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Calorogus Shark Media. Hello and welcome to Palace Intrigue. I
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am your host, Mark Francis. Sarah Ferguson is quietly weighing
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whether to uproot her life as pressure from past associations
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continues to close in around her in Britain. Those close
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to the Duchess of York say she has explored the
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idea of leaving the country altogether, but one visceral fear
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may yet stop her from following family members abroad. Snakes
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Australia has emerged as a serious possibility for Sarah. Her
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elder sister, Jane Ferguson Ldecki, lives there and recently traveled
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to Britain during what inside is described as an especially
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fragile period. One source said Jane did not come over
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for a routine visit. She was deeply worried about how
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Sarah was coping and felt she had to be there
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in person. Some around them felt the timing was critical,
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as Sarah was sliding into a very dark mood. Another
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described the visit as an effort to anchor Sarah when
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so many familiar supports have sailed away. Yet, despite the
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logic of escape, there is a deeply personal obstacle. Friends
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say Ferguson has long harbored an intense fear of snakes,
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something that became a sticking point whenever talks turn from
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theory to action. One acquaintance remarked, Sarah has always liked
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the idea of Australia in theory, but she has an
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almost primal fear of snakes, and that has become a
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real sticking point when talk turns to actually moving there.
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Another words more direct. The irony is that she wants
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to escape far away, but the thought of Australia's wildlife
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genuinely terrifies her. She finds it petrifying. That fear is
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well documented. In nineteen eighty seven, during a charity event,
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Ferguson recoiled in tears as a Burmese python was brought close,
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repeatedly saying I can't her. Then husband told the handler,
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my wife and I are not used to snakes. Naturalists
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Jim Fowler later observed, you tend to be repulsed by
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those things that are not like us. Fear is usually
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the lack of knowledge. At the time, the British Embassy
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spokesman confirmed she had always been afraid of snakes. A
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resurfaced email from Jeffrey Epstein has reignited questions about his
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financial dealings with Ferguson after it appeared to show him
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demanding nearly seventy three thousand dollars in unpaid wages. Images
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of the message have been shared by Christopher Anderson, who
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photographed Epstein in his office in twenty fifteen while on
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assignment for a profile written by Michael Wolfe. Anderson says
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he photographed Epstein's desk during the shoot and later realized
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one printed email visible in the frame was in exchange
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involving royal finances. He wrote online that Epstein later attempted
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to intimidate him into handing over the photographs by sending
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a bodyguard to his studio. The email, dated February seventeenth,
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twenty eleven, was sent from an AOL address associated with
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Epstein to a manned Thirsk and private secretary to Prince Andrew,
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and was copied to Andrew and Ferguson with a subject
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line Settlement John O'Sullivan. Message complained of non payment and
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claimed Epstein was owed fifty nine, nine hundred and thirty
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three dollars reduced from an original figure of seventy two thousand,
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five hundred ninety six dollars. In the email, Epstein wrote
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that he'd agreed to lower the amount in order to
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reach a settlement and refer to difficulties caused by what
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he described as non payment. The correspondence, as understood to
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relate to money Epstein provided to help Ferguson resolve a
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dispute with her former assistant, Johnny O'Sullivan, who had been
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seeking a substantial sum in unpaid wages and expenses. Ferguson
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later acknowledged that she accepted money from Epstein to help
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settle the matter. In twenty twelve, she publicly apologized for
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accepting the funds, describing it as a gigantic error of judgment.
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In an interview at the time, she said, I, personally,
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on behalf of myself, deeply regret that Jeffrey Epstein became
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involved in any way with me. I abhor pedophilia and
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any sexual abuse of children, and I know this was
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a gigantic error of judgment on my behalf. I am
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just so contrite. I cannot say. Whenever I can, I
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will repay the money and I will have nothing ever
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to do with Jeffrey Epstein. Ever, again, the reappearance of
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the email has renewed scrutiny of the links to Epstein.
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Once source told Radar online dot Com that it's resurfacing
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would again raise questions about the extent of Epstein's financial
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support and what, if anything, he expected in return, adding
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that the controversy seems like it will never go away
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for the pair of them. Anderson has also detailed his
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own experience of dealing with Epstein during the photo assignment.
