Nov. 3, 2025

Is Kate the Real Power Broker? Inside the Feud with Andrew and the Waleses Win

Show Notes
Transcript

Royal watchers say Catherine’s quiet influence is reshaping the monarchy as long-simmering tensions with Andrew come into focus—rooted, insiders claim, in his jealousy and early rudeness toward the future Princess of Wales. We cover the Waleses’ legal victory over Paris Match, Jonathan Dimbleby’s blunt take on the King’s decision, the Royal Lodge repayment math, signs of activity at Frogmore Cottage, and what Andrew’s next chapter may look like—right down to that Pizza Express near Sandringham.

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Calarogus Shark Media that low and welcome to Palace intrigue.

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I am your host, Mark Francis. Is Kate actually the

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most powerful member of the royal family while Prince William

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is currently seen as king in all but name, Perhaps

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we should be looking more closely. Royal commentators say the

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tension between Prince William and his uncle Andrew has deep roots,

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and at the center of it, all, they claim, is

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Andrew's jealousy of the Princess of Wales. Speaking to Fox

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News Digital, several experts suggested that Andrew, once regarded as

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Queen Elizabeth's favorite son, resented Catherine's growing popularity as the

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modern face of the monarchy. Royal commentator Hilary Fordage said

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the feud between Prince William and Prince Andrew started primarily

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due to Andrew's jealousy and resulting disparaging remarks regarding Kate Middleton.

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Prince William was infuriated. Being fiercely protective, he instituted a

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zero tolerance policy toward any wayward behavior or scandals involving

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Prince Andrew. Biographer Andrew Lowney, whose recent book entitled The

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Rise and Fall of the House of York examines the

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Duke's turbulent life, alleges that Andrew was rude to Catherine

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early in her royal life, a slight that William has

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not forgotten. Lowney said, my source said Andrew was rude

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to Kate, and I think he was probably rude because

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he's a real snob. He may have felt that Kate

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wasn't aristocratic enough to marry William. While I can only speculate,

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no one has a harsh word to say about Kate.

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She's been the savior of the royal family. Andrew has

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always thought that he should be king rather than Charles.

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There's always been a festering envy for many years. It's

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probably why William is now taking a very strong line

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against Andrew. Royal Inside a Deep Crown tells us William

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is very much his own man, fiercely so in fact.

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But one would be remarkably naive to discount Catherine's influence

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in shaping the strategic direction of their household, particularly regarding

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matters of reputation and family protection. Fordage added that Andrew's

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bitterness grew as Catherine's popularity sword All the more daunting

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for Andrew was his displacement as his mother's golden boy.

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His resentment grew with his plummeting popularity and was then

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further exacerbated by Kate's prominence and poise. Royal analyst Ian

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Pallam Turner said Andrew's frustrations also stemmed from comparisons between

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his daughters and William's wife. Andrew has always wanted more

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adulation for his two daughters. When Kate came along and

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was protected by other royals, it was like a red

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flag to a bull, he said. He always thought he

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should be king rather than Charles. There's always been a

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festering envy. Lost in the shuffle on Andrew Gate was

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news that the Prince and Princess of Wales have won

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their legal case against a French magazine which published photographs

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of their private family ski holiday earlier this year. Kensington

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Palace confirmed that Paris Match magazine was found to have

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briefed the privacy and image rights of Prince William, Catherine

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and their children after printing long lends photographs to the

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family during their April trip to the Alps. In a statement,

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a Pallace spokesperson said the pictures were grossly intrusive, adding

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The ruling affirms that, notwithstanding their public duties as members

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of the royal family, their Royal Highnesses and their children

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are entitled to respect for their private lives and family

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time without unlawful interference and intrusion. The Prince and Princess

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of Wales are committed to protecting their private family time

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and ensuring that their children can grow up without undue

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scrutiny and interference. They will not hesitate to take such

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action as it is necessary to enforce those boundaries more

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powace in just a moment. Broadcaster and longtime friend of

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King Charles Jonathan Dimbleby has spoken publicly about the monarch's

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decision to finally act against his brother Andrew out Baton Windsor,

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describing the move as the culmination of years of embarrassment

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for the royal family. Speaking on BBC Breakfast and later

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on Radio fours Today program, Dimbleby said the King had

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reached the point where one of the proper things to

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do now is to have made it clear that the

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Prince his brother is beyond the pale. Pressed by presenter

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Charlie State about comments from Virginia Jeffrey's family, who have

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said they believe Andrew should face justice in the United States.

