Feb. 17, 2026

King Charles Cornered: Epstein Files, Redactions and Growing Calls for Royal Apology

Show Notes
Transcript

King Charles is facing renewed pressure to address Prince Andrew’s association with Jeffrey Epstein as newly released Department of Justice files spark fresh controversy.
Victims’ lawyer Brad Edwards is calling for a “sincere, real apology” on behalf of Andrew and any role played by the Royal Family, while survivor advocates accuse authorities of “thwarting justice” after references to Andrew in the files appeared more heavily redacted following their initial release.

The documents show Andrew continued corresponding with Epstein in late 2010, including sharing a confidential Helmand investment briefing weeks after publicly claiming he had cut ties. Separate emails reference “the Palace” in connection with alleged phone hacking claims, though no supporting evidence was provided.

Palace advisers are reportedly divided over whether a public apology would demonstrate compassion or risk legal consequences. Meanwhile, commentators warn the monarchy is battling simultaneous crises: the Andrew scandal reignited, King Charles undergoing cancer treatment, and the ongoing rift between Prince William and Prince Harry.

Even a surprise Children’s Mental Health Week engagement by Catherine struggled to shift the headlines.

Is silence still a strategy — or is the pressure finally closing in on the King?

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Calorougus Shark Media. Now, hello and welcome to you, Palace intrigue.

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I am your host, Mark Francis. King Charles is facing

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renewed calls to issue a formal public apology over his

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brother Andrew Mountbatten Windsor's past association with Jeffrey Epstein. As

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fresh allegations continue to surface, Victims representatives have urged the

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King to address the matter directly. Brad Edwards of Edwards

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Henderson said to the King, I would say why not

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at least listen to the details of the story after

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that issue a sincere real apology on behalf of Andrew

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and any role played by the Royal family that world

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was only possible because Andrew was who he was. He added.

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Victims want a real apology, not just lip service. Epstein

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survivor Marjiki char Touni said the Royal Family is a

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carefully managed endeavor and so claiming ignorance of Andrew's activities

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is absurd. It's time for the King to address his

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organization's failings. Within the palace, officials are said to be

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weighing the risks of any public statement. One senior source

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suggested advisers are concerned about the damage Andrew continues to

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do by association and believe a direct address from the

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King might help draw a line under the scandal. However,

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the monarchy is reportedly wary of appearing to admit responsibility.

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A palace aid said Charles understands the gravity of the

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allegations and how much this has hurt survivors, but there's

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a genuine fear that admitting any responsibility could open the

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floodgates legally and politically. His advisers are split. Some say

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a growling apology shows compassion, Others warn it could look

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like an admission of guilt. Newly released Epstein files that

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reference Andrew appeared to have been altered after their initial publication,

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prompting fresh controversy over how the documents have been handled.

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Earlier this month, the United States Department of Justice released

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approximately three point five million pages of material related to

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Jeffrey Epstein. The documents included multiple references to Andrew, who

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has consistently denied wrongdoing and has not been charged with

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any crime in connection with Epstein. Journalists were initially able

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to identify a references to Andrew through searches of an

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email address beginning with Tdy understood to denote the Duke

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of York. First entering those initials, reportedly returned dozens of

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emails in which the address was partially visible. Since then,

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the email address has been fully redacted in many of

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the documents, making it significantly harder to trace references to him.

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The changes have added to criticism surrounding the release. Some

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survivors and US lawmakers who had campaigned for transparency have

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argued that the redactions are overly broad. Epstein survivor Jess

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Michaels told the Son this is thwarting justice. This is

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a cover up of the cover of the crime. I

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wish I could tell you that all of this is shocking,

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but for us it's not. It's actually predictable. We are

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continuing to be gas lit. It's designed to protect those

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responsible and intimidate survivors to stop them coming forward. Department

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of Justice documents show that Andrew continued working with Jeffrey

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Epstein weeks after publicly claiming he had cut off all

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contact with the convicted sex offender. According to the emails,

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Andrew sent Epstein a confidential briefing on Christmas Eve twenty

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ten titled Helmand Investment opportunities brief outlining potential UK led

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reconstruction and investment projects in Afghanistan's Helmand Province. At the time,

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British troops were still engaged in active combat against Taliban

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forces in the region. In the message, Andrew told Epstein

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he would be very interested in his comments and asked

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for advice on who else could be shown the document

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to help attract interest also from the documents, and EA

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sent by Jeffrey Epstein in July twenty eleven, claims that

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the Palace had urged him to consider legal action against

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The New York Post over alleged phone hacking connected to

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then Prince Andrew. In the message, date of July eleventh,

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twenty eleven, Epstein wrote to attorney Matthew Menchell asking for

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advice on whether to bring a case against the tabloid,

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which is owned by Rupert Murdoch. In the email, Epstein

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claimed that the Palace had evidence that The New York

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Post hacked my phones to get to Prince Andrew. No

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evidence was provided to support the allegation. The email was

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sent one day after the final print edition of the

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News of the World, another Murdoch owned newspaper, was published.

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The paper was shut down amid the phone hacking scandal

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that engulfed British media at the time. In the same message,

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Epstein expressed hesitation about pursuing legal action, writing that he

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was not sure if I want the battle. He ultimately

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never filed a lawsuit against Murdoch or any of his companies.

