Oct. 11, 2025

Deck the Halls: Royal Christmas Plans, Kate’s Abbey Concert Returns—and a Pop-Up at the Mews

Show Notes
Transcript

The festive diary is set: towering trees at Holyroodhouse and Windsor, carols at the Abbey with Princess Catherine, and Buckingham Palace’s first-ever Christmas pop-up shop. Also today: What Andrew’s scandal means for Beatrice and Eugenie, debate over William’s appetite for “change,” Eugene Levy explains why he didn’t ask about Harry and Meghan, and a flurry of art news—from the Waleses’ joint portrait to the King’s watercolours and a Buckingham Palace colouring book.

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Callaroga Shark Media.

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Hello and welcome to Palace Intrigue. I am your host,

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Mark Francis. Christmas may still be weeks away, but royal

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preparations are already taking place. King Charles and his team

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have finalized the festive calendar across the royal residences, and

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this year visitors will be welcome to enjoy the seasonal

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splendor up close at the Palace of Hollywood House in Edinburgh.

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Decorations will go up on November twenty and remain until

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January fifth. Inside two towering twelve foot Christmas trees will

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stand in the Throne Room, while a fifteen foot Nordman

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fair will dominate the Great Gallery. The palace will also

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host carol evenings on December ninth and tenth, and a

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family Christmas Activity Day on this Say thirteenth, featuring crafts

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and music. Over at Windsor Castle, the twenty foot tree

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from Windsor Great Park will once again take pride of

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place in Saint George's Hall. From November twenty seven. A

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second sixteen foot tree will sparkle in the Crimson Drawing Room.

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The castle will also offer children's workshops over the holidays,

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letting younger visitors craft their own Royal themed decorations, and

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for the first time, Buckingham Palace will join in with

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a new festive addition, a Christmas pop up shop at

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the Royal Mews. The Royal Collection Trust promises a cozy

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boutique style experience filled with official Royal gifts and seasonal

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best sellers. As for Christmas Day itself, the King and

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Queen are expected to spend it at Sandringham, joined by

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a Prince William, Princess Kate and their children, along with

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other members of the extended Royal family. Continuing a cherished

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tradition that stretches back through the generations, Princess Catherine will

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once again lead the nation in song and spirit this December,

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as Kensington Palace confirms the return of her beloved together

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at Christmas Carol Concert. Now in its fifth year, the event,

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hosted by Kate Middleton at Westminster Abbey, has become a

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modern Royal tradition celebrating the unsung heroes of communities across Britain.

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Organized through the Royal Foundation, this year's service will once

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again bring together volunteers, charity workers and families for an

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evening of readings, reflection and festive music later televised nationwide.

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A Palace statement said the concert will once again aim

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to bring together communities across the UK to celebrate people

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who have gone out of their way to help others

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with even more impactful local services. Last years together at

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Christmas carried particular emotion for the Princess as it followed

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shortly after her completion of chemotherapy. The family, joined by

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Prince William, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, were

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seen smiling warmly as they welcomed guests to the abbey.

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Kate's letter to guests last captured her a deep affection

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for the season, writing that Christmas gives us the opportunity

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to slow down and reflect on deeper things that connect

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us all, to live our lives with an open heart,

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with love, kindness, and forgiveness. So much of what the

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Christmas spirit is all about. The Princess concluded, above all

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else encourages us to turn to love, not fear. The

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love that we show ourselves and the love we show others.

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Love that listens with empathy, love that is kind and understanding,

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love that is forgiving, and love that brings joy and

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hope for many that sentiment. The annual concert itself has

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become a defining part of the royal family's modern Christmas tradition.

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In The Royalist, Tom Sykes wondered what the Prince Andrew's

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scandal could mean for Andrew's daughters. Sykes writes Beatrice and

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Eugenie were nine and eight years old, respectively when they

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first encountered Jeffrey Epstein, whom their mother reportedly referred to

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as nice. Jeffrey, Beatrice twenty seven and Eugenie thirty five,

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have attempted to maintain private lives outside the glare of

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their parents' missed deeds. They have long quietly lobbied for

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a role as future working royals, and given their relative

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youth amid an ageing core group, the suggestion had been

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steadily gaining traction. Beatrice was present at the King and

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Queen's Garden party this year. Eugenie was tapped by the

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King's Foundation to mentor its under thirty five network. The

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key question now is can the princess's reputations remain unsullied.

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Many people argue that the scandals of the parents should

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not define the children, but hanging over all this is

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the knowledge that the parents did use the children as

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part of their schemes, and not just by inviting sleazy

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friends to their kid's birthday parties. Beatrice and Eugenie face

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a brutal yet simple dilemma. While there is no suggestion

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that they have been involved in any wrongdoing, the shadow

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of their parents' choices still looms over them. The monarchy

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is unforgiving, and the family's instinct for itself reservation is

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even stronger. In The Spectator, Alexander Laman writes, Prince William

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wants to change the monarchy. Oh dear. According to Laman,

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William sounded more like his estranged brother than usual. He

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went on to sigh, I am enjoying my job, but

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sometimes there are aspects of it, such as the media,

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the speculation, the scrutiny, and he might have added participating

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in such pieces of entertainment as The Reluctant Traveler. Yet,

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whether it worked or not as television, it was a

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fascinating insight into a very private man's psyche. It is

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widely expected that William will be a transformative monarch in

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a way that his father has not been. His comments

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that he will not be looking for the past and

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more telling than might have been intended. William said that

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I think if you're not careful, history can be a

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real weight and an anchor around you, and you can

