July 24, 2026
Prince George To Get a ‘Ring of Steel’ at Eton
Prince George’s move to Eton reportedly comes with drones and rooftop security, while new claims reveal Kate’s quiet influence over William, a bizarre palace hiring test, and a tiara row involving Camilla.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/palace-intrigue-king-charles-meghan-markle-and-all-the-royal-family-gossip--4522904/support.
Palace Intrigue is a daily British royal family podcast covering King Charles, Meghan Markle, Prince Harry, Kate Middleton and the House of Windsor. New episodes every day. Follow on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen. Part of the Caloroga Shark Media network.
WEBVTT
1
00:00:00.200 --> 00:00:11.919
Ah Calorogus Shark Media at low and welcome to Palace Intrigue.
2
00:00:11.919 --> 00:00:14.599
I am your host, Mark Francis. Security has been in
3
00:00:14.640 --> 00:00:17.320
the news a lot recently, and Prince George is starting
4
00:00:17.320 --> 00:00:20.399
at Eton College. He will be accompanied by an extensive
5
00:00:20.519 --> 00:00:25.079
security operation, a source to a radar online security measures
6
00:00:25.120 --> 00:00:29.280
surrounding George's enrollment will include drone monitoring and SWAT style
7
00:00:29.480 --> 00:00:32.600
teams deployed on roofs of the school and the surrounding perimeter.
8
00:00:33.079 --> 00:00:35.479
The security presence will be especially strong in his first
9
00:00:35.560 --> 00:00:38.719
few months at Eton. Another inside it claimed George is
10
00:00:38.719 --> 00:00:42.320
a massively high profile kidnap and terrorism target, and there
11
00:00:42.320 --> 00:00:44.679
will be a ring of steel thrown around Eton, especially
12
00:00:44.679 --> 00:00:48.479
when he first starts attending. Another source claimed security planners
13
00:00:48.520 --> 00:00:51.200
have been trying to balance George's safety with giving him
14
00:00:51.359 --> 00:00:55.159
as normal a school experience as possible. The challenges allowing
15
00:00:55.159 --> 00:00:58.000
the young prince enough independence to enjoy school while ensuring
16
00:00:58.039 --> 00:01:01.840
every foreseeable risk is addressed. The source said security will
17
00:01:01.880 --> 00:01:04.439
be exceptionally robust, but the aims to make it as
18
00:01:04.519 --> 00:01:07.920
unobtrusive as possible for George and the other pupils. A
19
00:01:08.000 --> 00:01:11.120
Royal biography is offering fresh claims about family life behind
20
00:01:11.159 --> 00:01:14.599
Pallace walls, including an anecdote suggesting Kate helped Prince William
21
00:01:14.640 --> 00:01:18.159
learn some of the more ordinary aspects of parenting. According
22
00:01:18.200 --> 00:01:21.079
to royal author Tom Quinn, a former Kensington Palace staff
23
00:01:21.079 --> 00:01:24.079
member claim the Princess of Wales introduced William to everyday
24
00:01:24.120 --> 00:01:28.120
parenting experiences that were unfamiliar to him. The former maid
25
00:01:28.200 --> 00:01:30.560
reportedly said Kate had to explain many of the things
26
00:01:30.599 --> 00:01:33.000
that parents outside the royal family do with their children.
27
00:01:33.040 --> 00:01:35.159
As a matter of course, she had to show him
28
00:01:35.159 --> 00:01:38.200
how to give the children a piggyback. For example, Williams said,
29
00:01:38.280 --> 00:01:42.319
very quietly, my father never gave me a piggyback. The
30
00:01:42.319 --> 00:01:45.159
book also includes claims about the different personalities within the
31
00:01:45.239 --> 00:01:48.799
royal family. In an excerpt published by The Times, a
32
00:01:48.840 --> 00:01:51.120
former member of staff said, to King Charles and Prince William,
33
00:01:51.560 --> 00:01:54.519
King Charles and William both get irritated very quickly. They
34
00:01:54.560 --> 00:01:57.719
are very pecky. It comes naturally to them. The same
35
00:01:57.799 --> 00:02:00.840
source suggested Catherine often plays the role of peacemaker within
36
00:02:00.879 --> 00:02:03.400
the household. I don't know where William would be without Kate.
