May 8, 2026
Did King Charles make a secret deal with Trump to help Andrew and Harry?
Prince Andrew faces renewed scrutiny over claims about his behavior inside the palace, growing calls for wider investigations, and fresh reports about tensions with Sarah Ferguson. Plus, new developments tied to the Epstein case and a controversial theory involving King Charles III and Donald Trump.
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Ah Calorogus Shark Media. Hello, and welcome to Palace Intrigue.
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I am your host, Mark Francis. The former Prince Andrew
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was facing the Nude scrutiny over claims about how he
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interacted with Queen Elizabeth and during her later years. Royal
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author Robert Hartman alleged that Andrew developed the method of
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bypassing palace officials by raising issues directly with the Queen
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during infall Sunday tea meetings at Windsor when advisors were
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not present. Hardman said he did have a tactic, which
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was whenever he was told he couldn't do something or
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something was impossible, his favorite way of countermanding it would
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be to go around and have tea with Mummy on
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a Sunday afternoon because there were no officials around. So
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on a Sunday at tea, Andrew would say, oh, Mummy,
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you wouldn't believe what they've told me. I can't do
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it's ridiculous. I'm sure you don't mind me doing this.
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It's going to be a good idea. You must agree,
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and she'd eventually say all right, yes, and then on
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Monday morning he'd say no, it's quite all right, I've
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got the Queen's permission, it's going to happen. I'm going
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to do X Y and Z. An unnamed source told
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Radar Online the approach reflected a broader pattern, saying what's
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being described as not just the opportunism on Andrew's part,
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but a consistent pattern of sneaky behavior, identifying moments when
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oversight was minimal, and using personal proximity to secure outcomes
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that might otherwise have been blocked. It speaks to a
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dynamic where emotional closeness could be leveraged to override institutional checks.
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It adds to the feeling that Andrew was a snake
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who exploited the peace of the Queen's peaceful Sunday to
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try and manipulate her into granting him whatever he wanted.
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Hardman added, but by the time Andrew was a young adult,
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it was quite clear that he was quite impressionable. He
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was a bit boorish. He could say the wrong thing,
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do the wrong thing. Andrew is also facing renewed scrutiny
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as calls grow for a wider investigation into allegations connected
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to his past conduct. Pressure was increasing on authorities to
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expand inquiries, including examining potential activity linked to Royal residences.
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Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown has urged that any probe
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be broadened. Writing The New Statesman, he said what has
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been discovered demands that the police inquiry immediately be widened
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to investigate alleged incidents across Britain involving the abuse of
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girls and women, including at royal residences. Because of how
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Epstein's trafficking ring operated, evidence could be assembled from drivers,
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airline and airport staff, ticket agents and credit card companies,
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Andrew and ex wife Sarah Ferguson are not getting a
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long According to Radar Online, a source claimed what has
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unfolded between them goes far beyond a simple cooling off period.
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There is now a deep rooted suspicion shaping every interaction.