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feel suffocated by it and restricted. It's important to live

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for the here and now. But also I think you're

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too intrinsically attached to history. You can't possibly have any

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flexibility because you worry that the chess pieces move too much,

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and therefore no change will happen. This may be true, however,

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one hopes that if William has a trusted courtier or

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two at his side, that they might be able to

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convince him the change, presumably on the significant scale that

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he is intending, is not always a good or even

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necessary thing. In any case, a reign that may have

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preemptively dismissed as dull might yet surprise the world, although

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whether for good or ill remains to be seen. And

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speaking of William, will have a new series for you

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beginning to morrow called Palace Intrigue Presents King William. It's

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a speculative drama imagining the moment the king dies and

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William becomes king. Episode one begins with that life changing

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phone call. From there, the story follows William through duty, grief,

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Queen Catherine's transformation, a former queen struggling to hold her place,

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and the reappearance of a controversial brother. The series begins tomorrow.

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Subscribers Tokalaruga Plus, k can and Binge the entire season

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right away, with no commercials. For everyone else, the new

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episodes released weekly every Sunday wherever you enjoy your podcasts.

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And by the way, if you're a Plus subscriber, you

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can get this show along with hundreds of others from

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Eugene Levy says he deliberately avoided asking Prince William about

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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle during the filmed conversation for

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The Reluctant Traveler on Apple TV. Speaking to ITV News,

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Levy explained that he wasn't given any restrictions on what

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he could ask, but felt it wasn't his place to

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bring up the royal rift. I was not told I

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couldn't ask anything, but it wasn't really up to me

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and to get into that. I had no interest in

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asking him about that because it was a very delicate

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issue and certainly not up to me to get into it.

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He added that he preferred to focus on things that

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might be interesting for him and interesting for the world

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to hear. More balance in just a moment. We have

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a lot of art related news today. An official portrait

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of the Prince and Princess of Wales has been given

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a new home, making it easier for the public to view.

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The work, painted by artist Jamie Corrith in twenty twenty one,

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was the first joint official portrait of William and Catherine,

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then the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Julie Spence, Lord

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Lieutenant of Cambridge Sheer, confirmed on Wednesday that the portrait

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will now be on display at Peterborough Cathedral. Announcing the

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move on x she said, our fabulous portrait of the

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Prince and Princess Wales as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge,

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will now be on display at p Borough Cathedral, so

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it's easily accessible for our residents and visitors in the

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north of the county and they can enjoy it. The

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King recently visited an exhibition in London celebrating the art

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of Queen Marie of Romania, which also featured two of

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his own watercolors. The display, held at the Garrison Chapel

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and organized by the Romanian Cultural Institute with the King's Foundation,

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includes works by Queen Marie, born in Britain in eighteen

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seventy five, many of which have never been seen before

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or shown in public. On view were also two of

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the King's Romanian landscapes. Or A Woodward, director of the

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Romanian Cultural Institute, said the Monarch was fascinated by Queen

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Marie's paintings, but modest about his own, noting he didn't

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want to talk too much about them, but they mean

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a lot to us. Sure nobody wants to live there,

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but Buckingham Palace has released its first official coloring book.

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The hardbacked volume features sixteen illustrations, from the palace's famous

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facade and Rose Garden to the Coronation thrones. Each image

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is paired with an explanation of its history and significance.

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Produced by publisher Colors Streets in partnership with the Royal

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Collection Trust, the nineteen ninety nine pound book is designed

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for Royal enthusiasts and coloring fans of all ages. The

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illustrations include the Grand Staircase, the White Drawing Room, the

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Music Room and the East Wing, alongside depictions of the

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Royal Coat of Arms, fine porcelain state banquets, the gold

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State Coach and the Changing of the God. This winter,

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Buckingham Palace is bringing a touch of festive sparkle to

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London with the launch of its first ever Christmas pop up.

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From fourteenth of November to the fifth of January, the

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Royal Mews will be transformed into a seasonal boutique offering

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official Royal gifts, decorations and gourmet treats. Organized by the

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Royal Collection Trusts. The pop up coincides with the release

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of the annual Gift Guide. The historic two hundred year

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old Stables will host an array of items ranging from

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small batch gin infused with botanicals from Buckingham Palace and

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Windsor Castle, to kitchenware inspired by the Great Kitchen at Windsor,

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the oldest working kitchen in Britain. Entry is free. Proceeds

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will go towards conserving the Royal Collection, ensuring that every

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borble or mince pie tin purchase helps preserve the family's

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vast holdings of and history. Among the highlights will be

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fine chinaware made in Stoke on Trent using techniques honed

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over the past two and a half centuries. Crystal wine glasses.

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It's with designs inspired by Queen Victoria's Grand punch bowl

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will also be on display, alongside hand embroidered ornaments from

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India supporting traditional craftsmanship and the children's plush toys created

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entirely from recycled materials. Visitors can expect everything from stocking

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fillers and festive treads to luxury homeware and airloom pieces.

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A full sized advent calendar will unveil new, limited addition

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and collectors' items daily. The collection will also be available

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online via the Royal Collection Trust website and shops in London,

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Edinburgh and Windsor. And there you have it. If you'd

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like to email us, our address is the Palace Intrigue

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at gmail dot com. Please follow us on Spotify or Apple,

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and join us on Facebook and Instagram to search for

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Palace Intrigue. There. I'm Mark Francis and thanks to John McDermot,

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this is palest Intrigan. Good times

Deck the Halls: Royal Christmas Plans, Kate’s Abbey Concert Returns—and a Pop-Up at the Mews

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