July 27, 2025

King Charles' Garden CHAOS: Staff Exodus at Highgrove + Camilla's Secret Hideaway Revealed

King Charles' Garden CHAOS: Staff Exodus at Highgrove + Camilla's Secret Hideaway Revealed

Behind the perfectly manicured gardens of Highgrove House lies a workplace nightmare! We expose the shocking staff exodus, brutal working conditions, and King Charles' demanding red-ink memos that drove nearly an entire gardening team to quit. Plus, Prince William heads to Switzerland for the Women's Euros final, while Queen Camilla keeps her independence with a secret retreat away from royal life. Charles makes a historic move naming Camilla as the first female Vice Admiral - but is he securing her legacy against William's future plans?

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WEBVTT

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Calorouga Shark Media. Hello and welcome to Pallace Intrigue. I

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am your host, Mark Francis, complete with summer allergies. The

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hard working Prince William will travel to Switzerland today to

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attend England's Euro twenty twenty five. The patron of the

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Football Association will be of the finale of Women's Euros

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in Basel. The King's devotion to nature is legendary, but

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behind the tranquil hedgerows of high Grove House, a very

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human drama appears to have taken root. According to The Times,

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a new investigation reveals that the carefully cultivated image of

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harmony at King charles beloved Gloucestershire estate may be masking

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deep dysfunction behind the scenes. Despite hosting a harmony summit

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recently replete with sacred smoke, ceremonial feathers and spiritual incantations,

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staff and Higrove say the working conditions in the dams

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have been anything but serene. Highgrove has long served as

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Charles's personal sanctuary, a botanical vision he's been refining since

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nineteen eighty, but since becoming king and formalizing a complex

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legal agreement to retain the property technically owned by the

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Duchy of Cornwall, Charles involvement has only deepened. He retains

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strict oversight on the gardens through walkabouts and handwritten memos,

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often in red ink, commenting on everything from the positioning

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of ragwart near the swimming pool to the underperformance of

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his prized delphiniums. Staff say the King's attention to detail

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can be both exhilarating and exhausting. One memo corrected a

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misspelled Latin plant name with a kurt no, while others

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overflowed with exclamation marks when the roses pleased him. Yet

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the expectations are relentless and often reportedly unrealistic given the

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team's limited resources. According to multiple former gardeners interviewed under

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the condition of anonymity, Hi Grove is plagued by chronic understaffing,

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low morale, and meager pay. In twenty twenty two, nearly

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the entire gardening team turned over, with eleven of twelve

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full time gardeners departing. One was dismissed after a single

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botanical misstep. Another was allegedly shouted at by a senior

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manager for daring to suggest more staff were needed to

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meet the King's Expectations grievances were filed. An independent review

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commissioned by the King's Foundation confirmed poor management, high turnover

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and pay concerns. Recommendations included mental health support, management training,

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and a review of salaries. One former gardener told investigators

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there is little management of his majesty the King's Expectations.

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I know I would not be allowed to say we

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are understaffed. Others say physical injuries were sustained from overwork,

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and that suggestions for improvement were often met with reprimands

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rather than support. To cope with the shortages, High Grove

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has resorted to bringing in temporary staff, retirees, and even

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flow to the idea of recruiting Ukrainian refugees. The deputy

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head gardener role remains vacant, and the head gardener position

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has changed hands three times in many years. In a

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statement to the King's Foundation, acknowledged staffing pressures, but pointed

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to high satisfaction rates among current employees, record garden tour revenue,

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and increased public interest in the King's influence over the estate.

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Queen Camilla may now be at the very top of

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the royal hierarchy, but even after twenty years of marriage

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to King Charles, she continues to keep one foot outside

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the gilded gates of Pallace life in a subtle yet

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telling detail. Royal photographer Chris Jackson recently shared the Queen's

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new birthday portrait on Instagram. In the image showing Camilla

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looking relaxed with her rescue dog Molly, but it's the setting,

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not the smile that drew attention. Pictured here happy and

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relaxed at home in ray Mill, Wiltshire, Jackson wrote, confirming

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that Camilla had once again chosen to be photographed at

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her personal residence rather than at a royal estate. The

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repetition at home in ray Mill wasn't accidental. While Clarence

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House is her official residence with the King and the

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couple off its in time at Highgrove House in Gloucestershire,

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ray Mill remains Camilla's private retreat, quietly apart from the

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royal fold. She purchased the eight hundred and fifty thousand

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pound property in nineteen ninety four after her divorce from

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Andrew Parker Bowls and lived there until her two thousand

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and three marriage to Charles, but she never gave it up.

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According to local reporting from the Wiltshire Gazette and Herald.

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The couple agreed early on the Camilla would retain the home.

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It was a place of deep family memories and importantly,

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a space where she could beat herself away from protocol,

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staff and the spotways. As Hello Holmes editor Rachel Avery

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put it, the Queen appears to use this property as

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a special hideaway, a place for quiet and calm. It's

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not the first time ray Mill has served as the

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backdrop for Camilla's portraits. Her seventy fifth birthday images, taken

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by none other than the Princess of Wales, were also

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shot there. The house is said to boast serene gardens,

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a swimming pool, and enough privacy to enjoy a laid

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back weekend without royal observers. The Queen's ongoing connection to

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ray Mill is more than sentiment. It's symbolic. While King

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Charles has High Grove as his sanctuary, Camilla maintains her own.

