Oct. 1, 2025

Is Prince William winning a power struggle against King Chales? Andrew and Fergie disinvited from Halloween

Is Prince William winning a power struggle against King Chales? Andrew and Fergie disinvited from Halloween

It may be the end of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson’s public presence within the royal family, as King Charles reportedly has made the decision to keep both the Duke and Duchess of York at “arm’s length” following the emergence of emails suggesting that Sarah Ferguson maintained contact with Epstein long after publicly disavowing him in 2011. While Andrew’s own connection to the disgraced financier has long dogged the monarchy, this new detail has reignited scrutiny.


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Calorougus Shark Media.

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Hello and welcome to Palace Intrige game your host, Mark Francis.

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It may be the end of Prince Andrew and Sarah

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Ferguson's public presence within the royal family, as King Charles

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reportedly has made the decision to keep both the Duke

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and Duchess of York at arm's length, following the emergence

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of emails suggesting that Sarah Ferguson maintained contact with Epstein

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long after publicly disavowing him in twenty eleven. While Andrew's

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own connection to the discreased financier has long dogged the monarchy,

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this new detail has reignited scrutiny. A royal source told

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The Sunday Times that the pair are not expected to

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attend the traditional Christmas festivities at sandra Ham this year,

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nor are they likely to be welcome at future family events.

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You can't sack someone from being your brother, but this year,

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if the Duke and Duchess were both to be as

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honorable as last year, it would be very much for

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the best and the family would not be disappointed. A

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family friend adds, the King is not of the mind

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to banish someone worshiping a church or attending family occasions

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like a funeral, but he would hope that they would

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find a more discreet way of attending these events. In

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the Duke of York's case, he seems to relish the

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prospect of not being low key about it. Prince William

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has made no secret of his frustrations, and earlier report

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from The Daily Beast quoted a sources saying William always said,

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just cut Andrew off completely. Charles was so desperate to

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be seen as embodying the spirit of Christian forgiveness that

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he let Andrew back in. Now, with public patients wearing thin,

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it appears King Charles's finally drawing firm boundaries, though for

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someone within the family it may be a case of

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too little, too late any male's. Richard Kay suggests a

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risk in pushing Andrew too far away. He explains, if

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he is pushed too far, how might Andrew react? Would

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he follow his nephew's lead and write a memoir which

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could potentially be even more devastating for the royals. In

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Prince Harry's book, can Charles bring himself to sever all

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links with the brother who for twenty two years was

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his immediate heir. Can he be firm without being cruel?

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With more possibly to come out about Andrew and Epstein,

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his legacy as a monarch may depend on it. In

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the Royalist, Tom Sykes suggests we are seeing a shift

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in the balance of power from father to son. Sykes riots,

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this is not about who gets how many roast potatoes.

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It is about the structure, the anatomy, the sinews of

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the monarchy. Who holds power, who makes decisions, Who defines

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the institution's survival strategy. The answer is now clear. William,

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make no mistake. This is an utter humiliation for Charles

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who expended significant political capital against the advice of his

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son and his key aid, Sir Clive Alderton, to invite

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Andrew to join the family at Christmas twenty twenty two,

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and then incredibly invited Sarah Ferguson, who tried to sell

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access to Andrew in a videotaped sting for five hundred

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pounds and twenty ten. Don't believe the spin and the

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Sunday Times that this is the King's decision and William

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supports it. This is just clever journalistic diplomacy by the

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ever skillful Royer Nicker It's clear to everyone with a

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political antenor that this is William's hard won victory, and

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events have forced the aged, weak father to comply with

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his son and heir. It is Charles who has been dragged,

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against his own attempts to the contrary, into accepting William's

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harder line. Of course, the King and the Prince of

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Wales are not only divided on Andrew, but also on style, tone,

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and fundamental questions of how the monarchy should conduct itself

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at Harry to the mix and the differences multiply, the

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UK Press rarely mentions the looming fact shaping all of this.

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Charles is gravely ill, not expected to live much more

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than a couple of years, and is supposed, according to press,

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to be seeding control to William. However, he has resisted

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handing over power in the same way his own mother did.

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Elizabeth allowed childs to co run the monarchy during her

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last decade. It's intriguing that the King climbed down after

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spending time with William and Scotland this week. The Palace

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tried to present last week's father son meeting in Scotland

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as a summit of unity. The truth as my readers

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know is different. Williams stayed at Balmoral, eight miles from Burkehall,

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where Charles and Camilla are based. He spent much of

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his time shooting grouse with friends. This was no cozy

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weekend of father son bonding. It was a negotiation and

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William emerged with his father's head more palace in just

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a moment. If you're a fan of true crime and

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justice stories, please check out our sister podcast, Celebrity Trials.

