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Calorokashark Media.
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Hello and welcome through Palace Weekly. This is our weekly
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show with a recap of all the stories you may
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have missed this week. It is generated by Notebook LM
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So please enjoy this week's Palace Weekly.
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Welcome back everybody for another deep dive. This time we're
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taking a look at the world of royalty and what's
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been going on this past week, and we've got some
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interesting stories, from international relations to art scandals, even a
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little bit of fashion analysis. There's a lot to unpack.
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It really is fascinating. You see all these stories coming
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out at the same time, and you can't help to think,
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is this the monarchy at some kind of crossroads, trying
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to balance these modern challenges with that traditional role.
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It's a lot, definitely, So let's jump right in. First up,
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we have the Daily Mail and some potential tension between
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King Charles and President Trump.
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Right, so apparently Trump was not too happy with Charles's
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warm welcome of Presidents Lenski at Sandringham, especially with Trump's
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own meeting with Zelensky only a few days before. And
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then you also have Trump's recent criticism of Canada, which
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you know Charles's had a state there too.
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Yeah, so the diplomatic sources are saying that Trump's allies
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actually tried to put pressure on the UK government to
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call off the Zelensky meeting, but they were essentially told
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that King Charles makes his own calls. So in your opinion,
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how big of a deal is this. Is it just
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something for the tabloids or could there be real diplomatic consequences.
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It's definitely worth keeping an eye on time. We have
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to remember quit Elizabeth was so good at those somatic situations,
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navigating everything carefully. But Charles, he seems to be taking
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a more assertive approach, and I think that could definitely
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cause some friction, especially with someone like Trump.
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That's interesting that you mentioned the Queen because she did
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meet with Trump during his presidency and it seemed like
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a pretty cordial visit from everything that we saw. Do
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you think this is Charles intentionally trying to distance himself
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from Trump's policies or even just his personality.
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Well, it's really hard to say for sure, but this
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incident does feel like a bit of a shift in style,
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and there have been hints of this elsewhere too. The
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Sunday Times had this piece about Charles really considering his
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role in Canada and the Commonwealth in general, which, of
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course Trump is also criticized. So it seems like Charles
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is trying to forge his own path and that could
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lead to some really interesting developments on the world stage.
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That makes sense, Okay, Well, let's move on to a
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story that feels like something straight out of a movie.
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The Times did this investigation about an art forgery ring
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that had ties to King Charles's own charitable foundation, Dumfries House.
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Yeah, this one's a head scratcher for sure. The guy
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James Stunt, who The Times describes as a coked up playboy,
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loaned a bunch of supposed masterpieces to Dumfries House.
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And we're not talking about just any pieces. It was
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a Monet supposedly worth fifty million pounds, a Dolly estimated
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at twelve million, and a Chagall and Picasso with crazy
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valuations as well. Only problem is they were all fake.
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Yeah, and apparently all these fakes were made by this
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Tony Tetro, who's a convicted art forger, made them all
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in his kitchen in La It's unbelievable. And what's even
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weirder is that Charles actually wrote a letter to Stunt
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praising his kindness and generosity. I mean, he clearly had
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no idea they were forgeries.
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Wow. You have to wonder what he's thinking now. The
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whole thing is just embarrassing for the Palace, especially since
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Dumfrey's house is so important to Charles. You know, it
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was run down when he bought it back in two
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thousand and seven, and he's put so much work into
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restoring it and turning it into this center for education
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and community programs.
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Yeah. Absolutely, And that's what makes this whole thing so damaging.
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It really raises some big questions about how they check
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out donations, especially to a royal charity. How did they
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miss this? Did anyone at Dumfries's house, or even Charles
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himself have any clue that these might not be the
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real deal?
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Those are great questions. And then there's James Stunt himself.
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The Times called him a mogul with the street cred
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of a gangster, and he bragged about cocaine and prostitutes.
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Kind of an interesting picture to paint of someone who
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is close enough to the king to make these kinds
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of donations.
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Yeah, it is a very strange mix. And when they
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asked Stunt about the forgeries, he just denied everything, told
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the reporter to shut the f up. But of course
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the truth came out eventually, and the Palace just gave
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this really understated statement calling the whole thing extremely regrettable.
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Regrettable. It's probably putting it mildly, but you do wonder
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what kind of damage control is happening behind the scenes.
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What do you think the long term impact of this
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will be for Charles and for Dumfries's house. Could it
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affect donations or even hurt Charles's reputation?
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Yeah, it's definitely possible. Trust is so important for any charity,
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but especially when connected to the monarchy. They'll need to
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be very transparent about what happened and reassure donors that
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they're taking steps so it doesn't happen again. Otherwise it
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could have a really big impact on their future support.
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It's a good point, and let's not forget about the
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art world in general. This whole thing has really highlighted
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the issue of forgeries and how difficult it can be
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to make sure a piece is authentic, especially when you're
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talking about pieces worth millions. What are your thoughts on that.
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Do you think the scandal could lead to any changes
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in how art is appraised or how it's authenticated.
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Oh, I definitely think it's put a huge spotlight on
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the problem. This is a very extreme example, of course,
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but art forgery is a much bigger problem than a
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lot of people realize. This could lead to people being
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a lot more careful about how they check art, maybe
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stricter rules or even new technology to help spot fakes.
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It'll be interesting to see what happens.
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It's amazing how something like this can have such a
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big impact, affecting everything from charity to the art market.
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But before we move on, I have to ask what
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surprised you about this whole story. The audacity of trying
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to pass these off is real. The fact that it
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involves someone like Stunt, or that it happened right under
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the nose of a royal charity.
