May 31, 2026

Harry and Meghan's Balmoral Row, Andrew's Royal Ascot Allegation, and Meghan's Record-Low Approval

Show Notes
Transcript

It's the week in review on Palace Intrigue. Andrew's investigation expands again — now including a Royal Ascot allegation — as new documents raise questions about the late Queen's role, Andrew Lownie's paperback lands with fresh claims, and the Peter Phillips wedding guest list loses Beatrice and Eugenie, while Taylor Swift declines to interact with them at a party. Reconciliation reports continue as Harry and Meghan reportedly have a significant row over a Balmoral summer visit. Meghan's YouGov approval hits a historic low of nineteen percent. As Ever launches a matchbox. William is confirmed as a regular listener of an Aston Villa podcast. And there may or may not be a royal invitation to a Taylor Swift wedding.

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Ah Calorogus Shark Media. Hello and welcome to Pallace Weekly.

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I am your host, Mark Francis. By the way, if

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you want the expanded stories on all of these, please

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check out Palace Intrigue Daily and you can see it

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right here in this same feed twice a day, seven

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days a week. Well, it was a week in which

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the Andrew investigation grew larger. Still, the Peter Phillips wedding

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guest list became a weekly drama of its own. Harry

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and Meghan reportedly had a significant row about whether to

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spend the summer in Britain, Megan's British approval rating hit

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its lowest point on record, and Prince William was confirmed

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as a regular viewer of the Claret and Blue podcast.

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As weeks ago, this one head range, let's get into it.

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We begin as the news insists we must with Andrew.

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Mount Batton, Windsor, Thames Valley Police confirmed this week that

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their investigation now includes an allegation tied to Royal Ascot

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in two thousand and two, during Queen Elizabeth's Golden Jubilee year.

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The force would not go into specifics beyond saying they

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are following all reasonable lines of inquiry. The development follows

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last week's announcement that the probe has expanded beyond the

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original misconduct in public office charge to include potential sexual offenses.

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Fraud and corruption officers are also continuing to assess a

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separate claim from an American woman who alleges she was

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taken to Royal Lodge in Windsor in twenty ten for

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sexual purposes, Though that matter has not yet become a

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full criminal investigation British police, it emerged this week currently

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hold only publicly released printouts from the Department of Justice website.

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If they want the original Epstein documents, they must submit

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a formal international legal assistance request, a process that could

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take months. Alongside the investigation, newly released government documents and

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a fresh round of Royal biographies continued to raise uncomfortable

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questions about the extent to which Queen Elizabeth enabled Andrew

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throughout his years as a trade envoy. Richard Kay, writing

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in The Daily Mail, pushed back strongly on that framing,

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arguing that suggesting the late Queen bears responsibility amounts to

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a smearing of her unblemished record. That is not just wrong,

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it's reckless, deep Crown in his substack, took a more

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measured position, noting that there is a difference between a

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legitimate accounting and a retrospective trial of a woman who

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can no longer explain or defend her decisions. The documents

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tell us what was written, he wrote, They do not

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tell us what was felt or feared, or deliberately not examined.

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Don't ask the dead to answer they cannot. And you

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can catch up with Deep Crown's substack for free just

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google Deep Crown or check out substack and Deep Crown.

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Royal author Andrew Lowney, who's updated entitled Paperback landed in

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shops this week, continues to generate headlines with fresh allegations

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about both Andrew and Sarah Ferguson. Among the new claims

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Andrew once kicked one of his dogs at a Sandringham chute,

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that Philip later told the same witness what you said

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to my son today was absolutely right, and that Ferguson's

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staff management was so chaotic that employees would weep in

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bathrooms or resign after only hours on the job. Lowney

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also suggested Ferguson maybe negotiating a financial arrangement with the

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royal family, effectively a pension in exchange for not doing

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a tell all interview. Ferguson has not confirmed or denied anything.