37
00:02:03.640 --> 00:02:06.079
She hasn't had everything done for her throughout her life,
38
00:02:06.120 --> 00:02:08.759
so she calms him down when he gets a bit fractuous.
39
00:02:08.879 --> 00:02:10.599
She has said he sometimes has to be treated as
40
00:02:10.599 --> 00:02:14.599
a fourth child. One former Kensington Palace employee said Kate
41
00:02:14.639 --> 00:02:16.960
is someone who slowly and carefully absorbs the atmosphere of
42
00:02:16.960 --> 00:02:19.719
a place, the relationship between people, and the rules. She
43
00:02:19.759 --> 00:02:21.879
doesn't jump in straight away and try to change everything
44
00:02:21.879 --> 00:02:24.199
to suit her way of thinking. She binds her time
45
00:02:24.199 --> 00:02:27.319
and is very intelligent and intuitive about other people, what
46
00:02:27.360 --> 00:02:30.240
they do and how they behave The sources who claimed
47
00:02:30.319 --> 00:02:32.960
Catherine welcomed advice from palace staff as she adjusted to
48
00:02:33.039 --> 00:02:36.240
royal life. She was also coached not just by women
49
00:02:36.280 --> 00:02:38.840
who wanted Kate to avoid the problems as mother had encountered,
50
00:02:39.080 --> 00:02:42.360
but also by the staff. The former employee said Kate
51
00:02:42.479 --> 00:02:45.280
was always happy to accept advice, both from the lower staff,
52
00:02:45.280 --> 00:02:47.840
with whom she got on very well, and from the courtiers,
53
00:02:47.879 --> 00:02:50.479
even though some of them were initially very snooty about her.
54
00:02:52.159 --> 00:02:54.199
Landing a job with the Prince and Princess of Wales
55
00:02:54.240 --> 00:02:56.800
apparently requires more than an impressive resume. It may also
56
00:02:56.840 --> 00:02:59.960
require spotting a dead fly. According to former Royal recruit
57
00:03:00.080 --> 00:03:02.960
and chief Tracy Waterman, one of the more unusual interview
58
00:03:03.000 --> 00:03:06.080
techniques used within the Royal household was designed to test
59
00:03:06.120 --> 00:03:10.080
where the candidates truly pay attention to detail. Speaking in
60
00:03:10.120 --> 00:03:13.479
the documentary Sandring Hand the Royals at Christmas, Waterman explained
61
00:03:13.759 --> 00:03:15.199
one of the tests I liketed to see if a
62
00:03:15.240 --> 00:03:17.759
candidate has a potential eye for details, to place a
63
00:03:17.800 --> 00:03:20.360
dead fly, either in the fireplace or on the carpet.
64
00:03:20.919 --> 00:03:22.800
Once the dead fly is placed, I then bring the
65
00:03:22.840 --> 00:03:26.400
candidate into the room. The test wasn't simply about noticing
66
00:03:26.520 --> 00:03:29.439
the fly, It was about what the applicant did next.
67
00:03:30.080 --> 00:03:32.080
It's a great test, Wataman said, when out of ten
68
00:03:32.080 --> 00:03:33.879
will actually bend down and pick it up. That's a
69
00:03:33.879 --> 00:03:42.039
special housekeeper, more palace in just a moment. Prince William
70
00:03:42.080 --> 00:03:44.879
was reportedly left angry before Peter Phillips's wedding after Queen
71
00:03:44.919 --> 00:03:48.599
Camilla allegedly refused to allow Peter's bride, Harriet Spurling, to
72
00:03:48.639 --> 00:03:52.400
borrow a tiara from the Royal collection. According to claim's
73
00:03:52.400 --> 00:03:55.680
first reported by Radar Online, the disagreement centered on Harriet's
74
00:03:55.680 --> 00:03:59.000
request to wear a royal tiara for her wedding last month.