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Well, it's tough to pick just one, but I think
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what gets me is just how bold it all was,
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trying to pass off these huge forgeries to a royal charity.
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No less, it's just unbelievable. You have to have some
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serious confidence to even try that, or maybe just be delusional.
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It's hard to say.
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It is a wild story. Okay, Well, let's switch gears
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a bit and talk about something a little lighter. Kate
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Middleton's been making a lot of public appearances lately and
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people are buzzing about her style choices.
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Yeah. Royal watchers have been saying that Kate's got this
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new glow since becoming the Princess of Wales. She's been
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looking radiant and very confident at all these engagements, and
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there's been a lot to talk about what's behind the change.
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Jenny Bond, who used to cover the Royals for the BBC,
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even said that Kate got her mojo back and that
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she's the star of the Royal family now. Bond also
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suggested that maybe all the challenges the Royals have been
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facing lately has actually made Kate and William stronger.
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Yeah, and she said something really interesting. She said, life,
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as you know it can change in an instant, and
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we have had to find a way to navigate the
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stormy waters and road unknown. I don't think anyone is
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ever the same after an experience with cancer. Makes you
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wonder if those experiences have changed how Kate approaches her role.
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Yeah, for sure. And speaking of her role, a lot
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of people have been talking about her wardrobe, especially the
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fact that she's been wearing a lot of red lately.
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Oh yeah, She's been spotted and read everywhere Christmas Carols,
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prison visits, even the Commonwealth Day Service, Alexander McQueen, Maroon turtlenecks,
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Catherine Walker. It's definitely a trend.
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So what do you make of this red revolution? Is
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it a fashion statement or just a coincidence?
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Well, there are a few theories going around. Some say
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it's to differentiate herself from Queen Camilla, who often wears blue.
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Others think it's kind of like flag dressing, where red
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symbolizes Britain and her bigger role in the monarchy.
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And then there's the theory that she's doing doing it
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on purpose to get people to focus on her work
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and not her clothes. A source from the Palace even
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told The Sunday Times that Kate wants the attention on
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the really important issues, the people and the causes she
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is spotlighting. What do you think could wearing the same
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bold color actually make people pay less attention to individual outfits.
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It's a really interesting idea. I mean, it wouldn't be
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the first time someone in the public eye used fashion
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to control the narrative. But then you have Susan Kelly.
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She's the founder of What Kate Wore, and she argues
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that it's possible to cover both Kate's work and her
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fashion and that they both contribute to her image.
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That's true. What do you think is this a deliberate
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strategy or are we reading too much into it?
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Hard to say for sure, but I do think it's
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worth thinking about how powerful clothing choices can be, especially
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for someone like Kate who's always in the spotlight.
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Yeah, it's a fascinating part of her role and something
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we'll be keeping an eye on for sure. But now
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let's talk about someone who's known for having more traditional tastes,
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King Charles. He surprised everyone by releasing his own playlist
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on Apple Music.
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Yeah, it's called The King's Music Room and it's a
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collaboration with Apple Music for Commonwealth Day and the mix
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is surprisingly eclectic. You've got everything from nineteen thirties krooners
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to afrobeats, disco, reggae. It's not what you'd expect from him.
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You really wouldn't. It's not exactly the image most people
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have of him exactly.
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But in a statement about the playlist, Charles talked about
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how much music means to him, so that throughout my life,
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music has meant a great deal to me. It brings
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us joy. Sounds like he wanted to share that with everyone.
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So what do you think. Is this a genuine attempt
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to connect with a younger audience or is it just
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good pr.
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I think it's probably a little bit of both. The
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monarchy has to find ways to stay relevant, and this
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is definitely a clever way to do that. It makes
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Charles seem more human, more approachable, less stuck in the past.
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But I do think there's some real passion there too.
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You can tell he put a lot of thought into
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choosing the songs. Some of them are pretty interesting choices.
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It gives you a glimpse into his personal taste.
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Yeah, definitely, and recording the playlist in his office at
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Buckingham Palace makes it even more personal. They even released
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footage of him doing it with an on air sign.
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It's actually pretty endearing.
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Yeah, you don't see that side of him very often,
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and he's gotten some good feedback too, Arilyn Wallin, Who's
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the Master of the King's Music. That's a real title,
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by the way, Praise the playlist said, it shows Charles's
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wide ranging enthusiasm for music.
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It's interesting how the Royals are using platforms like Apple
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Music more and more to connect with people. Prince William
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did an episode for Apple Fitness Plus Timed Walk series
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and Prince Harry worked with Oprah on a mental health
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documentary for Apple TV.
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Plux shows you how they're trying to keep up with
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how people consume media. But what's really interesting about Charles's
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playlist is the variety of music. It's got artists from
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all over the Commonwealth, which reflects how involved he is
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with those countries. What message do you think he's sending
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with these choices.
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I think it's subtle, but it's a powerful way to
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highlight the diversity of the Commonwealth and how connected all
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those people are. Music is a universal language. It can
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bring people together, and it feels like he's trying to
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show off the richness and variety of all the different
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cultures within the Commonwealth.
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It's a fascinating way to use music as a tool
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for diplomacy. What surprised you the most about all the
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stories we've talked about today, You know.
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What struck me is how all these stories are so different,
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but they all touch on the challenges and opportunities the
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monarchy is facing today. They're dealing with these really complex
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issues like international relations, the role of charity, the constant
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media attention, and they're trying to stay relevant in a
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world that's changing so fast. It's not easy.
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It's a tough balancing act, for sure, and it'll be
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fascinating to see how they handle it all in the
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years to come. But that's all the time we have
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for today. We encourage you to keep exploring these topics,