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It's a daily show diving into all the current trials

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going on around the country, and then sometimes we dive

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into some of the more classic cases, like this week

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is the thirtieth anniversary of the O. J. Simpson Trial verdict,

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and the show is covering eight months of the trial

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in eight days, eight Days of OJ. Check it out

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Celebrity Trials wherever you get your podcasts. Megan Michael's role

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in a high profile Los Angeles gala has come into

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question after her name was left off the official program

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for the rescheduled event. The Duchess of Sussex had originally

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been due to attend the Night of Wonder gala at

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the Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County in June,

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where she was set to be honored for championing women

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and underserved communities. The event, designed as an enchanted garden

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at night, complete with immersive exhibits and live music, was

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postponed due to protests in the area, and now has

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been rescheduled for October fifteenth. When announcing the original event,

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Museum president Laurie Bettison Vargas said, we are proud to

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honor Megan, Duchess of Sussex and Native Angelino, whose work

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to advance community well being and expand opportunity, especially for

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unders served communities, aligns with our equity focused approach to

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developing science literacy for the next generation. However, with tickets

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for the autumn gala prized at fifteen hundred dollars, Meghan's

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name no longer appears on the official schedule, and reports

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suggest her attendance remains uncertain. The Duchess's representatives and the

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museum have yet to comment. Meghan Michael has given fans

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another glimpse into her private life, this time sharing a

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video from a relaxed evening with friends. The duchess posted

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the short clip to Instagram showing the game of Marjong

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in progress at her Montecito home. Seated around the table

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with three friends, Meghan revealed her Marjong tales laid out

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alongside a glass of wine and another drink. The lighthearted

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moment was set to Elizabeth Mitchell's Little Eliza Jane. Meghan

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has previously spoken about her fondness for game nights in

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her Netflix series With Love Megan. She explained, the game

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itself is really so fun, but what was so great

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was the idea of learning something new with your friends

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together and then recognizing that Marjong becomes the background of

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the expansion of friendship. Sir Gary Aldman has officially been knighted.

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The sixty seven year old actor received the honor at

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Windsor Castle on Tuesday in a ceremony presided over by

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the Prince of Wales. Known for his remarkable range, Oldman

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has played everyone from Said Vicious to Winston Churchill, a

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role that earned him the Academy Award for Best Actor

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in twenty eighteen for the Darkest Hour. He was also

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widely recognized as Serious Black in the Harry Potter series,

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commissioner Jim Gordon in Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy, and

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most recently as Jackson lamb in Apple TV's Slow Horses.

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Also honored at Windsor was actress Samantha Morton. England Football,

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the Rachel Daily, part of the Lioness's triumphant Euro twenty

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twenty two squad, was named an MBE for services to football.

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There was a half felt moment between siblings and the

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Princess Anne unveiled a new portrait of her brother at

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the Scottish Parliament in Holyrood. The photograph, filled with sentimental detail,

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now hangs alongside had a portrait of their late mother,

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Queen Elizabeth, captured by a photographer Millie Pilkington in the

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sunken garden at Balmoral Castle last autumn. The image shows

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the King wearing his own Charles, the third Tartan killed

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and holding a handcrafted stick gifted by the May Highland Games.

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The relaxed setting and familiar retire offer a nod to

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the royal family's deep rooted tires to Scotland. As Princess

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Anne removed the covering cloth, she smiled warmly and placed

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her hand over the frame, a quiet, affectionate gesture that

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did not go unnoticed. Also not going unnoticed was a subtle,

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yet significant change in the king's appearance, his iconic signet ring,

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once a symbol of his former role as Prince of Wales,

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has been replaced. Traditionally, King Charles wore a distinctive gold

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signet ring on the smallest finger of his left hand,

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often paired with his wedding band, which he wears beneath it.

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The ring bore the heraldic badge of the Prince of

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Wales's three ostrich feathers rising from a coronet with the

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motto I Serve. According to jewelry historian Helen and Dimmick,

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the ring was gifted to Charles by his great uncle,

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Prince Edward, the Duke of Windsor, who held the same

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title before his abdication in nineteen thirty six. Dimmick explains,

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since the mid seventies, King Charles the Third has been

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photographed wearing a signet ring on his smallest finger of

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his left hand. This was a very personal and symbolic jewel,

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but in the newly released image the ring on his

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hand appears different. Some observers believe the undated piece carries

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a coat of arms more closely associated with Prince Philip

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Charles late farther rather than familiar Prince of Wales insignia.

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The original ring, thought to be over one hundred and

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seventy five years old, was not only a piece of

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jewelry but a historic tool of royal identity, with roots

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dating back to ancient times when signet rings were used

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to authenticate documents. While bucking and Palace has not commented

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on the change, the swap may reflect a new chapter

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in Charles's life as monarch, symbolically closing the door on

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his decades of air apparent and perhaps quietly embracing his

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rollers sovereign and son. And there you have it. Trying

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

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