75
00:03:59.400 --> 00:04:02.039
The report, claim's request was denied because Harriet is not
76
00:04:02.080 --> 00:04:05.840
a member of the royal bloodline. An unnamed source alleged
77
00:04:05.919 --> 00:04:09.639
that William took issue with the decision. William was furious.
78
00:04:09.719 --> 00:04:11.919
The source claimed, he has a very close relationship with
79
00:04:11.919 --> 00:04:14.159
Peter and it's disgusted that Camilla would try to stir
80
00:04:14.240 --> 00:04:15.919
up trouble on his wedding. They just to show off
81
00:04:15.919 --> 00:04:19.959
a power. The reporters who claims William attempted to reverse
82
00:04:20.040 --> 00:04:22.920
the decision, creating further tension between him and the Queen.
83
00:04:23.639 --> 00:04:26.319
According to the same insider, even though it's a point now,
84
00:04:26.480 --> 00:04:30.120
Camilla is still mad. She's accusing William of purposely undermining her.
85
00:04:30.879 --> 00:04:34.920
The alleged disagreement has attracted attention because previous royal brides
86
00:04:34.959 --> 00:04:39.120
have been allowed to borrow family Tiara's Peter phillips first wife,
87
00:04:39.120 --> 00:04:42.519
Atumn Kelly, wore Princess Anne's festooned Tiara when they married
88
00:04:42.519 --> 00:04:45.560
in two thousand and eight. Peter's sister, Zara Tindall, also
89
00:04:45.639 --> 00:04:48.600
borrowed one of Princess Anne's pieces, the Meander Tiara, for
90
00:04:48.639 --> 00:04:52.720
her twenty eleven wedding to Mike Tindall. Harriet Sperling ultimately
91
00:04:52.720 --> 00:04:55.480
married Peter Phillips without wearing a Tiara from the Royal Vault.
92
00:04:55.720 --> 00:04:58.800
Neither Buckingham Palace nor Kensington Palace's commented on the claims,
93
00:04:59.040 --> 00:05:01.279
which are based on an sources and have not been
94
00:05:01.360 --> 00:05:05.639
independently confirmed for I an use. Vicky Spratt writes My
95
00:05:05.800 --> 00:05:08.720
eye opening day with Prince William and why He's frustrated
96
00:05:08.759 --> 00:05:11.199
at the system. When I first received the invite to
97
00:05:11.240 --> 00:05:13.759
attend a visit he was making to a housing estate
98
00:05:13.800 --> 00:05:17.000
in Newport, Wales, I was skeptical. The Royal family are
99
00:05:17.120 --> 00:05:19.720
notorious for their controlled relationship with the British media, but
100
00:05:19.879 --> 00:05:22.439
I am not a cynic. So off to Newport. I
101
00:05:22.480 --> 00:05:25.279
went on the train on a very warm June morning
102
00:05:25.399 --> 00:05:28.879
in twenty twenty three, the future King arrived, flanked by
103
00:05:28.959 --> 00:05:32.399
police officers on motorcycles. He met homelessness support workers and
104
00:05:32.399 --> 00:05:35.399
spoke with people who had experienced homelessness, and what he
105
00:05:35.439 --> 00:05:39.000
announced that day was hard to criticize homewards. It's a
106
00:05:39.040 --> 00:05:41.439
five year project which is now more than halfway through.
107
00:05:41.600 --> 00:05:44.319
In his Royal Highness's own words, he sees it as
108
00:05:44.319 --> 00:05:47.399
his life's work to end homelessness and ensure everyone has
109
00:05:47.439 --> 00:05:50.759
a safe and secure home. In twenty twenty five, I
110
00:05:50.800 --> 00:05:53.000
went out with William again, this time as Sheffield, where
111
00:05:53.040 --> 00:05:55.720
he was speaking alongside Brown about the merits of early
112
00:05:55.759 --> 00:05:59.680
intervention to prevent homelessness. By this point, the context of
113
00:05:59.680 --> 00:06:03.560
William was incredibly political. Intervention into homelessness policy had changed.
