Oct. 3, 2025

Prince Harry Faces ‘Bombshell Fatigue’ PLUS King Charles Backs PrinceAndrew’s Shooting Role

Show Notes
Transcript

A new column in The Times asks whether the public is growing weary of Prince Harry’s steady stream of grievances, with royal experts warning he is entering “high-risk territory.” Elsewhere, King Charles is reportedly allowing Prince Andrew to continue hosting shooting parties despite public unease, leaving Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie caught between family loyalty and Sandringham tradition. Commentators say Sarah Ferguson’s troubled royal history should serve as a warning for Meghan Markle, while Prince William lightened the mood by sharing Tom Hanks’s unlikely reason for becoming an Aston Villa supporter. Also today, locals near Windsor grumble as William and Kate’s move to Forest Lodge closes off long-treasured dog walking paths. And in Luxembourg, Grand Duke Henri formally abdicates after 25 years, with Prince Guillaume stepping into his new role.

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Calorogus Shark Media.

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Hello and welcome to Palace Intrigue. I am your host,

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Mark Francis. In The Times, Shane Watson wonders are we

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getting bored of the Duke of Sussex and his endless bombshells?

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Although I'll download numbers disagree. Watson writes he has got

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the message that he can't keep trashing his closest family,

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half of whom are in recovery from cancer, all of

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whom are more popular than him, including William in America.

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But for Harry, that simply creates a vacancy for number

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one villain, an obstacle to his happiness. Who to blame

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now for the fact that there isn't any instantaneous thawing

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of relations. Harry doesn't get that there's more on people's

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minds here than being upstaged by Megan's radiance. He can't

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see why when his trip to the UK a couple

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of weeks ago was such a success. Yes, the Royal

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family are not in full reproachment mode, calling emergency summits

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to discuss how soon they can get their most valuable asset,

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Harry the Charmer, back on the team. So it makes

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perfect sense that he should go full circle and point

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the finger at the staff the Royal Household aids the

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people his mother, Diana first christened the Men in Gray Suits,

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which brings us to the second point, Harry using the

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phrase his mother used as both incendiary and delusional. She

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was a breath of fresh air and a stuffy dated

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institutions who shook up the etiquette and expectations of the time. Yes,

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we're all agreed on that, but Harry thinks that's what

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he's done by leaving and getting a deal with Netflix.

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There's something else too about this latest Men in Gray

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Suits bombshell. It's the fact that it's not a bombshell.

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It's just the next round in this increasingly dull and

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childish monathon. Harry has tested everybody's patience while somehow not

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losing our affection. But now he's entering high risk territory.

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There's a very real possibility that we're getting bored of him.

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Royal watcher Emma Fabiana observed the Sussexes have been relatively quiet,

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and that usually indicates preparation. We'll see if a new

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project or release arrives, but without forcing the timing, King

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Charles Is said to be allowing Prince Andrew to retain

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his long standing role in hosting shooting parties. According to

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The Royalist, Andrew continues to organize such gatherings on royal estates,

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including his Family Day at Windsor, traditionally held at the

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start of the pheasant shooting season in November. The parties,

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considered important for maintaining social connections, are thought to be

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one of the few areas where Andrew still holds sway

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behind the scenes. Andrew's biographer Andrew Lowney told The Royalist

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King Charles does not want to antagonize his younger brother entirely,

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but he needs to recognize that the public wants some

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answers about the York's connections with Jeffrey Epstein and how

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they have exploited their royal status for personal financial gain.

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Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie is said to be facing a

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very difficult position this Christmas, as King Charles were awardedly

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intends to keep their parents away from official holiday festivities.

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Royal commentator Phil Dampia told the paper. If it turns

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out that they are not invited or decide themselves not

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to go, then it makes it very difficult for Princesses

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Beatrice and Eugenie. They may feel it would be unfair

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of them to go when their parents aren't there, and

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it simply rubs salt in their wounds. The King has

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a soft spot for both Beatrice and Eugenie and feel

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sorry for the situation they are in, so to rual

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dilemma for him, and one he could do without. The

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Prince of Wales is also thought to have sympathy for

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his cousins and would not wish them to be excluded

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on account of their parents. Last Christmas, Eugenie celebrated with

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her husband Jack Brooksbank's family, while Beatrice attended Sandringham with

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the royals. The only other time they missed Royal Christmas

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traditions was during the COVID pandemic in twenty twenty. Commentators

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are warning that Sarah Ferguson's troubled path within the royal

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family should serve as a cautionary tale for Megan Mirkell.

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Writing in The Daily Mail, Sarah Vine suggested that Megan's

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close friendship with filmmaker Tyler Perry illustrates the danger of

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relying too heavily on powerful benefactors. While Perry who offered

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the Sussexes his Los Angeles home and security after their

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departure from Britain, and later became godfather to Princess lilibet

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Is no Epstein. Vin argued that his own complicated reputation

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could prove problematic. He's also not a wholly straightforward acquaintance.

