Dec. 19, 2024

Prince Andrew to skip Royal Christmas

Show Notes
Transcript

Prince Andrew, facing mounting pressure to step back from the Royal Family’s Christmas celebrations at Sandringham after his ties to a suspected Chinese spy came to light, is apparently not going to join the royals this Christmas.

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

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am your host, Mark Francis. Prince Andrew, facing mounting pressure

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to step back from the Royal family's Christmas celebrations at

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Standringham after his ties to a suspected Chinese spy came

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to light, is apparently not going to join the Royals

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this Christmas. One royal source noted the King doesn't want

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to formally bar Andrew from Christmas celebrations, that would risk

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even more attention on the issue. He's desperately hoping Andrew

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will understand the damage his presence could cause and quietly

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bow out. At the time of this recording, it is

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unclear what will happen with the annual Royal family lunch

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at Buckingham Palace. An insider towards Sky News, it's not

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just how things are, it's how they look, and an

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image of the Duke of York driving through the gates

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could be seen as deliberately provocative. They are hoping he

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wouldn't want to be that level of a distraction. The

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source ads that Charles doesn't like confrontation, but there remains

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a warm familial feeling between the two brothers tempered by

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the King's responsibilities as head of state to be entirely

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separate from the perceived, real or alleged activities of the

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Duke of York. Sky News says that means that when

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there are family events, the Duke is welcome. When his

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brother is at an event in his role as King,

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Andrew isn't to be seen. Rebecca English, writing for The

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Daily Mail, believes Andrew may never be seen with the

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royals again. She writes, after discussing the issue with his

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ex wife, Sarah, Duchess of York, the beleeged Duke made

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up his mind to give the annual celebrations in Norfolk,

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miss It is understood that the King and Queen were

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quietly hoping that the Duchess of York might come to

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their rescue and talk some sense into her ex husband.

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As one of the few people still to have his ear,

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friends say that she was indeed instrumental in his decision.

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The one thing other than his home and unusual HRH

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title the remains as a vestige of his former life

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as Andrew's membership of the historic Order of the Garter,

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founded by Edward the Third in thirteen forty eight and

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inspired by the legendary Knights of the Round Table. While

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it may sound an ancient and irrelevant frippery, it's still

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the country's most historic Order of Chivalry, awarded by the

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Sovereign in honor of exceptional and loyal service to the

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crown or national life. For the past few years, Andrew,

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who has been a Royal Knight in the Order since

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two thousand and six, has been banned from taking part

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in the annual procession and service at Windsor Castle in June. However,

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he has insisted on wearing his robes and attending a

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private lunch for members at the castle beforehand, and there

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is a growing smell of opinion, given his repeated scandals,

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that the Duke should not only be barred from that too,

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but stripped of his membership as well. Just forty members

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have been removed from the Order in almost seven hundred

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years or for treason or heresy. But sources have told

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the Male that there are no plans whatsoever to strip

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the June of York of his membership, not least because

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it is not deemed he has committed any transgressions serious enough,

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certainly not on a level of treason. A source told

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the Meal, I find it hard to imagine he will

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ever join them again in public, if I'm honest. There's

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only so many times the Duke can be asked to

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keep his head down and wait for the storm to pass.

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Enough is enough. A family friend added, Sarah is tremendously loyal,

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and I think it unlikely she will want to leave

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his side, especially now he is so down. The sentiment

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is in line with what Sarah recently told The Sunday

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Times in an interview that took place before Chinagate became public.

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Ferguson says Andrew, whom she divorced in nineteen ninety six,

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is the best, a great man with a great heart.

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I was totally and utterly in love with Andrew, and

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I would do it all over again one hundred percent.

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The interview, believed to have been conducted before the recent

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controversy surrounding Andrew's ties to a suspected Chinese spy, underscores

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Sarah's loyalty to the Duke of York. He supports me

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as much as I support him, she said. He supported

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me through thick and things then, not just barage or divorce.

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The duchess also opened up about her health challenges. Cancer

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freed me from the shackles of my heart, she said,

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before I didn't think it was okay to be myself.

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Don't wait to get cancer to free yourself. She also

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speaks fondly of Andrew's brother Charles. I've known the King

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all my life and I absolutely adore him. He's kind

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and makes me laugh, and I love that he still

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calls me Fergie. That dummer Mum would say, don't be

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naughty with the Prince of Wales when he comes to stay.

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Don't duck him in the pool. I'd duck him straight

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in the pool and put a fake dog turd outside

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his room. He thought it was hilarious. Teller's intrigua a

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right back. Kat and William may be notably absent from

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King charles annual pre Christmas lunch at Buckingham Palace this year,

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as their attendance reportedly depends on their holiday plans. Traditionally

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a highlight for royal watchers, the festive gathering provides a

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rare glimpse of the extended royal family as they arrive

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at the Palace, a moment eagerly anticipated by fans. According

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to her Hello, their participation could be impacted by their

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decision to leave Windsor for their Norfolkcombe Amna Hall earlier

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than expected. The annual pre Christmas lunch, which King Charles

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is hosting at Buckingham Palace for the first time since

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twenty nineteen, is expected to bring together other senior royals

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like the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, Princess Anne Migan,

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Zara Tendel, and the Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie. If William

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and Kate opt to skip the event, it would certainly

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disappoint fans hoping to catch a glimpse of their festive

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attire as they joined the rest of the family. Royal

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commentator Jenny Bond tells the Son that lunch is far

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more structured than the average family gathering, noting that guests

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should arrive at the time they are expected, not before,

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and not after. Our Royal Inside of Deep Crown sent

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us a note which reads the potential absence of William

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and Kate from King Charles Christmas Lunch is quite telling

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and you raise astute point about the double standard. If

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Harry and Meghan were to skip such a significantly family gathering,

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the tabloid response would likely be merciless headlines screaming about

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Snow being the king and breaking tradition. Yet with William

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and Kate, the narrative is carefully crafted around wholesome family

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time at Anma Hall. The continued limitation of Kate's public

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appearances is particularly noteworthy. While the official explanation of wanting

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an early retreat to Norfolk may be genuine, we must

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consider the broader pattern. In royal terms. Absence from such

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milestone events carries weight. The fact that the Whales family

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might skip it suggests either something more significant is at play,

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or they feel secure enough in their position to prioritize

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their preferences without fear of serious repercussion. This is not

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a nothing story. The pattern of Kate's increasingly limited public appearances,

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combined with the carefully worded explanations, deserves closer scrutiny. What

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we're seeing is a sophisticated pr strategy that uses multiple

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reasonable excuses family time Norfolk retreats children's schedules to explain

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away her reduced visibility. This kind of subtle distancing while

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maintaining all appropriate respect and deference is a classic move

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in royal politics, and there you have it. If you

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Prince Andrew to skip Royal Christmas

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