114
00:06:04.160 --> 00:06:06.279
It was operating in the second year of a Labour
115
00:06:06.360 --> 00:06:09.079
government which had promised to sort Britain's worsening house in
116
00:06:09.160 --> 00:06:13.000
crisis out. As the Prince spoke on stage next to Brown,
117
00:06:13.040 --> 00:06:15.279
had struck me that Labour had delayed their much vaunted
118
00:06:15.319 --> 00:06:19.360
homelessness strategy and gone incredibly quiet on the council house
119
00:06:19.360 --> 00:06:24.240
building revolution they promised during the election campaign. Breton's future King,
120
00:06:24.279 --> 00:06:27.199
on the other hand, was on stage outlining policies which
121
00:06:27.199 --> 00:06:30.839
could make sure nobody faced homelessness ever again. As I
122
00:06:30.879 --> 00:06:34.000
wrote shortly afterwards, he was doing the government's job and
123
00:06:34.040 --> 00:06:38.040
doing it rather well. It's now twenty twenty six. Sadly,
124
00:06:38.240 --> 00:06:41.360
homelessness is a growing problem across Britain. In recent weeks,
125
00:06:41.360 --> 00:06:43.319
the number of people sleeping rough in London has hit
126
00:06:43.360 --> 00:06:45.720
new record highs according to the data that is available,
127
00:06:45.959 --> 00:06:49.040
and over one hundred and thirty four thousand households in England alone,
128
00:06:49.319 --> 00:06:51.759
including more than one hundred and seventy six thousand children
129
00:06:52.040 --> 00:06:55.279
are stuck in emergency temporary accommodation, the highest figure since
130
00:06:55.319 --> 00:06:58.680
records began. Recently, I was invited to Aberdeen where the
131
00:06:58.680 --> 00:07:01.560
Prince was meeting with team men at Langston Housing Association
132
00:07:02.000 --> 00:07:04.360
and a young woman called Eron, who became homeless due
133
00:07:04.360 --> 00:07:08.399
to difficult circumstances in her personal life. When she was
134
00:07:08.439 --> 00:07:11.720
offered a fully furnished, secure home. Aaron did not know
135
00:07:11.759 --> 00:07:14.000
it had anything to do with William or Homewards, but
136
00:07:14.040 --> 00:07:16.199
when she found out, she was shocked and impressed that
137
00:07:16.240 --> 00:07:18.160
a member of the royal family was stepping up where
138
00:07:18.199 --> 00:07:22.079
Britain's politicians had failed. I felt like a burden when
139
00:07:22.079 --> 00:07:24.279
I was homeless, Aaron told me after she chatted with
140
00:07:24.319 --> 00:07:27.040
the Prince. Now I feel safe and secure and I
141
00:07:27.079 --> 00:07:29.160
can properly show up for my life and my work.
142
00:07:29.759 --> 00:07:31.399
When you put it like that, it's so simple. If
143
00:07:31.399 --> 00:07:34.240
we allow people to become homeless because of a relationship breakdown,
144
00:07:34.560 --> 00:07:37.639
financial trouble or an eviction, it will cause other problems
145
00:07:37.680 --> 00:07:40.399
in their lives. William seems to have understood that clearly.
146
00:07:40.639 --> 00:07:42.639
He has looked at the housing system and established how
147
00:07:42.639 --> 00:07:45.439
it interacts with the economy and mental health and committed
148
00:07:45.639 --> 00:07:49.480
to a housing first approach and they have it. If
149
00:07:49.519 --> 00:07:51.639
you'd like to email us, he addresses the Palace intrig
150
00:07:51.680 --> 00:07:54.759
at gmail dot com. If you're on Spotify and droppers
151
00:07:54.839 --> 00:07:57.079
a comment. If you're on Apple, check out that button
152
00:07:57.160 --> 00:08:01.160
up there that says listen uninterrupted and become a premium
153
00:08:01.160 --> 00:08:04.000
subscriber for five bucks a month. We really appreciate the support.
