Dec. 12, 2025

King Charles’ Christmas Card Backfires and Fans Discover the Royals Write Back

Show Notes
Transcript

Royal fans grumble over the King’s 2025 Christmas card, complaining that a photo taken in the spring “doesn’t feel Christmassy.” Meanwhile, supporters are delighted to learn they can send cards to the Royal Family — and often receive one in return. William and Harry may both attend the 2026 World Cup in the United States as the next transatlantic royal showdown brews. William joins Kate’s cold-water swimming routine, admitting he “does a lot of yelling” during plunges. Visitors to Windsor Great Park face a frustrating new detour around the Waleses’ home. And officials explain why renaming streets linked to Prince Andrew is far more complex than it sounds — even as his old St Andrews golf course gets a clean rebrand.

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WEBVTT

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Calorogus Shark Media. Hello and welcome to Palace Intry game

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you host Mark Francis. Royal fans have voiced frustration over

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King Charles the Third's official Christmas card for twenty twenty five,

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with some saying it doesn't feel very Christmasy and questioning

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why the Royal household selected a photograph clearly taken in

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the spring. The King and Queen shared the card, featuring

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an image from their twentieth wedding anniversary celebrations in Rome

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last April. The photograph shows their Majesty's arm in arm

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in the gardens of Villa Wolkonski, the British Ambassador's residence,

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and the Italian capital. While many have praised the picture itself,

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the backdrop of blooming flowers and lush green trees has

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led to questions about its suitability for a festive greeting.

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The card carries the traditional message wishing you a very

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happy Christmas in New Year, the King standing on the

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left dressed in a dark blue suit with a gray tie,

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while the Queen wears a white and beige coat dress.

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This marks there fourth at Christmas card since Charles became monarch.

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The image was captured by a royal photographer, Chris Jackson,

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during the couple's state visit to Italy, and was also

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used to commemorate their anniversary. Reaction online has been pointed.

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One social media user wrote, beautiful pick, but it doesn't

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fill Christmas. Might I suggest a lovely pick from Windsor

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or Sandringham when the Christmas lights are lit, or even

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taken up front of the Saint George's chapel. Another quipped, oh,

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held delightfully festive a springtime photo from April and Rome

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with some fairy lights slapped on it truly captures the

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Christmas spirit. A further critic simply stated, doesn't look like

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Christmas to me, while another commented least Christmas feel ever.

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Come on, Your marketing team can do better than this, surely.

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On Instagram, one user added, admittedly it would have looked

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more festive for the Christmas seasonal decoration around the photo,

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just on a corner. If you are still working through

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the final names on your own Christmas card list, it

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appears there is one group of recipients. Many people had

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not realized they could write to the Royal family themselves,

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and as many fans have now discovered, a card sent

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to a royal residence is often answered with one of

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the family's owned Christmas cards in return. One mother recently

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took to Instagram to reveal just how meaningful it is

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to receive a royal reply. In the post, she said

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the arrival of a Christmas card from a real life

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princess is often the highlight of the season for both

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her and her young daughters. Royal enthusiasts abroad have also

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shared their excitement, with several in the United States confirming

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that replies reached them so long as their correct international

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postage has been used. For those posting within the United Kingdom,

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Royal Mail's final dates are approaching seventeenth of December for

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second class and twentieth of December for first class. Obtaining

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a Christmas card from Princess Catherine is remarkably straightforward. Supporters

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need only send their own festive card with a clear

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return address. Palace staff will then reply on behalf of

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the Prince and Princess of Wales with a card containing

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a pre printed message of thanks in a photograph. There

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is no formal protocol. A simple seasonal greeting is entirely appropriate,

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though while wishers may choose to offer the Princess on

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early birthday messages. She turns forty four on the ninth

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of January. The cards should be addressed to TRH the

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Prince and Princess of Wales, Kensington Palace, London, W eight

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four p X. That's TRH the Prince and Princess of Wales,

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Kensington Palace, London, W eight for p X, and the

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King and Queen may also be contacted in the same

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way their addresses The King and Queen, Buckingham Palace, London,

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s W ONEA one double A. Other working royals accept

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correspondents as well, including the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh

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at Bagshot Park GU nineteen five p L. That's the

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Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh at Bagshot Park GU nineteen

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to five p L and the Princess Royal at Buckingham

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Palace SWEA one A. Further postal details for all members

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of the royal family, along with guidance on writing to them,

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can be found on the monarchy's official website or palace.

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In just a moment, the next royal fight could be

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over soccer. There are fresh indications that both Prince William

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and Prince Harry Hope to support Team England in the

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twenty twenty six World Cup, parts of which will be

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staged in the United States. According to reporting in The Sun,

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early preparations are already under way. One source said Wills

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is planning to come to the US and we have

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been told to prepare for what a trip would entail.