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It's a modern twist on royal life, a queen who

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plays her part in public but still values her independence

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in private. With speculation mounting about Prince William's future plans

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for the monarchy, Charles has taken a very public step

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to secure Camilla's legacy within the royal family, Charles has

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formally named Camilla Vice Admiral of the United Kingdom, making

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her the first woman in British history to hold the

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honorary title. The ceremonial role, granted with the approval of

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the First see Lord, Sir Gwynn Jenkins, is seen as

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a significant affirmation of Camilla's standing in both the royal

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family and the military establishment. Sir Gwynn said the appointment

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would further enhance her Majesty's relationship with the Service, adding

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that her recent visit to h M Naval Base Devonport

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had been a tremendous boost to morale. The move comes

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at a delicate time. While Camilla's marriage to the King

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has long since shifted from skin end or two stability

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and she is said to get along well with both

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William and Kate, the complex legacy of Charles's earlier relationship

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with Diana still looms large. In particular, Prince William is

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believed to retain strong feelings of loyalty towards his late mother,

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which could shape the monarchy's future direction. But while the

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King appears open to a reconciliation within the family, particularly

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with Prince Harry. William is reportedly far less forgiving. The

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Daily Beasts recently quoted a friend of the Prince of

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Wales as saying William absolutely effing hates his brother and

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that he will never ever forgive Harry for what he

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has done. The naming of Camilla as Vice Admiral is

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the latest in a series of moves by Charles to

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solidify his wife's position. After originally bestowing the title Queen Consort,

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he later issued a royal warrant updating her official style

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to simply Queen Camilla, a sign of a full integration

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into the core of royal life. As for what William's

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overhaul might mean for Camilla in the years ahead, that

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remains unclear, but Charles's message is unmistakable. He intends for

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her to remain a key figure in the monarchy long

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after he's gone. Whether his son will agree is a

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question for another rain. More palating just a moment. And

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by the way, a new episode of Crown and Controversy

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is out today. Check it out wherever you get your

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podcasts like this one. And it's a pickup of the

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Crown the TV series where it left off and begins

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with William and Kate's relationship, Crown and controversy. It's available

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now check it out. A new coin has been unveiled

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to mark the seventy fifth birthday of the Princess Royal,

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honoring her decades of tireless service to the Crown, The

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Royal Mint has released the first ever official UK coin

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dedicated to Princess Anne, a five pound commemorative peace celebrating

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what they call her remarkable lifetime of service. Dubbed the

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Anne Adversary Coin, the release was personally approved by the

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Princess herself and features a portrait of Anne wearing her

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distinctive aquamarine pine flower tiara, her hair swept into her

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signature boufont around the image reads the end description the

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Princess Royal celebrating seventy five years duty and devotion. The coin,

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designed by Thomas D Doherty, also includes Anne's official coat

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of arms and on the obverse a portrait of her brother,

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King Charles the Third, who gave final approval in tribute

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to his sister. Dougherty said he aimed to capture the

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strength of character and understated elegance, adding that Princess Anne's

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legacy of service to the nation and the Commonwealth served

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as the core inspiration for the design. Being Scottish, I

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admired the Princess Royal's dedication to Scottish organizations and communities.

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He added, I hope this coin serves as a fitting tribute.

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The tiara featured on the coin has its own regal history,

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an Art Deco piece originally gifted by King George the

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six to Queen Elizabeth the future Queen Mother, and later

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passed on to Anne as a wedding gift in nineteen

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seventy three. The Princess had the peace altered in the nineties,

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with stones repurposed for matching pendant and ear rings, which

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he also wears on the coin. Rebecca Morgan, director of

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Commemorative Coin of the Royal, remarked, for the first time

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in British numismatic history, we are honored to celebrate the

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Princess Royal on an official UK coin. Her Royal Highness's

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on wavering commitment to public service, charitable work and support

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of His Majesty's Armed Forces over seven and a half

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decades makes her truly deserving of this tribute. Though she

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turns seventy five on August fifteenth, Princess Anne is opted

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to mark the milestone modestly, hosting a charity forum at

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Buckingham Palace in June in lieu of a large scale celebration.

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Princess Anne remains widely respected for her dedication and stamina.

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In twenty twenty four alone, she completed nearly four hundred

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official engagements, more than any other member of the royal family,

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even while recovering from a horse related injury that left

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her in intensive care for five nights. A former Olympian

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equestrian and patron of countless causes, Anne has long been

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considered the hardest working royal. The commemorative coin is officially

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on sale at the Royal Mint website. The standard brilliant

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uncirculated versions priced at seventeen pounds fifty. Collectors can also

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purchase silver proof edition for one hundred and ten pounds,

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a pied fort version for two hundred eight pounds, or

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a goldproof priced at four thousand, one hundred and ten pounds.

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Three additional collector sets are also available, each featuring vintage

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George the Six coins from nineteen fifty, the year the

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Princess was born, with prices ranging from twenty five pounds

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to four thousand, five hundred pounds. Fitting tribute then for

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a royal that was spent a lifetime getting on with

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the job and they have it. If you like to

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email us, our address is the palasindrigat gmail dot com.

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Please foll us on Spotify Apple at the Apple you're Joyson.

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It was a nice review from joining the show. I'm

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Mark Francis my thanks to John McDermott. This is Palace

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Intrigue and good terms