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Vin also noted parallels between the two duchesses, a taste

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for luxury, reliance on wealthy friends, and an appetite for

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commercial ventures. Ferguson has launched lifestyle products in a television

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series about her personal struggles. Another similarity lies in their

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royal roles. Both women married the monarchy's spare rather than

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the heir, arrived as unconventional outsiders who initially injected energy

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but later clashed with the institution's constraints. While Vine stressed

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that Megan is not yet in the same league as

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the Duchess of York, she argued that the warning sign

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are clear. It's a cautionary tale. Let's hope they take heed.

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Other critics go further. Writing for gb News, Lee Cohen said,

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if the Yorks are a liability due to their ineptitude,

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the Sussexes are a threat because of their intent. Their

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departure from royal duties might have been understandable had they

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gone so quietly. Instead, they chose spectacle overdiscretion, grievance over gratitude.

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Cohen added that any suggestion of Prince Harry resuming royal

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duties in Britain should be immediately extinguished, describing him as

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dangerous and untrustworthy, more balance in just a moment. Hey,

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it's October and that means Halloween, and we've got a

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couple of great channels for you to listen to and follow.

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The first is Ghost Scary Stories and there are hundreds

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of horror stories in there, plus a new episode every

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day this month. Check out Ghost Scary Stories. Plus we

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have a Halloween pop up channel. To search Halloween Up

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and you'll find shows from all of our genres, from

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romance to trivia, to murder mysteries to ghost stories, music

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or with a Halloween theme. And they're all there every

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day on the Halloween Pop Up Channel. So Talloween Pop

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Up Channel wherever you get your podcasts. Prince William has

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opened up about his love of football and why Hollywood

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star Tom Hanks is an unlikely aston Villa supporter. During

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a candid conversation with actor Eugene Levy for Apple TV

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Plus is The Reluctant Traveler. Speaking to Levy inside Windsor Castle,

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the Prince of Wales proudly declared, I'm a football fan.

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I support aston Villa. You heard of them. Tom Hanks

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is a big fan. I love the story that Tom

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tells about why he suddenly supported aston Villa. When he

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was looking for a team to support, he saw the

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words aston Villa and thought that sounded quite like a sunshine,

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nice villa place to go, when actually, if he turns

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up to Birmingham, it's not that sunshiny. The full episode

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of The Reluctant Traveler with Eugene Levy is available on

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Apple TV Plus. Today dog walkers are not happy with

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William and Kate as they prepare to settle into their

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new residents, Forest Lodge by the end of the year.

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Forest Lodge and eight bedroom Georgian home formerly known as

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Holly Grove, since within one hundred and fifty acres of land,

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now being designated as a Crown Protection Zone under new

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security provisions. Access via Cranborne Gate, long used by local

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dog walkers and ramblers, was permanently closed this past Sunday.

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The gates adjacent to car park, which have required an

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annual fee of one hundred and ten pounds, has also

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been shut. Visible changes include the installation of large wooden fencing,

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surveillance cameras and freshly planted trees for additional privacy. Mourning

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science will soon go up around the two point three

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mile perimeter and trespasses may now face arrest. Tom Bunn,

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who regularly walked his dog Mister Brown in the fields nearby,

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and said, obviously it's disappointing as my dog loves it here,

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but I completely understand the safety of William, Kate and

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their family is paramount others worth less pathetic. A woman

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from nearby Winfield told The Sun many of us have

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been walking out dogs here for twenty years, so to

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be told we can't anymore as a kick in the teeth.

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We pay annually towards the upkeep of a park, but

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we are no longer going to be allowed to use

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part of it. One wonders the media reaction if this

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were megan, But since Kate wants a new house, it's fine.

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Move along. A historic moment awaits the Grand Duchy of

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Luxembourg today When Grand Duke on Ree formally abdicates after

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twenty five years of service, the throne will pass to

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his oldest son, Prince Guillome, who has already spent the

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past year quietly preparing in his role as Lieutenant Representative.

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The transition will be marked with a modern touches. Luxembourg

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unveils a new royal monogram. The familiar stylized H of

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Grand Duke on Re will give way to fresh G

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symbolizing Grand Duke Guiloam. The updated emblem will gradually appear

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across official institutions, including the Army, police, Customs, CGDIS and

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prison services. The abdication serah your schedule for ten am

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at the Grand Ducal Palace in Luxembourg City, followed by

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Prince he Owm's formal swearing in at the Chamber of

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Deputies just after midday of the Grand Ducal family will

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appear on the palace balcony before attending a reception at

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City Hall. Celebrations will span three days as Luxembourg welcomes

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a new chapter in its constitutional monarchy. And there you

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have it. If you like to email us and tell

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me how many pronunciation errors I just made in that

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last story. Our addresses the Palace Intrigue at gmail dot com.

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Please follow us on Spotify, Apple and the Apple off

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your choice, and leave us some nice review if from

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joining the show, I'm Mark Francis My thanks to John McDermott.

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Prince Harry Faces ‘Bombshell Fatigue’ PLUS King Charles Backs PrinceAndrew’s Shooting Role

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