154
00:08:04.279 --> 00:08:06.759
I'm Mark Francis my thanks to John McDermott. This is
155
00:08:06.839 --> 00:08:08.959
Balla's Intrigue and good Times
1
00:00:00.200 --> 00:00:11.919
2
00:00:11.919 --> 00:00:14.599
3
00:00:14.640 --> 00:00:17.320
4
00:00:17.320 --> 00:00:20.399
5
00:00:20.519 --> 00:00:25.079
6
00:00:25.120 --> 00:00:29.280
7
00:00:29.480 --> 00:00:32.600
8
00:00:33.079 --> 00:00:35.479
9
00:00:35.560 --> 00:00:38.719
10
00:00:38.719 --> 00:00:42.320
11
00:00:42.320 --> 00:00:44.679
12
00:00:44.679 --> 00:00:48.479
13
00:00:48.520 --> 00:00:51.200
14
00:00:51.359 --> 00:00:55.159
15
00:00:55.159 --> 00:00:58.000
16
00:00:58.039 --> 00:01:01.840
17
00:01:01.880 --> 00:01:04.439
18
00:01:04.519 --> 00:01:07.920
19
00:01:08.000 --> 00:01:11.120
20
00:01:11.159 --> 00:01:14.599
21
00:01:14.640 --> 00:01:18.159
22
00:01:18.200 --> 00:01:21.079
23
00:01:21.079 --> 00:01:24.079
24
00:01:24.120 --> 00:01:28.120
25
00:01:28.200 --> 00:01:30.560
26
00:01:30.599 --> 00:01:33.000
27
00:01:33.040 --> 00:01:35.159
28
00:01:35.159 --> 00:01:38.200
29
00:01:38.280 --> 00:01:42.319
30
00:01:42.319 --> 00:01:45.159
31
00:01:45.239 --> 00:01:48.799
32
00:01:48.840 --> 00:01:51.120
33
00:01:51.560 --> 00:01:54.519
34
00:01:54.560 --> 00:01:57.719
35
00:01:57.799 --> 00:02:00.840
36
00:02:00.879 --> 00:02:03.400
37
00:02:03.640 --> 00:02:06.079
38
00:02:06.120 --> 00:02:08.759
39
00:02:08.879 --> 00:02:10.599
40
00:02:10.599 --> 00:02:14.599
41
00:02:14.639 --> 00:02:16.960
42
00:02:16.960 --> 00:02:19.719
43
00:02:19.759 --> 00:02:21.879
44
00:02:21.879 --> 00:02:24.199
45
00:02:24.199 --> 00:02:27.319
46
00:02:27.360 --> 00:02:30.240
47
00:02:30.319 --> 00:02:32.960
48
00:02:33.039 --> 00:02:36.240
49
00:02:36.280 --> 00:02:38.840
50
00:02:39.080 --> 00:02:42.360
51
00:02:42.479 --> 00:02:45.280
52
00:02:45.280 --> 00:02:47.840
53
00:02:47.879 --> 00:02:50.479
54
00:02:52.159 --> 00:02:54.199
55
00:02:54.240 --> 00:02:56.800
56
00:02:56.840 --> 00:02:59.960
57
00:03:00.080 --> 00:03:02.960
58
00:03:03.000 --> 00:03:06.080
59
00:03:06.120 --> 00:03:10.080
60
00:03:10.120 --> 00:03:13.479
61
00:03:13.759 --> 00:03:15.199
62
00:03:15.240 --> 00:03:17.759
63
00:03:17.800 --> 00:03:20.360
64
00:03:20.919 --> 00:03:22.800
65
00:03:22.840 --> 00:03:26.400
66
00:03:26.520 --> 00:03:29.439
67
00:03:30.080 --> 00:03:32.080
68
00:03:32.080 --> 00:03:33.879
69
00:03:33.879 --> 00:03:42.039
70
00:03:42.080 --> 00:03:44.879
71
00:03:44.919 --> 00:03:48.599
72
00:03:48.639 --> 00:03:52.400
73
00:03:52.400 --> 00:03:55.680
74
00:03:55.680 --> 00:03:59.000
75
00:03:59.400 --> 00:04:02.039
76
00:04:02.080 --> 00:04:05.840
77