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Dimbleby was unequivocal. Asked whether the King would intervene if

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Andrew were called before the US Senate to answer questions,

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he replied no, because he will want to keep out

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of this the judicial process. If there is an extradition,

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it will not have to do with the King himself.

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Dimbleby described Andrew as arrogant, boorish, entitled and embarrassment for

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a long time. For the BBC, Shawn Coughlin points out

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there have been questions about whether and why Andrew might

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get money back from the Crown of State when he

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leaves Royal Lodge. When Andrew he took on the seventy

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five year lease for the winds of property in two

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thousand and three, he paid more than eight million pounds

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up front to cover renovation and rent. Under the terms

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of the agreement, if he were to leave within the

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first twenty five years, a period that runs until twenty

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twenty eight, he would be entitled to reclaim a portion

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of that advance payment. The repayment has been structured to

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taper each year. It began at approximately seven million pounds

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and reduces annually with the current value calculated at around

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one hundred eighty six thousand pounds for each remaining year

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up to twenty twenty eight. On that basis, the Public

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Account's Committee previously suggested that Andrew could receive more than

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five hundred thousand pounds, with a projective figure of roughly

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five hundred sixty thousand if he were to vacate the

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property next year. However, sources indicate that some of this

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compensation may need to be directed towards repair costs at

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Royal Lodge, meaning the ultimate sum returned to Andrew is

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still unclear. Interestingly, workers have been coming and going from

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Frogmore Cottage day and night in recent weeks. According to

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The Sun, teens have been inside the Windsor home for

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several weeks with lights burning late into the night. People

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have been inside Frogmore Cottage working day and night, a

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source told the paper. Over the weekends, the lights were

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on after dark and workmen have been coming and going

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for weeks. The Grade two listed cottage, located on the

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Windsor estate, was famously home to Prince Harry and Meghan

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Markel from April twenty nineteen until they stepped back from

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royal duties in early twenty twenty, the Duke and Duchess

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of Sussex spent two point four million pounds refurbishing the property,

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covering the cost of repairs themselves after criticism over public funding.

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We may not have seen the last of Andrew. Royal

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commentator Alistair Bruce tells the BBC it must have been

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quite a challenge personally for the King because it's his brother,

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but the monarchy is his principal responsibility and serving the

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nation comes first. This was entirely necessary to make it

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clear that the King which is to put distance between

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these horrific Epstein allegations and the work he does as

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head of state. Bruce said the decision marks a defining

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moment in the King's reign. It's a huge humiliation for him,

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he added, and I also think leaving the house that

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you have come to know as home is extremely unsettling

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for anybody. On the question of how Andrew will now

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be supported financially, Bruce noted that the Lake Queen was

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likely to have made private provisions for her son. Bruce

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said he also will have his pension from the Royal Navy.

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He served as an officer in the Royal Navy until

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he left that service and went into royal duties, and

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so I suppose that will be part of it. I

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think what we won't see is Andrew Mountbatten Windsor using

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the main door of churches when there was a public

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interest in the attendance of members of the royal family.

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I think he will come in and leave those events privately.

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Residents living near the Sandragammon State have expressed dismay at

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the prospect of Andrew moving there. Local retireing Susan Larkin's

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told reporters he's a horrible man. We don't want him

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up here. Another resident, Jackie Cruckshenk, added He's got to

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do it somewhere, hasn't he. I just hope when he

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does it doesn't come here. They don't ruin it all

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with all the photographers because they're not going to let

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him go, are they. One of the most memorable and

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bizarre moments of Andrew Mountbatten Windsors and Now, in from

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his BBC Newsnight interview with Emily Maitliss, was his insistence

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that he could not have met seventeen year old Virginia

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Jeffrey in London on the tenth of March two thousand

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and one, as she alleged because he had taken his

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daughter to a Pizza Express in Woking that day. The

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Express decided to be helpful and let mister MW that

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his new residence. Will find it not far from another

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branch of the same restaurant, the Pizza Express and Kings

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Lynn rated four point four styles on trip Advisor. Sits

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just eight miles from the Sandringham Estate. Andrew will find

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it located opposite Saint Margaret's Church, about a sixteen minute

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drive from the Royal Estate. Yeah, they have it. He'd

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like to email us addresses the Palace Entry at a

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gmail dot com. Please followus on Spotify, Apple or the

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app of your choice and leaves a nice reviews. If

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you're enjoying the show, Mark Francis my thanks to John McDermott,

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This Palace intrigue and good ms MHM.

Is Kate the Real Power Broker? Inside the Feud with Andrew and the Waleses Win

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