Prince Philip
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before his death, is powered by woodchips from trees on
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the twenty thousand acre estate, and a solar farm commissioned
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by the King is believed to have been completed over
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the summer, although it's two thousand panels are less effective
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during winter months. The habit. If you'd like to email
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us address as the Palace intric at email dot com,
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Please fos at Spotify, Apple, Facebook, Instagram, the social hub
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of your choice, We're on the mall and leave us
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a nice review. If enjoying the show, mark Francis My
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thanks to John McDermott's Palace Intrigue in Good Times