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Ah Caloroga Shark Media. Hi am welcome to Palace intrigue.
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I am your host, Mark Francis. A royal family quietly
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broke with tradition at the recent Nigerian state banquet, ditching
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alcohol entirely and serving a custom mocktail instead in a
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nod to President Bola Ahmed Tinebu's observance of Ramadan. Typically,
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state banquets feature a full selection of wines and even
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a signature cocktail created for the visiting dignitary, but this
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time the menu was fully adapted, a vegetarian meal, no alcohol,
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reflecting cultural and religious considerations. In place of the usual cocktail,
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the palace introduced a bespoke drink called the Crimson Bloom.
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The mocktail was inspired by the Nigerian Chapman and described
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by the royal family as a blend that unites Nigerian
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zobo and English rose. It combines rose flavored sparkling soda, grenadine,
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fresh lemon, and a hibiscus and ginger syrup, resulting in
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a ruty, slightly tart drink that's being positioned as a
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perfect spring option. The version served at Windsor used Luscombe
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damascene rose Bubbly, a non alcoholic British mixer made from
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rose petals, grapes and spring water, notably a brand that
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holds a royal warrant. The alcohol free approach Alsaw aligns
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with a more personal shift from Catherine, Princess of Whales.
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During a recent visit. She revealed, since my diagnosis, I
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haven't had much alcohol. It's something they have to be
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a lot more conscious of now. While Catherine appeared to
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toast with water during the banquet, the presence of a
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carefully designed mocktail reflects a broader trend toward thoughtful, non
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alcoholic options that don't sacrifice presentation or experience. Kate made
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a notable style statement at the Nigerian State banquet, choosing
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a green gown by designer Andrew Ginn, interestingly pulled from
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his Fall twenty twenty one collection rather than a brand
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new piece. The dress balanced tradition and modernity, featuring a
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high neck line, voluminous sleeves, flowing skirt with subtle rushing
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across the bodice. The green color also tied into her
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recent Saint Patrick's Day appearance, suggesting a deliberate continuity in
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her wardrobe choices. This week, she paired the look with
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familiar royal staples at Jenny Packham, Clutch Green, Saturn, Monolo,
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Blanic Hills and significant royal jewelry. Most notably, she wore
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the lovers not tiara, long associated with Princess Diana, along
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with sapphire and diamond earrings from the Queen Mother's collection.
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The tiara choice continues at Patten as it has become
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one of Kate's go to pieces for major state occasions,
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blending historical continuity with her own established image. This appearance
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also marked a subtle evolution in her designer rotation. While
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she has long relied on Alexander McQueen and Jenny Packham,
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Andrew Ginn represents a newer addition, suggesting a willingness to
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broaden her fashion portfolio while staying with a polished diplomatic esthetic.
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William visited Bournemouth to highlight the progress of his Homelessness
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initiative Homewards as the program aproaches its third anniversary later
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this year. The Prince of Wales was joined by international
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delegations from Australia during the visit. William met with the
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delegates at Bournemouth Pier before joining a session with the
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newly formed Youth Homelessness Board, which brings together representatives from
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different sectors to improve support for young people at risk.
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He also spoke with a member of Homeward's national co
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production group about how lived Experience is helping shape the
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program's strategy and priorities. Later in the day, the group
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visited the Bourne Academy to hear about pilot programs focused
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on preventing youth homelessness, particularly through early intervention in school settings.
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The visit concluded with William meeting sixth form students who
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had taken part in tenancy Rights and Responsibilities workshops run
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by the charity Shelter. The sessions are designed to give
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young people practical knowledge about managing accommodation as they prepare
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for independent living. William's focus on homelessness has been shaped
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over many years, influenced in part by visits to charities
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during his childhood with Diana, Princess of Wales, including organizations
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such as Centrepoint and The Passage, where he now serves
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as patron. Speaking previously about the initiative, William said Homewards
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is an ambitious program. Tackling homelessness is not just about
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building homes, Creating long term changes complex and unpredictable. But
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I am confident we can lead and inspire understanding empathy
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and optimism that homelessness can be ended. We know that
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achieving our goal will take a collective effort, but the
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power of partnership cannot be underestimated, and we will continue
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to support you a hard work and build momentum by
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bringing in new partners and resources. Success for Homewards means
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demonstrating the change is possible, that homelessness is not the
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insurmountable challenge it is too often perceived to be. More
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palace in just a moment. Deep Crown is our royal
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insider here at Palace Intrigue. He's a veteran observer of
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the British royal family, a devoted admirer of the late Queen,
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cautious fri to the institution, and a man who writes
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about all of it with a candor that the Palace
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Press Office would almost certainly prefer he kept to himself.
