Former Prince Andrew - The Latest: Monarchy Under Fire, New Unimaginable Allegations Surface, while Meghan Promotes Candles

0:03 Calarogus Shark Media he hello and welcome to your palace intrigue. I am your host, Mark Francis. Royal expert Emily Andrews calls the arrest of Andrew Mountbatten a wake up call for the royals, adding it also raises huge questions about internal processes at the Palace. Who knew what when? This is a disaster for the monarchy and for all the values of decency, honesty and duty they profess to uphold. If the monarchy's popularity is to endure, it has to show that it takes these allegations seriously. It's all very well uttering the well worn our thoughts and sympathies remain with the victims, but the institution, in my opinion, has to do more. In The Independent, Anne mackelboy wonders whether this is enough to halt the damage. She writes, the stern and swift reaction from his brother, King Charles was that justice must take its course, All assistance to a full fare and proper process would be made available to all that to happen. That in itself is remarkable in both tone and gravitas. The Palace quickly aligned with Sir Kia Starmer's assertion that no one is above the law, and that this has to apply in this case in the same way it would in any other case. The translation is that there should be no divergence in how Parliament and the monarchy handle Andrew. The royal family is often on the ropes. The clash of an internal culture that prefers intense privacy with the demands of the public role has led to implosions, notably the tensions in the Handling and the death of Diana. But it is also

1:33 an institution built for survival, and one in which the heavy head that wears the crown is the principal figure to be defended. This, in turn, has produced a rapid professionalization of its comms and advice streams across both Charles and William's operations. But the unwinding of the story of a giddy prince now re established as a royal outcast and facing potential charges of grave abuse of public office in his financial networking with the late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein does cause new and still unpredictable problems in the fraud relationship between Pallace and public. Some very awkward questions for today's royals remain, even if they have issued statements remembering Epstein's victims. One suspects that the lessons learned period will shortly be upon us. The family has started to talk more, albeit relatedly, about the impact on the real victims of all this, countless abused girls and women. Queen Canilla has a long history of working to end domestic violence against women and girls, and has spoken candidly about her own friend's experience of abuse to raise awareness of a dark and often hidden subject. The professionalization of the Royal family's communications is another reason why the tone and information disseminated to trusted sources changed so sharply once the scale of the Epstein Files publication became clear. I suspect Andrew is now the figure on whom the Palace believes any public reckoning and disgraceful fall. A wicked uncle figure in royal history down the centuries has often proved public embarrassment, but never fatal damage to the central royal brand. And many other ordinary families know what it is to have a foolish,

3:05 wanton or downright repulsive relative, and have faced the problem of when to cut them off. However bad, the details to emerge from the Pandora's box of misdoings. Casting the form of prints into the category of an outcast will insulate the king and his heirs from the fallout and allow the succession and reinvention of the crown to continue. That at any rate is the calculation. So at least, according to the theory, the damage control has been minutely planned. The next story contains material that many people will find extremely disturbing. Some listeners may prefer to skip the next section. We'll take the break early here to give everyone a chance to hit stop if that's what they choose. Lots more to come this morning or palace in just a moment. Again, we should note that the next story contains material that many people will find extremely disturbing, including references to alleged abuse of a child. Some listeners may prefer to skip this section. Overshadowed by the arrest was news that Andrew mount Batten Windsor had been accused in newly surfaced material, of watching a young girl, said to be between six and eight years old, being subjected to electric shock torture.

4:15 The allegation is said to appear in documents linked to the so called Epstein files. According to reports, An FBI document from July twenty twenty refers to claims of sexual abuse involving Andrew mount Batten Windsor and convicted sex trafficker Gallaine Maxwell in Surrey during the mid nineties. The specific allegation, reportedly originating from an anonymous tip off, claims that a girl was restrained on a table and tortured with electrical shocks by Maxwell and while Andrew and other men allegedly watched. The report suggests the incident may have taken place at Frogmore Cottage. Andrew mount Batman Windsor has consistently denied any wrongdoing, and any accusations made against him. Being named in documents connected to Jeffrey Epstein does not in itself indicate criminal liability.

