No booze, just buzz: royal mocktails and new worries about Charles

0:00 Ah Caloroga Shark Media. Hi am welcome to Palace intrigue. I am your host, Mark Francis. A royal family quietly broke with tradition at the recent Nigerian state banquet, ditching alcohol entirely and serving a custom mocktail instead in a nod to President Bola Ahmed Tinebu's observance of Ramadan. Typically, state banquets feature a full selection of wines and even a signature cocktail created for the visiting dignitary, but this time the menu was fully adapted, a vegetarian meal, no alcohol, reflecting cultural and religious considerations. In place of the usual cocktail, the palace introduced a bespoke drink called the Crimson Bloom.

0:45 The mocktail was inspired by the Nigerian Chapman and described by the royal family as a blend that unites Nigerian zobo and English rose. It combines rose flavored sparkling soda, grenadine, fresh lemon, and a hibiscus and ginger syrup, resulting in a ruty, slightly tart drink that's being positioned as a perfect spring option. The version served at Windsor used Luscombe damascene rose Bubbly, a non alcoholic British mixer made from rose petals, grapes and spring water, notably a brand that holds a royal warrant. The alcohol free approach Alsaw aligns with a more personal shift from Catherine, Princess of Whales. During a recent visit. She revealed, since my diagnosis, I haven't had much alcohol. It's something they have to be a lot more conscious of now. While Catherine appeared to toast with water during the banquet, the presence of a carefully designed mocktail reflects a broader trend toward thoughtful, non alcoholic options that don't sacrifice presentation or experience. Kate made a notable style statement at the Nigerian State banquet, choosing a green gown by designer Andrew Ginn, interestingly pulled from his Fall twenty twenty one collection rather than a brand new piece. The dress balanced tradition and modernity, featuring a high neck line, voluminous sleeves, flowing skirt with subtle rushing across the bodice. The green color also tied into her recent Saint Patrick's Day appearance, suggesting a deliberate continuity in her wardrobe choices. This week, she paired the look with familiar royal staples at Jenny Packham, Clutch Green, Saturn, Monolo,

2:15 Blanic Hills and significant royal jewelry. Most notably, she wore the lovers not tiara, long associated with Princess Diana, along with sapphire and diamond earrings from the Queen Mother's collection. The tiara choice continues at Patten as it has become one of Kate's go to pieces for major state occasions, blending historical continuity with her own established image. This appearance also marked a subtle evolution in her designer rotation. While she has long relied on Alexander McQueen and Jenny Packham, Andrew Ginn represents a newer addition, suggesting a willingness to broaden her fashion portfolio while staying with a polished diplomatic esthetic. William visited Bournemouth to highlight the progress of his Homelessness initiative Homewards as the program aproaches its third anniversary later this year. The Prince of Wales was joined by international delegations from Australia during the visit. William met with the delegates at Bournemouth Pier before joining a session with the newly formed Youth Homelessness Board, which brings together representatives from different sectors to improve support for young people at risk.

3:18 He also spoke with a member of Homeward's national co production group about how lived Experience is helping shape the program's strategy and priorities. Later in the day, the group visited the Bourne Academy to hear about pilot programs focused on preventing youth homelessness, particularly through early intervention in school settings. The visit concluded with William meeting sixth form students who had taken part in tenancy Rights and Responsibilities workshops run by the charity Shelter. The sessions are designed to give young people practical knowledge about managing accommodation as they prepare for independent living. William's focus on homelessness has been shaped over many years, influenced in part by visits to charities during his childhood with Diana, Princess of Wales, including organizations such as Centrepoint and The Passage, where he now serves as patron. Speaking previously about the initiative, William said Homewards is an ambitious program. Tackling homelessness is not just about building homes, Creating long term changes complex and unpredictable. But I am confident we can lead and inspire understanding empathy and optimism that homelessness can be ended. We know that achieving our goal will take a collective effort, but the power of partnership cannot be underestimated, and we will continue to support you a hard work and build momentum by bringing in new partners and resources. Success for Homewards means demonstrating the change is possible, that homelessness is not the insurmountable challenge it is too often perceived to be. More palace in just a moment. Deep Crown is our royal