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Epstein also wrote that the there is no love lost

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at the Palace for Murdoch. The email surfaced four months

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after Rupert Murdoch, then aged ninety four, attended a banquet

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at Buckingham Palace hosted by King Charles to mark Donald

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Trump's state visit. It remains unclear whether Epstein was referring

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specifically to Buckingham Palace or to Andrew mount Batten Windsor

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when he mentioned the palace in the email. Documents also

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show that Jeffrey Epstein donated tens of thousands of pounds

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to a wildlife charity linked to Prince William, several years

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after the financier had been convicted of sex offenses. According

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to the documents, Epstein donated fifty thousand US dollars to

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wild Aid in November twenty thirteen. That same year, Prince

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William was named an ambassador for the charity. Emails released

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alongside the donation. Records show that wild Aid later sought

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to engage Epstein further, including efforts to arrange meetings with

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senior executives the following year. Wild Aid has also received

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support from King Charles, though there is no suggestion that

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either the King or the Prince of Wales were aware

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of Epstein's donation at the time it was made. Royal

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expert Duncan Lakholm tells The Mirror the magnitude of the

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allegations is terrifying for the royal family. These are not

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minor allegations. They are absolutely enormous. His brother Andrew says

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he's innocent of everything and is vehemently denied ever meeting

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Virginia Geoffrey and being involved in that respect. So you'd

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think that the answer to the problem that would be

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for the King to say to him, well, all you've

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got to do is testify, cooperate, draw a line under this.

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On the flip side of that, if King Charles doesn't

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do that, if he isn't vociferous and he desired for

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his brother to try and talk through his innocence, it's

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almost an indication that Charles thinks his brother is guilty.

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So it's a very very fine line, and that's what

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the Palace is grappling with. In The Guardian, Stephen Bates

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wonders have the UK royal has ever been in a

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bigger mess than this? Bates riots Even without Andrew, the

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royal family is in a mess. The King, in his

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late seven is hobbled by his cancer diagnosis and ongoing treatment,

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realizing that his reign may be short. Meanwhile, Prince William

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is not on speaking terms with his younger brother, with

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a little sign of reconciliation, if that is even possible

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after all the disobliging things Harry said about his relatives

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in his book and intermittent interviews. It's hard to remember now,

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but a decade ago the brothers writing A Tide of

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Goodwill were the bright hope in the institution, the pair

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who would take over the bulk of royal duties from

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their granny and their aging relatives and conduct the endless

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round of visits and events that are meant to maintain

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the royals visibility and public popularity. That longevity that used

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to be part of the institution's strength is on the wayne,

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and it will be at least fifteen years before the

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next generation of royals, George, Charlotte and Lewis can step up.

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That's even if they want to do so. Some of

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the sins of the current institution lie with the late Queen,

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who followed her parents in comfortable complacency. It was not

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her fault that she lived too long, but it was

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that she did not reign in the excesses of her

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second son, who had been known to be a liability

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for at least twenty years. The monarchy must change now radically,

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but will it to do so would go against its

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nature more palace in just a moment. Relations between Kate

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and the York sisters are said to remain cordial but distant,

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according to sources speaking to The Daily Mail. Insiders claim

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the Princess of Wales and Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie

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haven't got that much in common, and that Kate is

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seldom seen spending time with either cousin. Eugenies reported closeness

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with Prince Harry and Megan Markle in the years following

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their departure from royal duties is also said to have

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created unease. A photograph from twenty sixteen, which showed the

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sisters walking behind Catherine at a Buckingham Palace garden party,

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attracted attention at the time for what some observers described

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as frosty expressions. One royal source said William and Kate

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don't appear to be close to either of the sisters.

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Beatrice and Eugenie were invited to help host a Buckingham

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Palace garden party once a year, but there's no sign

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of them being considered taxpayer funded working royals. Royal commentator

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Richard Fitzwilliams said the sisters face an enormous challenge in

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balancing their public appearance with the ongoing scrutiny surrounding their parents.

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He added Catherine will undoubtedly be wary given the sensitivity

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of the situation. The Royal optics are so poor right

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now that even Kate being wonderful isn't enough to change

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the subject. The Princess of Wales carried out a surprise

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engagement in South London on Thursday, visiting Castle Hill Academy

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in new Addington, Croydon, to mark Children's Mental Health Week.

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There are days where that would fit entire newspapers, but

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in the current Andrew driven news cycle, it barely gets mentioned.

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During the visit, kate two of these school's early years

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facilities and met pupils, staff and parents. In the art studio,

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she joined a group of children aged nine to eleven

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and spoke with them about kindness and emotional wellbeing. Speaking

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to one boy, she said, kindness is key. That's a

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very important message, isn't it. The princess wore a chocolate

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brown trouser suit paired with a light blue shirt and

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brown loafers. I look the true praise online. Royal Watches

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took to social media to comment on her outfit. One

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user wrote, great look love the loafers, which, in full

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disclosure I may or may not have an addiction to.

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Another said that is a really nice take on business

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casual and I kind of love it a lot. And

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there you have it. If you'd like to email us

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addresses the Palettess Intrigue at gmail dot com, Please followus

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on Spotify, Apple or the app of your choice and

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leave it's a nice review. If you're enjoying the show,

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

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Pallett's Intrigue and good Times

King Charles Cornered: Epstein Files, Redactions and Growing Calls for Royal Apology

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