Sept. 3, 2026

King Charles Loses ‘Major Eye Candy’ as Prince William Gets a Crocodile and Queen Camilla Nearly Joins Only Murders

Show Notes
Transcript

It’s a strange day in royal news. King Charles is losing Lieutenant Colonel Jonny Thompson — the famously photogenic senior equerry once declared “exceedingly handsome” by Martha Stewart — as he prepares to leave royal and military service. Prince William gets an equally unusual honor when Robert Irwin names a twelve-foot Australian crocodile after him, while Queen Camilla nearly lands a cameo on Only Murders in the Building. Plus, Harry and Meghan sharply deny reports they’ll attend an upcoming Diana Award dinner, Meghan launches a new As Ever sparkling wine while taking heat over her suspiciously pristine gardening, and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor faces a direct accusation from a U.S. congressman as reports suggest he’s enjoying the French Riviera — and may even be shopping for a home there.

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Palace Intrigue is a daily British royal family podcast covering King Charles, Meghan Markle, Prince Harry, Kate Middleton and the House of Windsor. New episodes every day. Follow on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen. Part of the Caloroga Shark Media network.

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Caloroga Shark Media. Hello and welcome to Palace Intrigue. I

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am your host, Mark Francis. A major loss for King

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Charles as Major Eye Candy is preparing to leave Royal Service.

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The since-promoted Lieutenant Colonel Johnny Thompson, one of the most

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recognisable members of King Charles and Queen Camilla's household, will

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step down as the King and Queen's senior equerry at

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the end of the year. He is also leaving the

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military after more than 20 years in the army and

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is expected to move into the private sector. Buckingham Palace

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said Charles and Camilla knew about Thompson's plans in advance.

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Their Majesties were of course aware of this plan in

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advance and I know they are most grateful to Johnny

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for his support over the past seven years and wish

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him all the best for the future. Thompson joined the

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Royal Regiment of Scotland in 2006 and served in both

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Iraq and Afghanistan. His connection with the royal family developed

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through his military career, and in 2018 he was responsible

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for ceremonial and military support at Queen Elizabeth's Balmoral residence.

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In December 2019, Thompson became an equerry to then-Prince Charles

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and Camilla. When Charles became king in September 2022, Thompson

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became his equerry, and two years later he was promoted

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to senior equerry serving both Charles and Camilla. That role

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put Thompson alongside the King for some of the most

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significant moments of the new reign, as well as during

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overseas visits and meetings with world leaders. He was part

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of the royal entourage during Charles and Camilla's state visit

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to the US in April. Thompson also became something of

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an unexpected celebrity in his own right. Royal Watchers created

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social media fan accounts devoted to him, and his appearance

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even caught the attention of Martha Stewart when She encountered

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him at a King's Trust event in New York. Stewart

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later wrote, We actually spoke while waiting for King Charles

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to get us for a few words. Totally charming, completely cool,

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exceedingly handsome. Prince William has received an unusual tribute from Australia.

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A 12-foot saltwater crocodile now bears his name. Conservationist Robert

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Irwin announced that the animal, described as big boy in

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a modern-day dinosaur, is the 300th crocodile tagged through a

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major research program at the Steve Irwin Wildlife Reserve. Irwin

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explained the project's purpose on Instagram. This is all for

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the conservation of crocodiles, and over the years we have

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caught 300 crocs in this groundbreaking study, he said. I'm

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very proud to say that this big boy right here

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is the 300th crocodile that we have caught. This is

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a really exciting milestone, and in gratitude and recognition for

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Incredible conservation work from His Royal Highness, the Prince of Wales.

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We wanted to name this extremely special modern-day dinosaur, this

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amazing animal, after His Royal Highness. So meet Prince William.

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Here he is. Researchers will follow the crocodile for the

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next decade, where the croc is expected to be consistently

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furious with his brother. Tracking equipment will help them study

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his diet, diving habits and body temperature, including the ways

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a changing climate may affect him. Queen Camilla apparently came

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close to making a cameo in Only Murders in the Building,

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although scheduling complications prevented the royal appearance from happening. John Hoffman,

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the showrunner and executive producer of the Hulu comedy, discussed

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the abandoned idea during an interview with Vulture. We almost

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got Camilla. I know it's insane, but yes, there was

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a moment, Hoffman said. The possibility appears to have advanced

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far enough for the production team to consider how Camilla

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could be accommodated. although there has been no suggestion that

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she formally accepted a role. The obstacle was reportedly logistical.

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British Union rules restrict productions to 10-hour filming days, and

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incorporating a royal visit into an already demanding schedule would

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have required extensive planning and security arrangements. Hoffman said it

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was going to be a whole thing, and the proposed

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cameo was ultimately abandoned. The idea emerged as only Murders

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in the Building prepared to move its central mystery from

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New York to London in for its sixth season. New

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reports suggest Harry and Meghan will not attend a Diana

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Award gala dinner on September 18th, despite a Mail on

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Sunday report suggesting the couple were planning to be there.