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Interactions between security services and the UK US intelligence teams

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are in progress. The prospect of a visit comes as

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separate reports suggests the Prince and Princess of Wales are

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expected to travel to the United States for the fourth

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of j Lion, when America marks the two hundred and

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fiftieth anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

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At the same time, it is being suggested that the

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Duke and Duchess of Sussex will not be part of

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any official commemorations. A source told Page six. We're hoping

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all the senior royals will come over. This is going

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to be a huge year for both the US and

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the UK. Obviously, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex aren't

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working royals, so they will not be invited to any celebrations.

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Any invitation would have to come at the behest of

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the royal family themselves. William has reportedly joined Kate in

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her cold water swimming routine and practice Catherine adopted following

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her cancer diagnosis and says helps her manage stress. She

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had previously remarked on The Good, The Bad and the

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Rugby podcast that when it comes to cold swims, the

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cold are the better, noting at the time that her

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husband considered the idea crazy, particularly in the dark or

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in the rain. However, during a recent engagement at Colwyn Bay,

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the Prince of Wales admitted he has now taken up

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the habit. You feel great afterwards, he said, adding I

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love it, while also conceding that I do a lot

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of yelling and screaming when I get in. Festive visitors

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heading to Windsor Great Park for their Christmas tree have

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expressed irritation over a newly imposed detour around the recently

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occupied home of the Whales family. The diversion, set up

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to prevent traffic from passing directly in front of Forest Lodge,

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is adding more than a mile to the short journey.

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Access in and out of the immediate area has been

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limited since the Prince and Princess of Wales began settling

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into their eight bedroom residents last month. As a result,

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those making their annual trip to the Christmas tree shop

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next door are now being steered onto a looping route

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to avoid the entrance to the royal property. One local

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told the Daily Mail a car was parked and running

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both days with what looked like two plane clothes officers

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inside to prevent anyone going into the lodger's grounds. The

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shop is right next door, so it's not surprising that

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Waleses are keeping an extra eye out in case anyone

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is tempted to take a peek. We've talked a few

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times about renaming streets that have Prince Andrew in the title,

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but it appears that renaming a street isn't all that

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easy to do. Any change is far from straightforward. Address

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alterations can affect bank accounts, credit cards, driving licenses, utility builds,

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property deeds, and even pet microchips. Businesses must update signage

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and stationary Royal mail and emergency services must be consulted

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to avoid confusion. Councils can charge administrative fees. Digital systems

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such as sat nav, databases and online mapping services also

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need updating. Past examples show how complex and costly. The

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process can be In Tottenham, Harringe Council spent at least

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fifty pounds renaming black Boy Lane to Larrose Lane in

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twenty twenty three, reimbursing one hundred and sixty eight households

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for the cost of changing their documentation. Even then, some

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residents protested with homemade signs in a graffiti mural restoring

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the old name appeared before being removed. GEO Place, which

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provides national guidance on street naming, discourages using the names

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of living figures precisely to avoid the sort of reputational

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risk now associated with Andrew mount Baton Windsor. Controversy is

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not limited to Britain. The scion for Plaza Margaret Thatcher

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in Madrid has been repeatedly vandalized, while the street once

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known as Churchill Street in Tehran was renamed Bobby Sands

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Street in nineteen eighty one, prompting the British Embassy to

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create a new entrance on an adjacent non political road.

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As an asside, there is a road in Norwich a

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local politician wants us to know it was named not

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after Andrew mount Baton Windsor, but after Prince Philip's father,

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Prince Andrew of Greece. Golf courses, on the other hand,

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are a little easier to rebrand. The Duke's Course at

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Saint Andrew's, opened by Andrew mount Baton, Windsor in nineteen

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ninety five, will take on a new name, the Craigton Course,

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drawn from a country park situated nearby. The venue lies

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roughly three miles from the town center and forms part

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of the wider golfing landscape around one of Scotland's most

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prestigious sporting and destinations. The rebrand extends to the club's

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visual identity. The existing logo, which features a lion rampant

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clutching a saltire, will be replaced by a design depicting

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trees to remove any royal association. The Duke's Course, currently

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operated by the Collar owned Old Course, Hotel, golf resortant

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SPA or remain in the US management until January fifth,

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after which the new name comes into official use. And

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there you have it. If you like to email us

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or addresses the palacinricat gmail dot com. If you're looking

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And we really appreciate your support. Mark Francis my thanks

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to John McDermott. This is Palace Intrigue in good times

King Charles’ Christmas Card Backfires and Fans Discover the Royals Write Back

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