Feb. 7, 2026

Mike Tindall’s Boozy Zara Origin Story, Pippa’s Mansion Hit With Archaeology Warning, and Diana’s Brother’s Divorce Gets Messy

Mike Tindall’s Boozy Zara Origin Story, Pippa’s Mansion Hit With Archaeology Warning, and Diana’s Brother’s Divorce Gets Messy

A breather episode with the rest of the royal universe: Mike Tindall tells the “best decision” story that led to meeting Zara during the 2003 Rugby World Cup, including the admission they both “quite like getting smashed.”

Pippa Middleton and James Matthews hit a snag as renovation plans for their Grade Two listed estate face warnings about disturbing ancient archaeology.

Charles Spencer’s divorce from Karen is finalized, with Karen keeping the Countess Spencer title.

Also: Kate meets a cocker spaniel, Princess Anne keeps doing Princess Anne things, and the Winter Olympics roll on with royals spotted in Italy.

Palace Intrigue is your daily royal family podcast, diving deep into the modern-day drama, power struggles, and scandals shaping the future of the monarchy.

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

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am your host, Mark Francis. Most of the news this

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week was so horrible we thought we'd take a break

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and check in on the rest of the cast. Mike

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Tindall has shared the chance moment that ultimately led to

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him meeting his future wife, Zara, describing it as a

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sliding doors episode. During England's Rugby World Cup triumph in

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two thousand and three. Speaking at an event for Off

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the Ball Rugby, the former World Cup winner explained how

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a series of unexpected injuries among teammates changed his own

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plans and set events in motion. Injuries to two England

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players led to international Austin Healey being flown to Australia

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ahead of the semi final. However, by the time Healey arrived,

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both injured players had recovered and his presence was no

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longer required. Tindall recalled that strict tournament rules meant Healey

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could not remain close to the England squad hotel. He said,

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so he lands on the Wednesday, and World Cup rules

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have weird rules, so if you're not officially part of

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the squad, you are not allowed to stay within a

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one and a half mile radius of the hotel, so

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he is literally in a hotel by himself and me,

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and cause it took pity and decided to go meet

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him for a beer. That decision proved decisive, Tindall said,

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But it turns out that when I was in the

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Sydney Wharf Bar hotel, that is where I met Zara

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for the first time. So it was the best fucking

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decision of Clive Woodward's life, and that is why you

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now call him Sir Clive Woodward. Tindall also described the

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night they met as a lively one, saying ended up

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being quite a boozy one. Then we figured out that

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we both quite like getting smashed. It was a good start.

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He has previously spoken about the meeting in more detail,

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explaining she was on her gap year and in Australia

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with friends. Clive had just told me I was dropped

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for the semi final, so I went out for a

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beer with two others who weren't playing. Zara was in

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the same bar. We got introduced, but didn't speak that much.

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Later on, Austin gave me her none umber and said

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she wants you to text it to say where you're

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all going out after the finals so she can come along.

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While appearing as a contestant on I'm a Celebrity, Get

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Me Out of Here, Tindall also told fellow camp mates

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that despite coming from very different backgrounds, he and Zara

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quickly found they had much in common. He recalled that

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their first proper date involved going for lunch locally, marking

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the beginning of their relationship. Planning proposals submitted by the

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Princess of Wales's younger sister, Pippert Middleton and her husband,

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financier James Matthews, could face delays after concerns were raised

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about the potential disturbance of ancient archaeological remains. The couple

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have applied for permission to renovate and expand their grade

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to listed home Barton Court, a fifteen million dollar estate

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near the Kennett Valley village of Kintbury. However, experts have

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warned that the proposed works may affect previously unidentified archaeology,

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including material dating back to the Paleolithic error, also known

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as the Old Stone Age. A report commissioned to assess

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the site cautioned that the development has the potential to

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impact on hitherto unidentified archaeology spanning prehistoric, medieval and post

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medieval periods. According to The Daily Mail, consultants from Heritage

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Planning Services said the estate sits within an area of

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potential Paleolothic archaeology, noting that boreholes and flint fines across

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the surrounding landscape already point to early human activity. The

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Kennet Valley is widely regarded as one of Britain's most

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significant prehistoric landscapes, home to major sites including the West

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Kennet Avenue, Silbury Hill and Avebury, as well as evidence

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of Bronze Age settlements. Additional concerns have been raised about

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plans to replace the properties existing greenhouse. A council conservation

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officer reportedly warned that this would lead to the loss

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of historic fabric and cause some harm to the listed site.

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Pepper Middleton James Matthews, who married in twenty seventeen, are

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seeking to expand the estate with a new greenhouse, stables

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and extensions including a garden room. The property, purchased in

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twenty twenty one, already includes thirty two rooms, a swimming

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pool and a tennis court. You may remember that Pipper

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and her sister Kate are often portrayed as commoners. Kate

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is now in line to be Queen Pepper is married

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to James Matthews, widely described as a billionaire, primarily due

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to his successful career as a hedge fund manager and

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CEO of eden Rock Capital Management, with some estimates placing

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his net worth in the billions. The divorce between Charles

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Spencer and his former wife Karen has now been finalized,

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ending a marriage that lasted from twenty eleven until twenty

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twenty five, though Karen Spencer will continue to use the

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title Countess Spencer under the terms of the settlement. According

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to reports, the fifty three year old Canadian entrepreneur insisted