5:00 Surrey Police said it had become aware of a redacted report alleging historic human trafficking and sexual assaults on a miner in the Virginia Water area between nineteen ninety four and ninety six. After reviewing available records, Surrey Police said it found no evidence that these allegations had previously been reported. A Surrey Police spokesperson said, after reviewing our systems using the limited information available to us, we found no evidence of these allegations being reported to Surrey Police. We therefore encourage anyone with information in relation to these allegations to report this to US online or via one oh one. We take all reports of child and sexual abuse seriously, and therefore, as with any other matter, should new and relevant information be brought to our attention, including any information resulting from the release of the materials in the US, we will assess it. In the telegraph, Hannat Finess writes, thank god the late Queen isn't here to witness monarchy's lowest moment. According to Ferness, it is the lowest moment for the monarchy in almost four hundred years. No divorce, no departure, no extramarital deliances of old come close. Even the abdication, so scandalous in its day, pales before the vision of a man born a prince and now in a police station. Royalists across the land will have had the same thought. Thank goodness, the late Queen is not here to see it. There have been denials, alibis and pr battles, while the bureaucracy blocking the documents relating to his time as a trade envoy from the public domain. Now, with a growing body of written evidence in the Epstein files,

6:31 politicians have called for scrutiny, and police have finally moved. It was the King who seemed to give the tacit green light. In a statement issued last week, he expressed his profound concern about his brother's conduct and said the palace would support any police investigation. It is almost unimaginable that we have come to this. The King has done what he can to separate man and monarchy. Our royal insider, Deep Crown took a stronger tone, telling us Andrew is a chapter. The story is Charles Fate is not a meritocracy. It does not distribute its challenges according to preparation or desert. And the combination of factors now bearing down on Charles, the health situation and the Andrew catastrophe, the ongoing narrative complications, the reduced schedule, the institutional weight of following Elizabeth second, the changed media landscape that offers no refuge and no patience, constitutes something that I am not sure any individual, however prepared, could be expected to fully withstand. Abdication is not the only way a rain ends, and the question I find myself sitting with is whether the king has the physical capability to outlast this particular storm, Whether the combination of what his body is managing and what his institution is managing will allow him the years he would need to reshape the narrative, Whether fate, having made him wait so long for the throne, intends to be generous with the time he has upon it. I do not know the answer.

7:53 I'm not sure anyone does. Those closest to him guard what they know with loyalty. The proximity to the crown is always demanded, and I respect that, even when it limits what I can say with confidence. What I do believe is this, the monarchy will survive. Of that, I have very little doubt. The institution is older and more resilient than any individual within it, and the Crown, as a constitutional and cultural force, has weathered things that would have destroyed lesser constructions entirely. It survived the seventeenth century. It will survive the twenty first. But survival and continuity are not always the same thing. There are moments in the life of an institution when circumstances aligned to suggest that the next chapter requires a new voice, a fresh face, a beginning that carries less accumulated weight. William and Catherine represent that possibility. They are in the language of institutional renewal, the monarchy's most credible path to a genuine fresh start, and our final story. This morning, Megan Markle always won to read the room, thought it would be a great day to promote her candle selling business. While King Charles issued a formal statement saying the law must take its course, the Duchess of Sussex released a lifestyle email to subscribers of her as Ever brand. In the message, Megan wrote, when the temperature drops, we start by striking a match, A steady flame on the table, soft light in the corners of the room, the familiar comfort of ascent that instantly changes the mood. From there, everything else follows. A hot mug in both hands, citrus on the cutting board, something gently simmering on the stove, small rituals made warmer

9:23 by candlelight. The email included links to several as Ever products, including a candle, a hot toddy kit, a spice sider mulling kit, and a herbal tea selection. It concluded with another suggestion for the colder months. Meghan wrote, at a spoonful of sweetness to your night too, stir as ever honey into a mug, spooned it onto a little late night toast, or built a cozy snack board with whatever's in the pantry. The timing of the message, released hours after Andrew's arrest became public, has drawn attention as the royal family faces one of its most serious crises in modern history. One royal observer said, what an idiot. We'll be back later in the day with more regarding the ou arrest of Prince Andrew. Until then, Palace Intrigue will remain on a modified publishing schedule, and Mark Francis may thanks to John McDermott, this is Palace Intrigue,