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Calorogus Shark Media. All and welcome to Pallace Intrigue. I
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am your host, Mark Francis. More from that explosive lead
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story in Variety titled Inside Meghan and Harry's Falling Out
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with Netflix, we covered a big chunk in Yesterday's afternoon episode,
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but picking up where we left off, Variety says that
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even after the big success of the Harry and Meghan Dock,
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the Sussexs struggled to attract creative collaborators. The article says
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scripted projects were often abandoned, including peerl, the animated series
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about a goal meeting famous women from history. Development setbacks
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are common in Hollywood, the report notes, but it points
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out that the Sussexes still have not produced a single
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scripted project for Netflix in nearly six years. When Meghan
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signed with WME in twenty twenty three, the goal was
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partly to strengthen her Hollywood standing, but Variety says her
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primary focus became building as ever rather than creating film
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and television projects. The article also claims that within three
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months of Megan joining WMY, major members of the team
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assembled around her had dropped off the account, though WME
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still represents her and Archwell. Variety then described period in
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twenty twenty four when Netflix tried to revive the relationship
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in a new way after Creative had Ben Browning left Archwell.
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In late twenty twenty three, Netflix reportedly showed renewed energy
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and suggested it would support Archiwell acquisitions at Sundance as
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part of a strategy to build a stronger biplane, but
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according to the article, filmmakers and sales agents were not
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interested in involving Archwell. Variety says Archwell had expressed interest
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in Skywalker's Love Story and the Christopher Ree documentary Superman,
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but no deals happened. One of the people connected to Skywalkers,
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Jeff Zimbalist, said neither the couple nor Archwell was ever
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mentioned during the bidding. Netflix denied the broader suggestion that
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Archwell had been rejected at sun Dance, calling that categorically untrue.
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Twenty twenty five, according to Variety, Netflix and Archwlle had
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clearly changed direction. The article says that after repeated false
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starts in scripted development, it became time to reconsider the
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entire partnership. Prince Harry had already become less visible in
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projects after Polo, the unscripted series connected to his friend
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Nacho Figeris. At that point, Netflix began treating Megan less
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as part of a duo and more as an entrepreneur
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and solo figure. Ted Saranda's publicly backed that strategy in
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twenty twenty five, he said, I think Megan is underestimated
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in terms of her influence on culture. He added, when
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we dropped the trailer for the Harry and Meghan doc series,
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everything on screen was dissected in the press for days.
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The shoes she was wearing sold out all over the world.
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The Herimez blanket that was on the chair behind her
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sold out everywhere in the world. Saranda's concluded that Megan
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and Harry were overly dismissed. At the same time, Netflix
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began experimenting with something unusual for the company, becoming involved
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in a consumer brand. Sarandas described as Ever as a
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big discovering model for us. That is where the article
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returns to the later breakdown. Variety says with Love Megan
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was designed to work hand in hand with as Ever,
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and that the series did reach Netflix's top ten, But
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the article says customer response to both the show and
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the products was mixed. Archibald said it sold out inventory,
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but the article notes that Newsweek later reported a website
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glitch appeared to reveal large volumes of unsold stock. Variety
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then makes one of its most striking claims that by
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last August, after the second batch of With Love Megan
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episodes underperformed, Netflix was sitting on more than ten million
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dollars worth of as Ever inventory, including tea and baking mixes.
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According to the report, the company started giving the products
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a way to employees, free, laying them out on card
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tables in office buildings. An Archibald spokesperson responded by saying
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such giveaways from sample closets are standard studio practice. A
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different Netflix source also said the original plan had always
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been to spin as Ever back into Megan's control, and
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that Netflix's row was only to help with a launch.
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A Sussex spokesman also insisted that With Love Meghan had
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not been abandoned completely, saying With Love Meghan will continue
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as seasonal specials. The article says that by last fall,
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Netflix's withdrawal from as Ever was already in motion, and
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that Meghan's hiring of independent brand consultant Devon ped's water
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was viewed by insiders as Asian. Netflix had thrown in
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the towel. Variety also includes a long section on what
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it describes as difficulties in the Sussex's bedside manner inside Netflix.
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The article says Meghan has often presented Hollywood as her territory,
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and that in meetings she tends to talk over Prince
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Harry or recast his thoughts, sometimes while he is mid sentence.
