Oct. 24, 2025

King Charles Prays with the Pope in the Sistine Chapel; Harry Sounds AI Alarm; Fresh Heat on Prince Andrew

King Charles Prays with the Pope in the Sistine Chapel; Harry Sounds AI Alarm; Fresh Heat on Prince Andrew
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A historic first as King Charles and Queen Camilla join Pope Leo XIV for an ecumenical service inside the Sistine Chapel, before a second ceremony at St. Paul Outside the Walls. Plus: Prince Harry co-signs an open letter calling for a halt to “AI superintelligence,” and Prince Andrew faces new scrutiny—from explosive book claims to questions over his peppercorn rent at Royal Lodge, reported China meetings, and talk of a US invitation to testify.

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Calarogu Shark Media.

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Hello and welcome to Palace intrigue game, your host, Mark Francis,

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King Charles and Queen Camilla marked a historic moment in Rome,

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joining Pope Leo the fourteenth for an ecumenical service inside

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the Sistine Chapel, believed to be the first time in

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hundreds of years that a British monarch as head of

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the Church of England has publicly prayed with a pope.

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The setting underscored the significance the very chamber where Pope

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Leo was recently elected. The King and Queen attended as

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part of a state visit aligned with the Catholic Church's

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jubilee year. Before the service, they were received in a

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private audition with the Pope. Afterwards, the King also met

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Cardinal Pietro Paolin with the Vatican, noting discussions on matters

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of common interest, including protecting the environment and alleviating povity.

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During the service itself, prayers were led in English and

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Latin by Pope Leo and the Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell,

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while Anglican and Catholic choirs performed with the King and

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Queen's seat in nearby on gold chairs. From there, the

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King and Queen moved on to a second service at

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the Basilica of Saint Paul outside the walls. The king

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assumed the honorary title of Royal Confrator, reflecting historic tires

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between the British crown and the Basilica. The Vatican designed

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a chair for the king and his successes, bearing the

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royal coat of arms and the inscription that they may

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be one. The moment carries both religious and diplomatic weight.

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Queen Elizabeth I met multiple popes across her reign, but

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never publicly prayed with one. Charles Long, an advocate of

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interfaith understanding, has sought to be seen as a unifying figure,

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noting years ago that while at the same time being

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defender of the faith, you can also be protector of

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the faiths. That pluralistic approach may frame this visit as

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much as any single ceremony. Church leaders stressed the symbols

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ahead of the visit. The Vatican's Reverend Martin Brown said

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these services were intended as a sign of our closeness

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and willingness to see one another as brothers and sisters

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despite differences, adding that such witness matters not just in

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terms of the Ecumenical project, but for humanity in general.

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On ongoing theological gaps such as the ordination of women,

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Archbishop Flavio Peace acknowledged the issue as a potential problem,

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but said it is more urgent that we stay together,

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that we dialogue, and that we continue to walk together.

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With the Archbishop of Canterbury's seat in transition following Justin

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Welby's resignation, the Archbishop designate Sarah Malaley is expected to

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be installed early next year. As Professor Anna Rolands observed,

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she will be once installed the head of a fellow

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Christian ecclesial community. The Archbishop of Canterbury's representative to the

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Holy See, the Right Reverend Anthony Ball, put it plainly,

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the development of having female clergy and female bishops in

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the Church of England is one that is recogniz it

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does a matter for the Church of England by the

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Catholic Church. Analysts cautioned that unity in prayer does not

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signal agreement on every question. The very Reverend Andrew McGowan said,

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we don't have to change each other, while the Reverend

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Thomas j Rees remarked there's certain topics you don't bring

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up at Thanksgiving dinner, adding, you know where everybody stands,

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and so the effort is to see where we can

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work together. Prince Harry has issued a stark warning declaring

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there can be no second chance when it comes to

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artificial intelligence. In a new open letter co signed by Megan,

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the Duke of Sussex, joined an eclectic group of public

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figures from tech pioneers to political commentators, calling for a

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halt on the creation of so called AI superintelligence. The

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future of AI should serve humanity, not replace it, Harry wrote,

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I believe the true test of progress will be not

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how fast we move, but how wisely we steer. There

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is no second chance. The couple's names appear alongside an

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unusual mix of co signatories, including Glenn Beck, Steve Bannon,

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Richard Branson, Apple co founder Steve Wozniak, and Stephen Fryer,

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all part of the Future of Life Institute appeal warning

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on the dangers of unregulated AI development. The open letter

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states we call for a prohibition on the development of superintelligence,

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not lifted before there is a broad scientific consensus that

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it will be done safely and controllably in strong public

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buy in. This is a pivotal moment in our collective

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mission to protect children and support families in a digital age.

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More palace in just a moment. According to the new

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book entitled The Rise and Fall of the House of York,

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Prince Andrews's behavior behind palace stores was as arrogant as

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it was erratic, and his treatment of staff, colleagues and

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acquaintances has left a long trail of appalled witnesses. The

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book describes how Andrew allegedly demanded that maids claimed four

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flights of stairs each morning to open his bedroom curtains

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while he lay in bed beside them. One form of

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staff acclaimed his bedtime habits as a single man, left

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a lot to be des with a collection of scrunched up,

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soiled tissues, left the staff to clear away. On another night,

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Andrew reportedly summoned a television technician to his royal residence

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to explain how the remote control worked. A former equerry

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to the Queen Mother branded him a rude, ignorant sod,

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adding that doit had effectively become his catchphrase. In contrast

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to the Queen Mother and King Charles, who were said

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to treat their staff as human beings, The Duke even

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allegedly sent his armed protection officers to retrieve lost golf balls.