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A spokesperson for the Sussexes pushed back on that report

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with an unusually pointed statement. Despite the Daily Mail's reporting

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to the contrary, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are

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not scheduled to attend a Diana Award event at Raffles

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Hotel on OWO London on September 18th. Facts matter. Accuracy matters.

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Apparently neither made the guest list for this particular story.

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An insider says he is considering either writing a letter

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or recording a video message for the event. Meghan announced

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what she calls a new chapter, but the message appears

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to concern her as-ever lifestyle brand rather than her family's

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return to Britain. The Duchess of Sussex posted an image

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of a new sparkling wine on Instagram and confirmed that

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As Ever's Reserve Brut will go on sale today. Megan wrote,

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A new chapter to celebrate introducing a Reserve Brut crafted

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in the traditional method Champenoise and sourced from Napa Valley.

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This elegant sparkling wine was made for gathering, toasting and

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savoring life's beautiful moments. Available September 3rd at wineasever.com. Meanwhile,

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Megan is once again being mocked over her gardening content.

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this time after, as ever, posted a photograph showing the

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Duchess of Sussex harvesting vegetables while dressed almost entirely in white.

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The image posted with the caption Soaking in the last

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of summer in the garden shows Megan wearing a white shirt,

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a long cream skirt and a wide-brimmed hat. A basket

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containing red, white and yellow onions appears nearby. Social media

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users had questions. Who wears white to pick vegetables? Are

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those onions in the basket? They're cleaner than the ones

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you get at the grocery store. Another wrote, what an embarrassment.

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My local grocery store doesn't usually have such perfect onions.

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She is such a fake. Thank you for pointing that out.

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I was focused on the ill-fitting outfit. More pallets in

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just a moment. Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been directly accused of

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committing sex crimes in the United States by a sitting

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member of Congress as pressure continues in Washington for greater

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accountability over the Jeffrey Epstein case. Republican Congressman Thomas Massey

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of Kentucky named Andrew during a speech in Washington while

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calling for people associated with Epstein who may have committed

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crimes to be investigated. We want perpetrators of these crimes

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to be investigated and prosecuted. Massey then specifically named Andrew.

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And Prince Andrew, who committed sex crimes in the United States.

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Perhaps hearing these names will shame the Department of Justice

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into delivering justice. That is an allegation made by Massey,

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not a finding by a court. Andrew has consistently denied

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sexual wrongdoing and denied Virginia Geoffrey's allegations against him. Andrew

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has reportedly been spending time on the French Riviera with

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claims that he may even be considering buying a home

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there as his life becomes increasingly removed from the royal family.

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Royal author Andrew Lowney says, Andrew has not been stuck

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forlornly in Marsh Farm over the summer. He retains his

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passport and regularly travels abroad with the knowledge of the King.

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Andrew has been in the south of France, where he

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was spotted in a red baseball cap, white trousers, Timberland

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shoes and Ray-Ban glasses, and accompanied by two 40-something women,

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one blonde and the other with red hair. It is

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said he is looking for a property in the region.

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A source told Radar Online, Andrew's world in Britain has

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become considerably smaller, so the suggestion that he is spending

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time in southern France and potentially looking at property there

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will inevitably fuel speculation about his future. He has lost

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his royal status in his former Windsor home. and France

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could offer the privacy and distance he may feel he needs.

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Another source said, if Andrew genuinely is exploring property there,

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it would represent another significant step away from his former

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royal existence. The Riviera offers sunshine, discretion, and considerable wealth,

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and he could potentially live far more anonymously there than

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anywhere associated with the royal family. What is interesting is

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the picture it paints of Andrew's life away from Britain.

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Public perception might be that he has been sitting isolated

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at Marsh Farm following everything that has happened, whereas these

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reports suggest he is still travelling internationally and enjoying the

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company of friends and acquaintances. Being spotted around Kahn and

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Nice with two women while apparently exploring the possibility of

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buying a property there inevitably makes the story more intriguing.

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It suggests he may already have a social circle or

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connection in the region rather than simply arriving there anonymously

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to inspect houses. For somebody whose position within the royal

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family has collapsed so spectacularly, the image of him on

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the Riviera in sunglasses accompanied by two women and reportedly

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considering property there is certainly a striking contrast with his

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much more isolated existence back home. And there you have it.

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If you'd like to email us, our address is thepalacentric

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My thanks to John McDermott. This is Palace Intrigue. Good times.

King Charles Loses ‘Major Eye Candy’ as Prince William Gets a Crocodile and Queen Camilla Nearly Joins Only Murders

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