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Calorogus Shark Media.
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Hello and welcome to Palasindrigue. I am your host, Mark Francis.
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A warning before we begin. Today's episode contains serious and
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potentially distressing subject matter, including allegations of abuse. Listener discretion
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is advised. A new memoir by Virginia Jeffrey has placed
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Prince Andrew under renewed and serious scrutiny, just days after
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he relinquished use of his royal titles. Nobody's Goal, obtained
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in full by the BBC ahead of its official release today,
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is the first hand account of Missus Jeffrey's experiences with
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Jeffrey Epstein and Gilain Maxwell. Much of the book is
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harrowing in detail, with Jeffrey alleging that she was abused, trafficked,
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and forced to have sex with Prince Andrew on three
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separate occasions, once, she claims in a group setting involving
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Epstein and approximately eight other young women. Prince Andrew has
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always denied any wrongdoing. In twenty twenty two, he reached
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a financial settlement with Missus Jeffrey, accepting no liability. In
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the memoir, Jeoffrey writes that she first met Andrew in
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March two thousand and one. She says Maxwell woke her
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up that day and told her, just like Cinderella, she
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was going to meet a handsome prince. When introduced, she
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claims Prince Andrew guessed her age correctly, seventeen. She recalls
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him saying, my daughters are just a little younger than you.
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That evening they attended London's Tramp nightclub. Geoffrey says the
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prince sweated profusely Afterwards. In the car, she recalls Maxwell
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telling her, when we get home, you are to do
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for him what you do for Jeffrey. Back at the house,
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she writes they had sex. He was friendly enough, but
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still entitle, as if he believed having sex with me
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was his birthright. She writes, the next morning it was
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clear Maxwell had conferred with her royal chum, because she
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told me you did well. The Prince had fun. Geoffrey
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writes that Epstein later paid her fifteen thousand dollars for
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the encounter. She alleges a second encounter in New York
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and a third on Epstein's Island, where she says Epstein, Andy,
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and approximately eight other young girls and I had sex together.
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She writes the other girls all appeared to be under
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the age of eighteen and didn't really speak English. Epstein
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laughed about how they couldn't really communicate, saying they are
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the easiest goals to get along with. The memoir states
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the incident occurred on Jeffrey Epstein's private Caribbean island, known
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colloquially as Little Saint Jeff's. A reference to Little Saint James,
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Geoffrey writes I was not in great shape, claiming she
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later woke up in a pool of blood. She also
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alleges that none of the men she was trafficked to
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used protection. The book includes Geoffrey's recollection of her civil
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settlement with Andrew. I agreed to a one year gag order,
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which seemed important to the Prince because it ensured his
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mother's platinum jubilee would not be tarnished any more than
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it already had been. While many of the claims have
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circulated previously impressed coverage, Nobody's Goal presents them in Geoffrey's
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own words, framing them as part of a broader network
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of exploitation involving powerful men. She writes, in my years
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with them, they lent me out to scores of wealthy,
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powerful people. I was habitually used and humiliated and in
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some instances choked, beaten and bloodied. I believed that I
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might die a sex slave. On Friday, Prince Andrew announced
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he would no longer use the titles Duke of York
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or Knight of the Garter. He remains a prince by birth. MPs,
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including Rachel Maskell and Stephen Flynn, have called for that too,
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to be removed. Maskal said it's incredibly strange that you
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can give a title but you can't remove a title.
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Flynn added, the family of Virginia Geoffrey, whose life was destroyed,
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are angry and aghast, and they both deserve to know
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that some MPs share their outrage. Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Police
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say they are actively looking into reports that Prince Andrew
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asked a protection officer to obtain personal information about Jeffrey
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in twenty eleven. According to The Mail on Sunday, Andrew
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provided her date of birth and social security number to
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a member of the elite SO fourteen Royalty Protection Group
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in an attempt to uncover damaging information. He is also
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said to have involved one of Queen Elizabeth the Second's
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most senior aides, Ed Perkins, and told him he had
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asked his protection officer to dig into Miss Jeoffrey's background.
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The publication claims it has seen an email sent by
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Andrew just hours before a notorious photograph of him with
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the then seventeen year old Jeffrey was released. In it,
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the Duke reportedly wrote, it would also seem that she
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has a criminal record in the United States. I have
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given a DOB and social Security number for investigation with xxx,
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the on duty PPO. Her family denies she has any
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criminal record. The Metropolitan Police confirmed they are actively looking
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into the claims made, though at this stage it is
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not a formal investigation broadcast to Emily Maitliss, who conducted
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Andrew's infamous Newsnight interview, told the BBC's Sunday with Laura
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Cussenberg that she was glad the met were taking the
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claims seriously. If there have been people responsible for trying
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to make her life even more unbearable than it was,
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than I would like to see justice done. She said.
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One question to be answered how did Prince Andrew come
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into possession of Geoffrey's Social Security number. Former Protection chief
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Die Davies called for an investigation, saying there's a lot
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of questions to be asked, Who said what to whom?