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The book paints a portrait of a man who treated

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rules and courtesies as optional. Dangerous driving was described as

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one of his favorite games, with Andrew allegedly speeding down

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motorways in an attempt to lose his protection officers. In

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two thousand and two, he reportedly refused to step out

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of his car after being stopped for speeding, declaring I'm

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in a hurry. Seven years later, Windsor estate workers petitioned

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the Late Queen after he nearly hit them while racing

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through the park in his Aston Martin, and in twenty sixteen,

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when gates at Windsor malfunctioned, he allegedly rammed them with

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his range Rover, causing thousands of pounds in damage. He

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has a bit of a reputation for roaring around like

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Toad of Toad Hall, one staff member said, and seems

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to think he can do what he likes. Socially, Andrew

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was said to be equally graceless. The book recounts that

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he made inappropriate jokes about urinating himself during an event

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in Indonesia, and that after a tense lunch were then

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Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, the future Prime Minister, equipped

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that dining with Andrew was enough to drive someone to republicanism.

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One ambassador described him as weird, he invaded one's personal space,

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wood rant, and he was unable to read a room.

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Journalist Petronella Wyatt added he was as charming as a

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bull in a china shop. As a trade envoy, Andrew

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allegedly instructed staff to invite attractive women to official functions.

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One diplomat recalled being told he likes blonds, to which

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he replied, I'm a diplomat, not a pimp. Lowney claims

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the duke boasted of sleeping with more than a thousand women,

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including models and socialites, but expected them to come to him.

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The book also includes disturbing claims about bullying and cruelty

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towards staff. Andrew allegedly called one aid a effing imbecile

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for using the wrong title, demanded bows upon entering a room,

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and would say let's try that again if ignored, before

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exiting and re entering. He said to have dismissed one

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employee over a facial mole and another for wearing a

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nylon tie. A former lover described Andrew as a serial

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sex addict who had no boundaries, saying he wanted me

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to engage in kinky sexual activity. It told me he

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had an open marriage arrangement with his wife. Jeffrey Epstein

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once reportedly referred to Andrews one of my closest friends

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in the world and called him exactly that, a serial

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sex addict. During a trip to Thailand for the King's

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Diamond Jubilee, Andrew allegedly entertained as many as forty women

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in his hotel suite, with one leaving as another arrived.

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Royal reported Tom Sykes echoed the account, writing that sources

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had confirmed Andrew's industrial scale sexual consumption, describing it as

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a revolving door of female bodies carried out under the

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auspices of royal diplomacy. Finally, Lowney's book alleges that the

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Duke's childish streak often turned cruel. He would hand guests

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open tubes of mustard under the pretense of a gain,

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push faces into plates, and even unzipped women's dresses at

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social advents. A senior member of the US House Oversight Committee,

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Stephen Lynch, told the BBC's Newsnight that he was sure

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an invitation would be sent to Andrew, saying we would

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be extremely interested in hearing from Prince Andrew regarding his

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involvement in all of this. During the same program, Epstein

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victim Annie Farmer urged Andrew to cooperate, saying I'm not

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holding my breath that Prince Andrew will do that because

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he's had a lot of time to share information that

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he has. But I also think that this is an opportunity.

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This is a moment if he wants to do right

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by a Virginia and the rest of us, he could

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do something different and say I have information I want

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to share because I believe it could be helpful. She

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added that there was a lot of powerful people that

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are implicated in this, and we know that powerful people

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protect each other. The controversy deep and further with The

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Telegraph reporting that Andrew met two alleged Chinese spies during

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twenty nineteen on a trip to China promoting his Pitch

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at Palace initiative. According to the paper, he met Kaya Chi,

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now described as the spymaster at the center of a

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major espionage case, and businessman Yang Tengbo, who was later

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banned from Britain over suspected spying. Andrew has not paid

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any meaningful rent on his sprawling Royal Lodge home for

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more than two decades, according to newly released documents from

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the crowned State. The tenancy agreement shared with The Independent

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shows that Andrew paid one million pounds for a seventy

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five year lease in two thousand and three, plus at

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least seven point five million pounds for refurbishments two years later.

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Since then, his annual rent has amounted to just one

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peppercorn if demanded. The thirty bedroom Royal Lodge, set on

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ninety eight acres and wins a great park, is leased

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until twenty seventy eight, effectively giving the disgraced Royal a

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lifetime residence. Royal author Norman Baker tolt The Times that

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the public deserves to know whether the Prince could be

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forced out. All leases have some kind of break claws,

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so the public must know how he has been able

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to remain there and on what terms he could be

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forced to leave. Another royal expert, Andrew Lowney, echoed that sentiment.

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I think it is important for transparency that the full

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details of that arrangement are made public and why the property,

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in effect public property, was only offered to him. The

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Crown of State confirmed that the contract could be forfeited

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if rent goes unpaid for twenty one days or if

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the tenant preaches any terms, and that inspectors may visit

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upon reasonable notice. Former BBC Royal correspondent Jenny Bond said,

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the King faces a dilemma should he be this lodge

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from the Royal Lodge. He has a pretty cast iron

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tenancy agreement and that is difficult. The King has been

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trying to get him out, Andrew likes us all to

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believe he's a tendency to be rather too honorable. Well,

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I do think the honorable thing might be to say

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I will relinquish not only my titles, but I will

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also relinquish this rather large home. But I didn't see

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that happening. For now, the Duke no longer Duke, remains

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firmly in residence, rent free, scandal shadowed and increasingly isolated

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within the walls of Windsor Great Park. And then you

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have it. You like to leave us an email or

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address is the Palasindric at gmail dot com. Please follow

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the Spotify, Apple and fine us on Facebook, Instagram, all

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the social media sites. I'm your host, Mark Francis. Thanks

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to John McDermot, this is palace intriguing.

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Good terms,