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on retaining the title, arguing that her work at the

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All Fourpe estate justified it. Allthorpe, the ancestral home of

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the Spencer family and the burial place of Diana, Princess

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of Wales, is said to have been significantly improved during

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her time as Countess. The divorce settlement, reached after almost

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two years of negotiations, allows her to be styled Karen,

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Countess Spencer. Should Charles Spencer remarry, his future wife would

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be known as the Countess Spencer. The Times reported that

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while the divorce itself was completed in December, some financial

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matters remain unresolved. These include how much Charles Spencer may

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ultimately receive in connection with a separate privacy case involving

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his current partner, Professor Kat Jarman. Professor Jarman, a Norwegian archaeologist,

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brought legal action against Karen Spencer overclaims that private details

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about her life were shared without consent, including an allegation

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that she had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. The case

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was settled out of court in December with no admission

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of liability. A court ruling determined that parts of the

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funds involved would be awarded to Charles Spencer through the

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divorce settlement. In defense papers submitted during the proceedings, Karen

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Spencer alleged that Charles Spence that told her their marriage

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was over via text message in March twenty twenty four.

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Charles Spencer had previously denied as telling The Daily Mail,

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the notion that I would end my marriage by text

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is an absurd attempt to blacken my name. Karen ended

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the marriage after endless threats to do so over the years.

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In early March, she asked me to confirm the end

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of the marriage in a text of March eighteen, and

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my reply was a simple acceptance of her decision. Court

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documents also reveal an email Karen Spencer sent to Professor

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Jarman in March of twenty twenty four, accusing her of

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turning all the children's lives upside down through what she

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described as immoral behavior. In that message, she wrote, good luck, Kat,

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You're in for a hell of a riote. I think

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you will find having him to deal with full time

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will be much trickier than the odd five day escape

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to Norfolk and a night or two in London here

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and there. Professor Jarman had said the claims made against

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her are untrue and defamatory more in just a moment.

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It was such a busy week that even the Princess

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of Wales petting a cute dog barely cracked the news.

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During a visit to Deniman, Cardigan, the Princess met Barley,

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an English Cocker spaniel belonging to staff at the family

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owned company. While greeting the dogs, she remarked, you are lovely,

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before telling those present we have the same breed of dog.

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When asked about the ages of her own dogs. The

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Princess said, so, we've got a little puppy. He's only

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eight months, and Allers five. All of their current spaniels

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given to the family by the Princess's brother, James Middleton

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in twenty twenty. Last year, Aller gave birth to four puppies,

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which were referenced in a birthday message shared for Prince

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William in June. The family previously owned another English Cocker Spaniel, Lupo,

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who died in November twenty twenty. Prince William later spoke

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about Lupo during his appearance in the Apple TV Plus

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series The Reluctant Traveler, with Eugene Levy explaining, so all

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is actually the lease of our other dog, Lupo, who,

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sadly we lost in lockdown. When Levy asked, were you

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there when it happened, the Prince replied, yeah, we were

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all there. Sadly it was very sad. The Princess's visit

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to West Wales also included time at Melon Tregment, a

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woolen mill on the Pembroke Shear Coast known for its

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traditional Welsh designs. There, she observed weavers at the loom

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and learned about the process of double cloth and blanket weaving.

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Later in the day, she visited Hyatt Danham. I'm not

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sure I'm pronouncing that correctly, a brand that gained international

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attention after Megan Michael wore its jeans during a visit

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to Wales in twenty eighteen. The company's found as had

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previously described the resulting publicity as the Meghan Michl Effect,

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saying when Meghan Mikel wore our jeans, we had the

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welds press on our doorsteps. So our grand masters as

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we call them, have become used to being featured in

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things it's good for business. The Princess Royal and Prince

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Albert was seen in Italy on Tuesday attending the one

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hundred and forty fifth session of the International Olympic Committee.

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Winters Anne has a long and unique association with the

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Olympic movement. She was the first member of the British

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Royal family to compete at an Olympic Games, representing Great

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Britain in the Equestrian three day event at the nineteen

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seventy six Montreal Olympics. She later became an IOC member

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in nineteen eighty eight and currently serves as president of

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the British Olympic Association, attending both Summer and Winter Games

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in an official capacity in support of Team Great Britain.

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Her role was especially prominent during preparations for the London

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twenty twelve Olympics. She served as a director of the

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London Organizing Committee and helped secure the successful bid. She

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later traveled to Athens to formally receive the Olympic Flame

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on London's behalf, before returning it to Britain to begin

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the nationwide relay. The Olympic tradition has continued within her family.

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Her daughter Zara Tindall, competed in equestrian eventing at the

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London Games, where Team Great Britain won silver. Princess Anne

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presented the medals to the team, including her daughter, and

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has continued to take part in medal ceremonies at subsequent Games,

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including the Paris Olympics in twenty twenty four. The twenty

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twenty six Winter Olympics officially opened yesterday, with the opening

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ceremony taking place at the San Siro Stadium in Milan.

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Events will beat stage across northern Italy, including Milan, Cortina,

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Dmpezzo and surrounding regions and there you have it. If

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you'd like to email us addresses the Palacindric at gmail

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dot com. Please follow us on Spotify, Apple and Facebook.

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Instagram were all over the social pages by Mark Francis

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my thanks to John McDermott. This is Pallacinric and good

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terms