Sept. 18, 2026

Prince William 'Horrified' by Harry's Diana Documentary as Palace Braces for New Royal Drama

Show Notes
Transcript

Reports of a new Princess Diana documentary are fueling fresh tensions between Prince William and Prince Harry, with commentators warning the project could reopen old wounds just ahead of Diana's thirtieth anniversary. Plus, the astonishing novel imagining Princess Lilibet becoming Queen, why that scenario is almost impossible, and what it would actually take for the line of succession to change.

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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.

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

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Mark Francis. Harry is reportedly considering a new documentary about

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Princess Diana, although the project itself has not been officially

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confirmed and will likely be a months-long saga once it is.

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It is reportedly titled Diana, the Unheard Truth, potentially built

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around previously unreleased recordings of his mother. Royal commentator Kinsey

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Schofield says the reaction from William could depend heavily on

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how Diana's story is used, particularly if Meghan becomes involved.

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If Meghan were involved creatively, it would inevitably make the

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project more controversial because Harry has repeatedly drawn parallels between

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Meghan and Diana. Those comparisons are particularly sensitive because William

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knew Diana in a way Meghan never could. Meghan never

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met Diana. If the documentary began using Diana's experiences to

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reinforce Harry and Meghan's existing narrative about themselves, I think

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that would be where it becomes too much for William.

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In fact, I am hearing that the Diana Award fundraising

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dinner that Prince Harry was expected to attend was cancelled

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when Prince William was notified that Meghan planned to attend

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and had a list of superficial asks regarding her presence there.

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Meghan using a Diana-related event as a PR opportunity for

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herself would infuriate the air. There is a difference between

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telling Diana's story and using Diana's story to validate your

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own or elevate yourself. That is why I think watching

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his brother commercialize their mother almost 30 years after her

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death could feel vulgar to Prince William and might feel

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like another betrayal. Author Christopher Anderson points out that William

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and Harry previously worked together on a documentary about Diana

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in 2017 before their relationship deteriorated. But obviously a lot

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has happened since then and the brothers aren't speaking, much

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less partnering on a project. Diana, The Unheard Truth is

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a three-part documentary based on never-before-released tapes, and Williams sees

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it as a posthumous invasion of their mother's privacy. How

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could it not be? Diana poured her heart out on

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the tapes we've already heard. Presumably, these new tapes will

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be tear-soaked as well. They may also contain bombshells of

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the variety that paint the royal family in a bad light.

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Diana's window-rattling battles with Charles over his mistress Camilla, Diana's

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frustration with the palace officials who plotted against her, Diana

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struggles with bulimia and even her attempts at suicide, all

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this is bound to be rehashed, much to the abject

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shame and embarrassment of the royal family. William hates the

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idea that a new, potentially explosive documentary might exploit the

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obvious emotional pain Diana was going through, not to mention

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any details about the last days of her life and

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the horrific Paris car crash that killed her. King Charles

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and Queen Camilla must be horrified at the thought of

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all that tabloid sludge being dragged up again. Kate, in particular,

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is not happy that Harry and Meghan's antics are casting

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a shadow over Prince George's first week at Eton. This

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was supposed to be a happy, celebratory time, but instead

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the knives are being sharpened again. British broadcaster Helena Chard

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goes further, claiming Harry has already begun approaching people who

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knew Diana. There is serious mistrust surrounding Prince Harry and

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Meghan Markle. The palace is keen to prevent further damage

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to the institution of the monarchy. We'd like to see

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Prince Harry making a fresh start, but things are already

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going pear-shaped. The reason behind the Sussexes' return seems to

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be coming to light, and unfortunately, it is not for

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the sake of reconciliation. Business ventures have fallen flat in California.

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There was a hope that Harry and Meghan would keep

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their heads down and ingratiate themselves back into British life. However,

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sources state they want and expect so much more. Insiders

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have divulged that Harry is already talking to old friends

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of Princess Diana, with a view to them taking part

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in his film about his mother. He is immersing himself

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in his mother's legacy in the Spencer title. The Sussexes

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and Netflix realise that any filming surrounding Princess Diana is

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Netflix gold, and the more explosive, the better. They will

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be financially handsomely rewarded. The thought of this is heartbreaking.

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My heart goes out to William. He also holds a

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special private place for his mother and celebrates her life,

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but feels his mother's legacy should exist without being brought

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to life for the Sussexes to jump in her shoes.