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Her silence is said to be strategic. And then there

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is the wedding. Peter Phillis marries Harriet Spurling on Friday

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and Sarencester and the guest list has become the most

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observed document in the monarchy this week that nobody is

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actually publishing. Andrew and Sarah were already confirmed absent, Harry

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and Meghan were already confirmed as not having been invited

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at all, not even in the mix, as one commentator

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put it, And now, following the latest police developments, Princesses

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Beatrice and Eugenie have reportedly pulled back as well, with

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a source saying that sisters are mortified all over again

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and would never want to overshadow the bride and groom.

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Their attendants had previously been described as confirmed. DANIELA, also

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writing for news dot com dot A, you observe that

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poor Harriet Sperling's seating chart must currently be a work

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of considerable creative ambition. William, Catherine and the Wales are

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expected to attend the Tindals too. The circle, as ever

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defines itself. One additional detail circulated this week from a

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party both sisters attended. Taylor Swift, who was present at

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Poppy Della Vigne's fortieth birthday alongside Beatrice and Eugenie, reportedly

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made a point of not interacting with the York sisters.

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One source described it simply, Taylor is one of the

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smartest celebrities in the world when it comes to protecting

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her image. That is not a warm summary, but it

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is probably an accurate one, more palasing just a moment reconciliation.

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Speculation is at this point practically its own weekly feature

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on this program, but this week it came with more

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detail than usual. Some of those details suggest the situation

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may be moving, though not necessarily in a straight line.

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Tom Sykes, writing in The Daily Beasts, pointed to what

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he described as a pattern of coordinated messaging between Buckingham

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Pallis and Harry's office in recent weeks, particularly around anti semitism.

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During the State opening of Parliament, the King spoke of

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taking urgent action to tackle anti Semitism. Around the same time,

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Harry published an opinion piece in The New Statesman on

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the same subject. Sussex sources denied coordination, calling the timing coincidence.

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Sikes also noted that Harry was very gratified by what

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his father said in Washington about Ukraine, another area where

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the two appeared from a distance to be aligned. Sikes

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broke plainly, based on a lot of conversations over the

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past year, I can tell you that Harry does intend,

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in some shape or form to move back to the UK,

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he added. Everything Harry talks about or does now is

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about the United Kingdom. Royal author Ingrid Seward suggested bow

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Morel could provide the ideal setting for a quiet reunion,

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voting that the estate has cottages that could accommodate the

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Sussexes without them staying in the castle itself, that William

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and Kate would obviously not be there at the same time,

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and that the king could extend the invitation and let

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his aides manage the considerable logistics. Charles would get to say,

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darling boy, of course come to bow Moral, and then

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because he's the king, he could let his aids deal

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with everything else, she said. Reports emerged, this week, however,

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that the reality behind the scenes may be rather less harmonious.

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Heat World claimed Harry and Meghan had a significant argument

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shortly before Meghan flew to Geneva, with the dispute centering

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on Harry's reported desire to spend time at bow Moral

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this summer so that Charles could see Archie and Lilibet.

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According to the report, Meghan heard that William and Kate

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had told Harry the Sussexs were not welcome, and described

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the proposed visit as Hollywood drama disrupting their family sanctuary.

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Meghan reportedly told Harry to go to the UK without

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her and has dug her hills in. Harry, the source claimed,

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is scared he's pushed Meghan too far this time. Neither

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Camp has confirmed or denied any of this. It may

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be largely speculation. It may not be. Mike Tyndall, meanwhile,

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appearing at an arts and literature festival in Wales, was

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heard describing Harriers someone here knowed when he was fun

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DANIELA Elsa noted this joins a growing list of Tindall

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observations about his former lagger jugging cousin in law, and

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that the days of the Phillips Tindall wing of the

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family playing Sussex pr interference appear firmly over. Megan's Yugov

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approval rating reached its lowest point on record this week.

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Nineteen percent of Britons now hold a positive view of

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the Duchess, with sixty six percent holding a negative one.

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Newsweek also reported the website traffic to the as Ever

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brand declined by approximately twenty percent between March and April,

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the same month as the Australia tour. Traffic from Australian

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visitors specifically also fell during the visit itself. Bronte Coy,

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one of the journalists who covered the tour extensively, told Newsweek,

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I would say that promotional blitz has absolutely fallen flat.