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Both appear acutely aware that the other wholes years of
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shared history that could, if made public, be framed in
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ways that are uncomfortable or even reputationally damaging. That awareness
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has bred a kind of mutual paranoia where even private
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conversations are weighed against how they might one day be
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interpreted or disclosed. Another insider suggested the relationship has become
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more distant. Saying, in practical terms, they no longer function
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as any kind of cohesive partnership. Whatever sense of unity
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they once projected has effectively dissolved. While they still communicate
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from time to time, those exchanges are sporadic and noticeably restrained,
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carrying none of the easy familiarity or emotional closeness that
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used to define their bond. The report also points to
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ongoing concerns about how past controversies continued to affect both individuals,
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with one source saying there was also a growing feeling
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that unresolved tensions from the past are beginning to resurface,
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with lingering resentment and unspoken blame quietly shaping the distance
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between them. Instead of trusting each other, they now feared
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total betrayal by one another. Both of them know the
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other could take a huge paycheck for a TV interview
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or memoir deal which could be used to blame each
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other for their fate. Ferguson is reportedly seeking a meeting
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with King Charles and what has been described as a
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make or break attempt to present her side of events
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following recent controversies. One source tells The News International, in
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her view, she deserves to sit down with Charles to
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clear the air and have her say she's not backing
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off from that. To be clear, what she's craving most
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of all right now is a proper explanation, the chance
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to sit down with some of those senior royals and
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provide them with her true version of events. She really
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believes she's earned that right, not just because she's supposed
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to be family, but for all the loyalty and support
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that she's shown towards them during their various crises in
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the past. The problem is, the more she pushes, the
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worse she makes it for herself. If she was to
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go away quietly and accept that she's no longer welcome
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in their circle, she might actually be allowed back in
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one day. Emily Maitless is set to front a new
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documentary series examining the Epstein case years after her widely
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watched interview with then Prince Andrew. The program, commissioned by
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Channel four and currently titled The Epstein Files, will feature
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firsthand testimony from survivors, along with what the network describes
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as a forensic analysis of documents networks an indo viduals
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connected to Jeffrey Epstein. Maitlis, who conducted the twenty nineteen
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Newsnight interview with Andrew said, I've spent my career covering
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stories that those in power would rather we didn't. Epstein
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cases that story were at large a web of wealth,
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influence and impunity that destroyed lives and was shielded by
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institutions we are supposed to trust. The survivors have waited
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long enough. I am determined that the series will provide answers,
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not just raise more questions. The series will explore how
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Epstein was able to operate for so long, a question
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that had remained central to ongoing public and media scrutiny.
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Newly reported documents suggest the British government was concerned Andrew
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might pursue legal action if compelled to cooperate with US
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authorities during the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein. According to The Sun,
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officials at the Home Office feared that assisting an FBI
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request to question Andrew could trigger a legal challenge in
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the High Court. The Duke declined repeated requests in twenty
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twenty two take part in voluntary interviews with investigators with
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his legal team, instead offering a written statement rather than
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in person or video appearance. The US Department of Justice
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subsequently issued a formal mutual legal assistance request asking British
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authorities to help compel his testimony. However, internal correspondence suggests
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concerns within Whitehall that Andrew's lawyers would respond with a
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judicial review arguing that officials have not followed proper procedures
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of voluntary cooperation were still being offered. One email cited
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in the report states that officials expected Andrew's legal team
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to challenge any such move, claiming the Home Office had
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failed to apply its own guidelines correctly. American investigators, meanwhile,
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were said to be frustrated by the lack of progress,
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with one response quoted as saying all we want to
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do is ask some questions or palats in just a moment.
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A conspiracy theory suggests that King made a grubby deal
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with President Trump. The theory base largely on unnamed sources
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and speculation, is that Charles used carefully worded language in
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his speech to subtly signal goodwill toward Donald Trump, reinforcing
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the value of the monarchy's association. In return, according to
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this interpretation, Trump might ease pressures in areas sensitive to
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the Royal family, particularly scrutiny surrounding Andrew and ongoing issues
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connected to Prince Harry. During his visit to Washington, the
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King emphasized the long standing relationship between Britain and the
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United States, saying, the story of the United Kingdom and
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the United States is at its heart a story of reconciliation, renewal,
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and remarkable partnership. He added, from the bitter divisions of
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two hundred and fifty years ago, we forged a friendship
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that has grown into one of the most consequential alliances
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in human history, according to reports citing unnamed sources, some
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observers have suggested the language may have been carefully calibrated,
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with one source claiming it reinforced the prestige the monarchy
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offers to Donald Trump. That same source alleged there was
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talk of it rather grubby little deal involving Andrew and
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also Prince Harry. The theory suggests the speech may have
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been interpreted as signaling that Trump could benefit from royal
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association provided certain pressures are eased. They have it iful
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you'd like to email us addresses the Palace Intrigue at
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gmail and dot com. Please follow us on Spotify or
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your favorite app, and mink Francis My thanks to John McDermott.
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This is palace intrigued in good terms,
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