4:52 insider here at Palace Intrigue. He's a veteran observer of the British royal family, a devoted admirer of the late Queen, cautious fri to the institution, and a man who writes about all of it with a candor that the Palace Press Office would almost certainly prefer he kept to himself. He contributes regularly to the podcast, and he publishes a newsletter on Substack where the Deeper Analysis lives. Free dispatches go out to all subscribers, and if you want more Deep Crown and based on our inbox, you do search Deep Crown on Substack or google deep Crown or find the link in today's episode notes that's Deep Crown on Substack.

5:34 An interesting note from Tom Sykes and the royalist who writes, I have to say the King's appearance with the President of Nigeria was worrying. He did not look well. He looked very pale, and one of his hands appeared noticeably swollen. We are now in a very odd situation where the British papers are barely acknowledging that the King is seriously ill. But on the evidence of the pictures, he looked weak, tired and exhausted, with even more than usually swollen hands. While people have talked about diplomatic sensitivities around the US trip, difficult diplomacy has rarely stopped a royal tour. Indeed, smoothing over difficult diplomatic situations is one of the key purposes of royal tours. So I suspect that any delay informally announcing the trip has much more to do with Charles's health than whether he is truly capable of undertaking it.

6:21 Kimilla is said to be keen for him to do less and slow down, and that would make perfect sense. With the proposed dates now only about five weeks away. Perhaps the Palace is beginning to feel more confident he will be able to get there and back, But based on today's photographs, I think there is real cause for concern. The King joked with cyclists about cheating as he walked a newly opened section of coastal path named in his honour, choosing to complete the route by foot rather than by a bike. Wearing a lounge suit and using a walking stick, he covered the two kilometer stretch of the King Charles the third England Coast Path, taking views of the Seven Sisters Cliffs from land for the first time. During the walks, he stopped to speak with members of the public, including a group of cyclists. Have you got the latest bikes?

7:06 He asked, before being told they were e bikes, He responded cheating. The King also spoke with walkers and joggers along the route, telling him he hoped he had not disturbed their day. One passer by remarked, it's not what you see every day, is it, while another reacted with surprise, asking the King, are you serious? Charon, who had been up walking with a friend, said amazing. Not what we were expecting at all, Just out for a nice walk and someone said the King was along there. The visit marked the official inauguration of the King Charles Third England Coast Path, which will eventually stretch twenty seven hundred miles, making it the longest continuous managed coastal walking route in the world. The King unveiled two plaques during his visit, and at one point joked that the second might have unveiled itself as strong winds tugged at the covering as he walked.

7:50 He focused on environmental details, asking questions about how well other styles maintained, as well as proper catchment area management, nature recovery and coastal erosion. He described the project as marvelous and said the work to complete the nature reserves and coastal path was fantastic. Earlier, at a reception hosted by the South Downs National Park Authority, the King spoke with organizations involved in the project. Have you walked it before? He asked, referring to the path. Tony Juniper, chairman of Natural England, told him it was wonderful. You're here to see it, adding it was one of the things closest to your heart. The King asked, and the path will always be there, and it's the longest one anywhere. Mister Juniper described it as the ultimate way of connecting with the coast, prompting the King to remark on cold water swimming, saying they're all doing it. Referring to the weather, he added, we've come at the right time. After completing the walk, mister Juniper said, we don't do small talk with his Majesty, not when he's out looking at nature. He's so interested in animals, plants, geology. He finds it fascinating and uplifting to see the work being done here, working together to bring this landscape and vision to life. The visit also highlighted progress on the creation of twenty five national nature reserves, a project launched to mark the King's coronation, with the Seven Sisters site becoming the thirteenth to be established. And then you have it. If you'd like to email us addresses the Palasintrigue at gmail dot com, please follow us on the Spotify, Apple or the app of your choice.

9:11 I'm Mark Francis My thanks to John McDermott. This is palace intrigue and good terms