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There are more specific complaints too. Variety says Megan sometimes
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disappears during zoom calls. According to three sources. The article
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says Netflix teams would later be told she had been
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offended by something said in the meeting. In response to
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claims about her behavior during the meetings, Megan's attorney, Michael J. Cump,
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defended her in a Lettertive Variety, emphasizing the realities of
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working from home. He said, Megan works from home, is
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the mother of young children aged four and six, and
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often encounters children who went to the space unexpectedly during
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a meeting. Compadded, independent of being a parent who works
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from home, Meghan is also conscious of shielding her team
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from the distraction of children. Nearly all professionals can attest
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and needing to turn off the audio a camera during
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a virtual meeting at some point during many hours of
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virtual business calls. The piece closes by asking whether Harry
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and Meghan are truly living the Hollywood dream they once imagined. Meanwhile,
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with Meghan set to headline a three day women only
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girls weekend retreat in Sydney from April seventeenth to nineteenth,
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where tickets range from roughly eighteen hundred to over twenty
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one hundred depending on VIP access, there is some discussion
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about the finances of the organizer, Australian media personality Jackie
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o Henderson and pr entrepreneur Jemma O'Neill, who had said
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on her podcast, I can't believe I'm even saying those words.
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There's no way more shocked than me. How has Meghan
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Duchess of Sussex gone from OPRAH to talking on stage
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with just little old me? Jemma in Sydney is now
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in the newspapers over her finances. Her company, Jemmy Agency,
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went into liquidation in November with debts totally more than
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three hundred and eighty six thousand dollars, most of it
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owed to the Australian Taxation Office. According to filings only,
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all told administrators she has no personal savings, limited income
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and cannot repay the debt. Despite that she has been
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heavily promoting that Meghan led retreat, raising obvious questions about
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how the event is being funded. O'Neill herself addressed speculation
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about Meghan's fee, saying I'm going to answer probably something
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that I think would feel fairly obvious. It must be
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costing you a fortune to have Meghan come to your event. No, guys,
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I don't have that kind of money. That disconnects fueled skepticism,
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with one source putting it bluntly, the question rights itself,
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who's actually financing this event and where does the money go?
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More palace In just a moment, King Charles has welcomed
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Nigerian President Bolla Ahmed Tinubu to the United Kingdom for
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a historic state visit, the first by a Nigerian leader
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in thirty seven years, marking a significant diplomatic moment for
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both nations. The two day visit began with full royal
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ceremony at Windsor, including a carriage procession, military parade and
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formal greeting by senior members of the royal family. The
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Prince and Princess of Wales played a key early role,
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meeting the President and First Lady at the Fairmont Windsor
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Park Hotel before escorting them into Windsor for the official
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welcome at Windsor Castle. The King and Queen, alongside William
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and Catherine, greeted the presidential couple with traditional pomp and pageantry.
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A Guard of Honor and the Band of the Grenadier
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Guards performed both national anthems, while President Tanubu inspected the
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troops with King Charles walking just behind him. The visit
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is being framed as more than ceremony, it's a strategic
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effort to deepen economic and diplomatic ties. Nigeria, with a
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population of roughly two hundred and twenty million people, represents
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Africa's largest consumer market and a key partner for the UK.
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There are also notable cultural and religious considerations shaping the visit.
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President Tenubu is Muslim and observing Ramadan, meaning the traditional
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state visit lunch at Windsor has been removed from the schedule. Instead,
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engagements have been adjusted, with the President breaking his fast
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privately before attending the evening state banquet. The visit includes
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a number of symbolic and diplomatic moments, a private audience
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with the King, a viewing of Nigerian related items from
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the Royal collection, and a reflaying at the tomb of
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Queen Elizabeth in Saint George's Chapel. An interfaith event reflects
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Nigeria's religious diversity, with its population roughly split between Muslims
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and Christians. Kate also made a subtle diplomatic gesture through fashion,
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wearing a design by a British Nigerian designer, Taulu Koka,
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reinforcing cultural size between the two nations. Writing for ITV,
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Chris Ship wonders if Charles should postpone any trip to
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a Marria. He writes, it's a problem that someone is
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soon going to have to address, and as much as
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many think it's the King's problem, it's not. It's actually
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an issue for Downing Street. That's because state visits both
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incoming ones I think USA, France, Germany last year and
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external ones. The King most recently visited Italy in the
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Vatican are decided by the Foreign Office. Therefore the monarch
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carried them out on government advice. The Labour Chair of
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the influential Foreign Affairs Committee. Dame Emily Thornberry has become
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the latest high profile politician to call for the visit
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to be delayed or even canceled. She said, the last
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thing we want to do is have their majesties embarrassed.
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The MP told BBC Radio four. I think it needs
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to be thought through very carefully as to whether or
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not it's appropriate to go ahead now or maybe have
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a limited program or delay it. But we can't just
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pretend there isn't a background of war. Ship adds that
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ITV News understands the provisional dates are the end of April,
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and no one knows, not even senior White House staff,
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what will be happening in the Middle East at that time,
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and they have it. If once email us or addresses
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the Palace Intrigue at a gmail dot com, please fast
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at Spotify, Apple or the Apple with a choice, I
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Mark Francis my things to John McDermott, this is Palace
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Intrigue and good terms