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How did Andrew get her social number in America? How
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did he get her date of birth? Did Epstein or
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Maxwell or anyone else obtain those for him? Die Davies
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called the allegations scare ndalas saying, if and I say,
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if there's any evidence of criminality, then that has to
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be carefully considered. He added, clearly the government themselves that
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would have to act in terms of his status still
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as prince. Unanswered questions also remain around the estimated twelve
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million pounds settlement paid to Missus Geoffrey in twenty twenty two.
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Andrew has consistently denied her allegations and admitted no wrongdoing. However,
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the source of the funds remains opaque. There has been
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widespread speculation that the late Queen may have contributed to
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the payment using private income from the Duchy of Lancaster,
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according to the Sun. The memoir also recounts the now
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infamous Newsnight interview in which the Duke of York attempted
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to refute Jeffrey's claim by stating he had been at
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Pizza Express in Woking on the night in question. Jeoffrey
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says in the book, as devastating as this interview was
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for Prince Andrew, for my legal team, it was like
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an injection of Jeff fuel. Its contents would not only
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build up an iron clad case against the Prince, but
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also opened the door to potentially subpoena in Sarah Ferguson
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and their daughters, Princess Beatrice and Eugenie. Did he really
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take Beatrice Alpha Pizza on March tenth, two thousand and one,
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as he claimed? If we deposed the princesses, his family
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members could potentially poke holes in his alibi. Elsewhere in
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the memoir, Geoffrey repeats her claim that Epstein aimed to
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collect compromising material to Blackmaile powerful figures. She writes that
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he wanted to film people in compromising positions, though she
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expresses uncertainty as to whether he ever succeeded in doing so.
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The Mirror quoted a Royal sources saying Andrew has been
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asked plainly what else was likely to emerge from his
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relationship with Jeoffrey Epstein, but said he could not give
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any guarantees. The scandal has engulfed the royal family for
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far too long, forcing the King to intervene and effectively
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banish him from royal life. A royal aid speaking on background,
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told the BBC the headlines are taking a lot of
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oxygen out of the Royal Room more palace. In just
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a moment, King Charles and Pope Leo will make religious
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history as they become the first British monarch and Roman
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Catholic pope to pray side by side at a church
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service since the Reformation in the sixteenth century. The landmark
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event is scheduled to take place during the King and
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Queen's state visit to the Vatican, with the service held
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beneath Michelangelo's iconic ceiling in the Sistine Chapel. It marks
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a profound moment in reconciliation between the Church of England,
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of which the King is Supreme Governor, and the Roman
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Catholic Church. The ecumenical service will focus on the shared
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commitment to environmental stewardship and issued close to both leaders.
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The choirs of the Sistine Chapel, Saint George's Chapel and
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His Majesty's Chapel Royal will unite in song as Anglican
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and Catholic clergy participate together in prayer. A senior royal
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source noted the symbolic power of the moment, calling it
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an active unity unthinkable just a generation ago. Alongside the
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Sistine Chapel service, the King will attend another historically resonant
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event of the Basilica of Saint Paul's outside the Walls,
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when supported by Anglo Saxon monarchs. The abbey has long
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been linked to the English crown. During his visit, the
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King will be made a Royal Confrator of the abbey,
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a spiritual title honoring his lifelong dedication to interfaith harmony.
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A bespoke seat bearing his coat of arms will remain
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in place for future visits by Charles and his successes.
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Charles is the latest royal to get in on the
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world of podcasting, alongside Academy Award winning actress Keate Blanchette
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and Q Garden's Seed scientist doctor Eleanor Breeman. The discussion
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recorded in secret has now been released as the opening
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episode of the fourth series of Unearthed, a podcast produced
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by Q Gardens. The episode praises the work of the
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Millennium Seed, the project he helped launch twenty five years
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ago at Wakehurst Que's Wild Botanic Garden in Sussex. I
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think it's wonderful what the seed Bank is doing, he said,
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but we've got to speed up the process. The Unearthed
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episode is now streaming, with three additional installments set to follow,
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focusing on the past, present and future of the Millennium
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Seed Bank. After a few exhausting weeks of work, William
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and Kate are on holiday again. The children are on
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half term break, which is a great time for the
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Prince and Princess to rest up before a busy Christmas
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season and the big move to their new home, Forest
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Lodge on the Windsor Estate. Former BBC Royal correspondent Jenny
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Bond told The Mirror they've come in for some criticism
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for the number of overseas holidays they've taken over the
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past year, so perhaps this half term will be one
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to spend at home. If the renovations at Forest Lodge
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are still under way, I expect they'll head up to
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Norfolk to enjoy the wide open skies and sea air.
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Once the break ends, Royal calendars will resume at full speed.
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No brings Williams earthshot prior ceremony to Brazil, marking the
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first time the Environmental Award has been held in South America. Meanwhile,
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Kate is preparing for the return of her together at
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Christmas Carol Concert Westminster Abbey, which last year featured performances
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by Paloma Faith and Gregory Porter and heartfelt moments acknowledging
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her own health journey. And there you have it. If
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you'd like to email us addresses the Palace Intrigue at
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gmail dot com, please follow us on Spotify, Apple and
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all these social media hubs. Come by and say hi,
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I'm Mark Francis my thanks to John McDermott. This is
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Palace Intrigue in good terms.