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

0:03 Callaroga Shark Media. Hello and welcome to Palace Intrigue. I am your host, Mark Francis. Christmas may still be weeks away, but royal preparations are already taking place. King Charles and his team have finalized the festive calendar across the royal residences, and this year visitors will be welcome to enjoy the seasonal splendor up close at the Palace of Hollywood House in Edinburgh. Decorations will go up on November twenty and remain until January fifth. Inside two towering twelve foot Christmas trees will stand in the Throne Room, while a fifteen foot Nordman fair will dominate the Great Gallery. The palace will also host carol evenings on December ninth and tenth, and a family Christmas Activity Day on this Say thirteenth, featuring crafts and music. Over at Windsor Castle, the twenty foot tree from Windsor Great Park will once again take pride of place in Saint George's Hall. From November twenty seven. A second sixteen foot tree will sparkle in the Crimson Drawing Room.

1:16 The castle will also offer children's workshops over the holidays, letting younger visitors craft their own Royal themed decorations, and for the first time, Buckingham Palace will join in with a new festive addition, a Christmas pop up shop at the Royal Mews. The Royal Collection Trust promises a cozy boutique style experience filled with official Royal gifts and seasonal best sellers. As for Christmas Day itself, the King and Queen are expected to spend it at Sandringham, joined by a Prince William, Princess Kate and their children, along with other members of the extended Royal family. Continuing a cherished tradition that stretches back through the generations, Princess Catherine will once again lead the nation in song and spirit this December, as Kensington Palace confirms the return of her beloved together at Christmas Carol Concert. Now in its fifth year, the event, hosted by Kate Middleton at Westminster Abbey, has become a modern Royal tradition celebrating the unsung heroes of communities across Britain.

2:17 Organized through the Royal Foundation, this year's service will once again bring together volunteers, charity workers and families for an evening of readings, reflection and festive music later televised nationwide. A Palace statement said the concert will once again aim to bring together communities across the UK to celebrate people who have gone out of their way to help others with even more impactful local services. Last years together at Christmas carried particular emotion for the Princess as it followed shortly after her completion of chemotherapy. The family, joined by Prince William, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, were seen smiling warmly as they welcomed guests to the abbey.

2:58 Kate's letter to guests last captured her a deep affection for the season, writing that Christmas gives us the opportunity to slow down and reflect on deeper things that connect us all, to live our lives with an open heart, with love, kindness, and forgiveness. So much of what the Christmas spirit is all about. The Princess concluded, above all else encourages us to turn to love, not fear. The love that we show ourselves and the love we show others. Love that listens with empathy, love that is kind and understanding, love that is forgiving, and love that brings joy and hope for many that sentiment. The annual concert itself has become a defining part of the royal family's modern Christmas tradition.

3:42 In The Royalist, Tom Sykes wondered what the Prince Andrew's scandal could mean for Andrew's daughters. Sykes writes Beatrice and Eugenie were nine and eight years old, respectively when they first encountered Jeffrey Epstein, whom their mother reportedly referred to as nice. Jeffrey, Beatrice twenty seven and Eugenie thirty five, have attempted to maintain private lives outside the glare of their parents' missed deeds. They have long quietly lobbied for a role as future working royals, and given their relative youth amid an ageing core group, the suggestion had been steadily gaining traction. Beatrice was present at the King and Queen's Garden party this year. Eugenie was tapped by the King's Foundation to mentor its under thirty five network. The key question now is can the princess's reputations remain unsullied.

4:31 Many people argue that the scandals of the parents should not define the children, but hanging over all this is the knowledge that the parents did use the children as part of their schemes, and not just by inviting sleazy friends to their kid's birthday parties. Beatrice and Eugenie face a brutal yet simple dilemma. While there is no suggestion that they have been involved in any wrongdoing, the shadow of their parents' choices still looms over them. The monarchy is unforgiving, and the family's instinct for itself reservation is even stronger. In The Spectator, Alexander Laman writes, Prince William wants to change the monarchy. Oh dear. According to Laman, William sounded more like his estranged brother than usual. He went on to sigh, I am enjoying my job, but sometimes there are aspects of it, such as the media, the speculation, the scrutiny, and he might have added participating in such pieces of entertainment as The Reluctant Traveler. Yet, whether it worked or not as television, it was a fascinating insight into a very private man's psyche. It is widely expected that William will be a transformative monarch in a way that his father has not been. His comments that he will not be looking for the past and more telling than might have been intended. William said that I think if you're not careful, history can be a real weight and an anchor around you, and you can feel suffocated by it and restricted. It's important to live for the here and now. But also I think you're too intrinsically attached to history. You can't possibly have any flexibility because you worry that the chess pieces move too much,

6:01 and therefore no change will happen. This may be true, however, one hopes that if William has a trusted courtier or two at his side, that they might be able to convince him the change, presumably on the significant scale that he is intending, is not always a good or even necessary thing. In any case, a reign that may have preemptively dismissed as dull might yet surprise the world, although whether for good or ill remains to be seen. And speaking of William, will have a new series for you beginning to morrow called Palace Intrigue Presents King William. It's a speculative drama imagining the moment the king dies and William becomes king. Episode one begins with that life changing phone call. From there, the story follows William through duty, grief, Queen Catherine's transformation, a former queen struggling to hold her place, and the reappearance of a controversial brother. The series begins tomorrow.