00:04:05.919 --> 00:04:09.639
78
00:04:09.719 --> 00:04:11.919
79
00:04:11.919 --> 00:04:14.159
80
00:04:14.240 --> 00:04:15.919
81
00:04:15.919 --> 00:04:19.959
82
00:04:20.040 --> 00:04:22.920
83
00:04:23.639 --> 00:04:26.319
84
00:04:26.480 --> 00:04:30.120
85
00:04:30.879 --> 00:04:34.920
86
00:04:34.959 --> 00:04:39.120
87
00:04:39.120 --> 00:04:42.519
88
00:04:42.519 --> 00:04:45.560
89
00:04:45.639 --> 00:04:48.600
90
00:04:48.639 --> 00:04:52.720
91
00:04:52.720 --> 00:04:55.480
92
00:04:55.720 --> 00:04:58.800
93
00:04:59.040 --> 00:05:01.279
94
00:05:01.360 --> 00:05:05.639
95
00:05:05.800 --> 00:05:08.720
96
00:05:08.759 --> 00:05:11.199
97
00:05:11.240 --> 00:05:13.759
98
00:05:13.800 --> 00:05:17.000
99
00:05:17.120 --> 00:05:19.720
100
00:05:19.879 --> 00:05:22.439
101
00:05:22.480 --> 00:05:25.279
102
00:05:25.399 --> 00:05:28.879
103
00:05:28.959 --> 00:05:32.399
104
00:05:32.399 --> 00:05:35.399
105
00:05:35.439 --> 00:05:39.000
106
00:05:39.040 --> 00:05:41.439
107
00:05:41.600 --> 00:05:44.319
108
00:05:44.319 --> 00:05:47.399
109
00:05:47.439 --> 00:05:50.759
110
00:05:50.800 --> 00:05:53.000
111
00:05:53.040 --> 00:05:55.720
112
00:05:55.759 --> 00:05:59.680
113
00:05:59.680 --> 00:06:03.560
114
00:06:04.160 --> 00:06:06.279
115
00:06:06.360 --> 00:06:09.079
116
00:06:09.160 --> 00:06:13.000
117
00:06:13.040 --> 00:06:15.279
118
00:06:15.319 --> 00:06:19.360
119
00:06:19.360 --> 00:06:24.240
120
00:06:24.279 --> 00:06:27.199
121
00:06:27.199 --> 00:06:30.839
122
00:06:30.879 --> 00:06:34.000
123
00:06:34.040 --> 00:06:38.040
124
00:06:38.240 --> 00:06:41.360
125
00:06:41.360 --> 00:06:43.319
126
00:06:43.360 --> 00:06:45.720
127
00:06:45.959 --> 00:06:49.040
128
00:06:49.319 --> 00:06:51.759
129
00:06:52.040 --> 00:06:55.279
130
00:06:55.319 --> 00:06:58.680
131
00:06:58.680 --> 00:07:01.560
132
00:07:02.000 --> 00:07:04.360
133
00:07:04.360 --> 00:07:08.399
134
00:07:08.439 --> 00:07:11.720
135
00:07:11.759 --> 00:07:14.000
136
00:07:14.040 --> 00:07:16.199
137
00:07:16.240 --> 00:07:18.160
138
00:07:18.199 --> 00:07:22.079
139
00:07:22.079 --> 00:07:24.279
140
00:07:24.319 --> 00:07:27.040
141
00:07:27.079 --> 00:07:29.160
142
00:07:29.759 --> 00:07:31.399
143
00:07:31.399 --> 00:07:34.240
144
00:07:34.560 --> 00:07:37.639
145
00:07:37.680 --> 00:07:40.399
146
00:07:40.639 --> 00:07:42.639
147
00:07:42.639 --> 00:07:45.439
148
00:07:45.639 --> 00:07:49.480
149
00:07:49.519 --> 00:07:51.639
150
00:07:51.680 --> 00:07:54.759
151
00:07:54.839 --> 00:07:57.079
152
00:07:57.160 --> 00:08:01.160
153
00:08:01.160 --> 00:08:04.000
154
00:08:04.279 --> 00:08:06.759
155
00:08:06.839 --> 00:08:08.959