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He contributes regularly to the podcast, and he publishes a
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newsletter on Substack where the Deeper Analysis lives. Free dispatches
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go out to all subscribers, and if you want more
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Deep Crown and based on our inbox, you do search
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Deep Crown on Substack or google deep Crown or find
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the link in today's episode notes that's Deep Crown on Substack.
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An interesting note from Tom Sykes and the royalist who writes,
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I have to say the King's appearance with the President
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of Nigeria was worrying. He did not look well. He
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looked very pale, and one of his hands appeared noticeably swollen.
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We are now in a very odd situation where the
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British papers are barely acknowledging that the King is seriously ill.
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But on the evidence of the pictures, he looked weak,
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tired and exhausted, with even more than usually swollen hands.
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While people have talked about diplomatic sensitivities around the US trip,
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difficult diplomacy has rarely stopped a royal tour. Indeed, smoothing
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over difficult diplomatic situations is one of the key purposes
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of royal tours. So I suspect that any delay informally
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announcing the trip has much more to do with Charles's
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health than whether he is truly capable of undertaking it.
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Kimilla is said to be keen for him to do
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less and slow down, and that would make perfect sense.
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With the proposed dates now only about five weeks away.
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Perhaps the Palace is beginning to feel more confident he
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will be able to get there and back, But based
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on today's photographs, I think there is real cause for concern.
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The King joked with cyclists about cheating as he walked
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a newly opened section of coastal path named in his honour,
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choosing to complete the route by foot rather than by
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a bike. Wearing a lounge suit and using a walking stick,
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he covered the two kilometer stretch of the King Charles
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the third England Coast Path, taking views of the Seven
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Sisters Cliffs from land for the first time. During the walks,
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he stopped to speak with members of the public, including
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a group of cyclists. Have you got the latest bikes?
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He asked, before being told they were e bikes, He
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responded cheating. The King also spoke with walkers and joggers
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along the route, telling him he hoped he had not
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disturbed their day. One passer by remarked, it's not what
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you see every day, is it, while another reacted with surprise,
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asking the King, are you serious? Charon, who had been
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up walking with a friend, said amazing. Not what we were
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expecting at all, Just out for a nice walk and
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someone said the King was along there. The visit marked
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the official inauguration of the King Charles Third England Coast Path,
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which will eventually stretch twenty seven hundred miles, making it
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the longest continuous managed coastal walking route in the world.
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The King unveiled two plaques during his visit, and at
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one point joked that the second might have unveiled itself
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as strong winds tugged at the covering as he walked.
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He focused on environmental details, asking questions about how well
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other styles maintained, as well as proper catchment area management,
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nature recovery and coastal erosion. He described the project as
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marvelous and said the work to complete the nature reserves
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and coastal path was fantastic. Earlier, at a reception hosted
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by the South Downs National Park Authority, the King spoke
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with organizations involved in the project. Have you walked it before?
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He asked, referring to the path. Tony Juniper, chairman of
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Natural England, told him it was wonderful. You're here to
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see it, adding it was one of the things closest
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to your heart. The King asked, and the path will
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always be there, and it's the longest one anywhere. Mister
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Juniper described it as the ultimate way of connecting with
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the coast, prompting the King to remark on cold water swimming,
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saying they're all doing it. Referring to the weather, he added,
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we've come at the right time. After completing the walk,
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mister Juniper said, we don't do small talk with his Majesty,
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not when he's out looking at nature. He's so interested
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in animals, plants, geology. He finds it fascinating and uplifting
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to see the work being done here, working together to
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bring this landscape and vision to life. The visit also
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highlighted progress on the creation of twenty five national nature reserves,
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a project launched to mark the King's coronation, with the
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Seven Sisters site becoming the thirteenth to be established. And
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then you have it. If you'd like to email us
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addresses the Palasintrigue at gmail dot com, please follow us
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on the Spotify, Apple or the app of your choice.
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I'm Mark Francis My thanks to John McDermott. This is
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palace intrigue and good terms