6:58 Subscribers Tokalaruga Plus, k can and Binge the entire season right away, with no commercials. For everyone else, the new episodes released weekly every Sunday wherever you enjoy your podcasts. And by the way, if you're a Plus subscriber, you can get this show along with hundreds of others from Kalaouga Shark Media, commercial free as well plus special season previews. Eugene Levy says he deliberately avoided asking Prince William about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle during the filmed conversation for The Reluctant Traveler on Apple TV. Speaking to ITV News, Levy explained that he wasn't given any restrictions on what he could ask, but felt it wasn't his place to bring up the royal rift. I was not told I couldn't ask anything, but it wasn't really up to me and to get into that. I had no interest in asking him about that because it was a very delicate issue and certainly not up to me to get into it.

7:52 He added that he preferred to focus on things that might be interesting for him and interesting for the world to hear. More balance in just a moment. We have a lot of art related news today. An official portrait of the Prince and Princess of Wales has been given a new home, making it easier for the public to view. The work, painted by artist Jamie Corrith in twenty twenty one, was the first joint official portrait of William and Catherine, then the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Julie Spence, Lord Lieutenant of Cambridge Sheer, confirmed on Wednesday that the portrait will now be on display at Peterborough Cathedral. Announcing the move on x she said, our fabulous portrait of the Prince and Princess Wales as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, will now be on display at p Borough Cathedral, so it's easily accessible for our residents and visitors in the north of the county and they can enjoy it. The King recently visited an exhibition in London celebrating the art of Queen Marie of Romania, which also featured two of his own watercolors. The display, held at the Garrison Chapel and organized by the Romanian Cultural Institute with the King's Foundation, includes works by Queen Marie, born in Britain in eighteen seventy five, many of which have never been seen before or shown in public. On view were also two of the King's Romanian landscapes. Or A Woodward, director of the Romanian Cultural Institute, said the Monarch was fascinated by Queen Marie's paintings, but modest about his own, noting he didn't

9:22 want to talk too much about them, but they mean a lot to us. Sure nobody wants to live there, but Buckingham Palace has released its first official coloring book. The hardbacked volume features sixteen illustrations, from the palace's famous facade and Rose Garden to the Coronation thrones. Each image is paired with an explanation of its history and significance. Produced by publisher Colors Streets in partnership with the Royal Collection Trust, the nineteen ninety nine pound book is designed for Royal enthusiasts and coloring fans of all ages. The illustrations include the Grand Staircase, the White Drawing Room, the Music Room and the East Wing, alongside depictions of the Royal Coat of Arms, fine porcelain state banquets, the gold State Coach and the Changing of the God. This winter, Buckingham Palace is bringing a touch of festive sparkle to London with the launch of its first ever Christmas pop up.

10:16 From fourteenth of November to the fifth of January, the Royal Mews will be transformed into a seasonal boutique offering official Royal gifts, decorations and gourmet treats. Organized by the Royal Collection Trusts. The pop up coincides with the release of the annual Gift Guide. The historic two hundred year old Stables will host an array of items ranging from small batch gin infused with botanicals from Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle, to kitchenware inspired by the Great Kitchen at Windsor, the oldest working kitchen in Britain. Entry is free. Proceeds will go towards conserving the Royal Collection, ensuring that every borble or mince pie tin purchase helps preserve the family's vast holdings of and history. Among the highlights will be fine chinaware made in Stoke on Trent using techniques honed over the past two and a half centuries. Crystal wine glasses.

11:10 It's with designs inspired by Queen Victoria's Grand punch bowl will also be on display, alongside hand embroidered ornaments from India supporting traditional craftsmanship and the children's plush toys created entirely from recycled materials. Visitors can expect everything from stocking fillers and festive treads to luxury homeware and airloom pieces. A full sized advent calendar will unveil new, limited addition and collectors' items daily. The collection will also be available online via the Royal Collection Trust website and shops in London, Edinburgh and Windsor. And there you have it. If you'd like to email us, our address is the Palace Intrigue at gmail dot com. Please follow us on Spotify or Apple, and join us on Facebook and Instagram to search for Palace Intrigue. There. I'm Mark Francis and thanks to John McDermot, this is palest Intrigan. Good times