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This week's commercial stories centered on a new candle, the

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five to one nine, named for the couple's May nineteenth

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wedding date, and a forthcoming matchbox teased on Instagram with

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the caption a small spark arriving tomorrow. Reaction online ranged

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from warmly supportive to from one commenter matches, for the

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love of God, it is just the best you can

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come up with. The scone moment also generated considerable coverage

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after William declared himself firmly in the Cream First camp

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on Heart Radio, adding that he learned it from the Queen.

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As ever, then posted a video of Scon's being prepared

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cream first. Whether this constituted brand solidarity, competitive positioning or

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a coincidence of baking preference, as a matter, we have

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to leave to the listener more palace in just a

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moment now to a considerably more cheerful territory, which this

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week includes a radio code name, a podcaster reunion in

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stan Born, the possibility of the Prince and Princess of

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Wales attending a Taylor Swift wedding. William's Heart radio appearance

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on the Eurs of Silly generated one behind the scenes

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detail too good to omit. The station's producer revealed the

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booking had been kept secret internally under the code name

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Project Susan, a reference to Susan Boyle, because, as he explained,

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Susan Boyle raimes with royal kinds in the balance. When

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told the code name, apparently loved it. The station also

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attempted to have a personalized Aston Villa Shirp made for

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William with Wills on the back, but reportedly ran out

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of the letter l and settled for Heart instead. In Istanbul,

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following Villa's Europa League victory. William encountered the hosts of

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the Claret and Blue podcast in that stands and call

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them over by name, Matt Dan, he said, waving them

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toward the director's box. When they jokingly asked when he

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planned to appear on the show, William replied, I've been

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thinking about it. When pressed on whether he actually watched it,

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he said, yeah, that's why I know who you too

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are and what you a lot, and I know about this.

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The hosts described the exchange is unreal and fate. William

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described the evening itself as slightly surreal and the matches

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having gone pretty smoothly. All three of those assessments a

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peer accurate. On the Taylor Swift front, William told Heart

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Radios a man to hold, and when asked directly whether

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he had received a wedding invitation, no comment. I'm hoping

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and I'm sure there might be an invitation around, but

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we'll see. The remark has since been analyzed extensively. Charlotte

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is described as obsessed with Swift and the family attended

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the year as tour. Whether the Waleses will attend a

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Swift Kelsey's ceremony remains unconfirmed. Though it is worth noting

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that some reports place a possible date around June thirteenth,

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same day as trooping the color. William has not addressed

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the scheduling conflict. King Charles made a moving visit to

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York Hospital's newly developed McMillan Cancer Center this week, planting

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a yellow McMillan rose in the therapeutic garden and speaking

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candidly to patients about the importance of being able to

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talk about the experience of cancer. The King, who was

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still undergoing treatment, told one patient simply, it's everywhere. He

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warmly embraced Lady Halifax on arrival and told a former

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patient who had helped shape the scent to design well

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done you. The visit was widely covered as one of

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the more genuine and unguarded Royal engagements of recent months. And, finally,

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with im Penney behind the scenes visit to Saint George's Park,

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the England football team's training headquarters, to meet the staff

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supporting Thomas Touchell's squad ahead of the World Cup. He

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thanked what he called the team behind the team, coaches, analysts, nutritionists,

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get staff and told them go with my blessings and

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my best wishes, enjoy it, look after each other and

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give your best. He is expected to travel to America

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during the tournament to support England. Given the timeline of

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the possible Taylor's swift wedding, the Scone debate, the villa victory,

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and Harry's reported designs around Balmorral, this summer ahead promises

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to be, by any reasonable standard, eventful and they have

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it all this month. We're encouraging listeners of Palace Intrigued

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to help spread the word. If you enjoy this show,

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I'm Mike Francis my thanks to John McDermott. This is

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Palace Weekly in good terms.

Harry and Meghan's Balmoral Row, Andrew's Royal Ascot Allegation, and Meghan's Record-Low Approval

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