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He recalled that Epstein closely questioned him about the value
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of the images and later offered twenty thousand dollars to
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acquire them after publication. When the deal fell apart, Anderson
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said threats followed, culminating in a visit from a bodyguard
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who intimidated him into surrendering the material. He says the
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story was eventually killed, and only years later did he
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rediscover a surviving copy of the photographs on an old
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hard drive. The royal family is reportedly on heightened alert
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amid concerns that Andrew and or Sarah could attempt to
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sell items linked to the late Queen Elizabeth and other
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senior royals. Sources speaking to Radar Online say there is
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a particular anxiety over valuable objects held at Royal Lodge,
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with insiders warning that some of the items may belong
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to the Crown rather than to Andrew and Ferguson personally.
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Any attempt to sell such objects, they say, would carry
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serious historical and emotional implications that could cause significant reputational
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damage to the monarchy. Legal experts are said to be
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closely monitoring the situation to determine ownership of certain possessions.
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One insider warned that even a single item appearing on
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the open market would be impossible to contain. The appearance
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of even one object would trigger immediate and widespread fallout.
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The same source claimed Andrew and Ferguson appear to be
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gathering together goods they believe could be auctioned, adding they
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seem intent on turning the law into some sort of
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pawn shop source. If they go ahead with this, their
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departure from royal life may end in the most volatile way.
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Yet another source of stress that items connected to the
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Late Clean carry profound historical and emotional weight. Even if
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Andrew argues they are his to sell, the visual impact
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of placing them on the market would be deeply damaging
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the inside and said more powers in just a moment.
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Reports suggest Prince Andrew could be positioning himself for a
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lucrative next move. According to sources quoted by Okay magazine,
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Andrew could stabilize his finances by writing a memoir When
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Inside has said a book would represent both a financial
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lifeline and an opportunity for him to argue that he
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has been treated unfairly. Another warned that such a project
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could be deeply sensitive to the Royal family, claiming Andrew
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knows where the bodies are buried and could expose private
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conversations and long held secrets. Sources further suggested that Andrew
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could use a memoir to frame them himself as a
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victim of modern social movements, despite the serious allegations leveled
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against him. Whether Andrew ultimately follows Prince Harry's path and
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publishes a memoir remains uncertain. A source previously told People
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magazine that Andrew and Sarah live and diet by the monarchy,
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suggesting he may be reluctant to take steps that could
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further damage the institution, even if the financial incentive proves tempting.
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In the International Business Times, Marie Joy Toledo asks, Megan
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Michael is being compared to Sarah Ferguson is as how
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the royal exile really ends. As Toledo lays out the case,
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these similarities have become harder to dismiss. Sarah Ferguson's role
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as a working royal effectively ended after her divorce from
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Prince Andrew in nineteen ninety six. What followed was a
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period marked by intense tabloids scrutiny, financial strain, and controversy
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linked to her personal associations. Despite no longer holding an
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official role, she continued to be publicly identified as a
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duchess that has fueled debate ever since. Ferguson later pursued
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a range of media ventures, including the reality television series
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Finding Sarah, as well as children's books and memoirs. These
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projects offered insight into her personal struggles and attempts to reinvention,
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but they also attracted criticism for departing from traditional royal
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expectations of privacy and restraint. Meghan and Harry stepped back
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from royal duties in January of twenty twenty and later
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relocated to California. They said the move was intended to
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allow for financial independence while maintaining a focus on charitable work.
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Buckingham Palace later confirmed the couple would not use their
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HRH styling for commercial purposes, though their titles were not
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legally removed. Since then, Markel has remained highly visible through
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a Netflix partnership that has included Harry and Meghan and
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With Love Megan, alongside lifestyle ventures and publishing projects. Supporters
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described these moves as an assertion of independence, while critics
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argue they blur the line between royal identity and private business.
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Media strategy is another shared thread. Ferguson turned to television
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publishing as a waiter, again control of her narrative and
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leaving royal life. Markel has similarly embraced long form interviews
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and documentary storytelling, including her appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show,
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which drew a global audience and prompted a rare formal
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response from the Palace. Neither woman has been formally exiled
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or stripped of titles. Instead, analysts describe this situation as
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an informal form of royal exile, defined by distance from
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official duties, limited access to royal platform limited access to
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royal platforms, and continued public debate and there you have it.
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Like to email USO addresses the Palace Intrigue at gmail
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dot com and please follow us at Spotify, Apple and
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the social hubs Instagram, Facebook, were all over the place.
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I'm Mark Francis, continuing to deal with allergies thanks to
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John McDermott. This is Pallace Intrigue and good terms.