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This will certainly shine a spotlight on William and Harry's

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relationship and their differences surrounding their mother's legacy. Prince William's

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patience will no doubt be completely exhausted if there is

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any truth in the idea that Meghan hopes to narrate

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Harry's Princess Diana story. Royal commentator Hilary Forditch adds, If

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indeed Diana's friends share private, formerly unknown anecdotes, it could

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become extremely explosive depending on if they were innocuous or

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attacking the then Prince Charles. He has been supporting causes

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associated with her humanitarian work and also did participate with

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Harry on their 2017 tour documentary pre-MM. It seems Harry

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might well try to strengthen public awareness of the Spencer family,

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as he is aligning with them and obviously wants to

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identify outside the Windsor institution. As Elton John sang at

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her funeral, referring to Diana as England's rose, Diana was

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more English, and Spencer roots are more deeply embedded in

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England's old aristocracy than the relatively recent German dynastic origins

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of the Windsors. More palace in just a moment. A

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new novel imagining an extraordinary future for the British monarchy

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is reportedly making some people around the palace nervous, even

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though the book is explicitly a work of fiction. Gossip

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columnist Rob Shooter is preparing to publish Queen Elizabeth III,

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The New American House of Windsor, on December 1st. The

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novel imagines a catastrophic event that completely reshapes the line

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of succession and ultimately puts Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's

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daughter Lilibet on the throne. Radar Online, citing an unnamed source,

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claims palace officials are eager to see the book before publication.

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Rob says it's fiction, but that isn't calming anybody down.

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He's shining a spotlight on scenarios the palace absolutely does

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not want people thinking about. Shooter has revealed the basic

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premise himself. Fifteen years from now, a catastrophic helicopter crash

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over Balmoral changes the line of succession in one devastating moment,

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plunging the British monarchy into its darkest crisis in centuries.

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Exactly how the fictional disaster rearranges the succession has not

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been fully disclosed. Shooter describes the aftermath this way. From

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the wreckage, a new royal power rises out of Montecito,

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but not the one the world expects. At the center

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is a young American woman who was never meant to rule, overlooked, underestimated,

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and suddenly crowned Queen Elizabeth III. Radar quotes a source

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arguing that the premise becomes more provocative once readers remember

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that Lilibet genuinely does have a place in the succession.

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The source said the plot sounds outrageous until you actually

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look at the line of succession. That's what makes this

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book so uncomfortable. It isn't impossible. Radar claims palace figures

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want an advanced copy. According to its source, they are

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unlikely to get one. They're not getting it. It's under

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lock and key until publication day. Shooter says, I wanted

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to explore what happens when the most traditional institution on

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Earth is forced to hand its future over to someone

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it never imagined wearing the crown. She isn't prepared for

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the monarchy, and the monarchy definitely isn't prepared for her.

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So what would actually have to happen for Princess Lilibet

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to become Queen Elizabeth III? The answer is an extraordinary amount.

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Start with the current line. King Charles is on the throne.

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After him comes Prince William, then William's three children, Prince George,

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Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. After Louis comes Prince Harry,

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then Prince Archie, then Princess Lilibet. That means seven people

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currently separate Lilibet from becoming monarch. Charles, William, George, Charlotte, Louis,

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Harry and Archie. And this is where Rob Shooter's fictional

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helicopter crash does a lot of work very quickly. If,

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in his scenario, Charles, William, George, Charlotte and Louis were

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all killed in the same catastrophe, the crown would move

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immediately to Harry. Harry would become the king the instant

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Charles and everyone ahead of Harry had died. That creates

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the next problem for Shooter's fictional queen, Lilibet. Harry has

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to be removed from the equation too. He could die

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in the fictional disaster. die subsequently or become king and

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later die, but merely being unpopular, living outside the royal

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family or having spent years as a non-working royal would

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not prevent his accession. And even if Harry were gone,

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Lilibet still would not be queen. For Lilibet to reach

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the throne, Archie therefore has to die as well, or

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somehow cease to be eligible to inherit. And there is

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another complication if Shooter jumps his story 15 years into

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the future. Children, George will be 28, Charlotte will be 26,

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Louis will be 23, Archie will be 22, and Lilibet

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will be 20. If George has children by then, those

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children enter the line immediately after George and ahead of Charlotte.

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Killing George would not clear George's branch of the succession.

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His children would inherit his place. The same principle applies

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further down the line. If Archie had a child before

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whatever fictional event removes him, that child would stand ahead

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of Lilibet as well. So despite the catchy title, the

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scenario is very, very extremely unlikely. For a more plausible

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look at an alternative royal future, we suggest you check

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out our sister series, King William, wherever you get your podcasts.

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And there you have it. If you'd like to email us,

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our address is thepalaceintrigue at gmail.com. And if you're on Spotify,

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I'm Mark Francis. My thanks to John McDermott. This is

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Palace Intrigue. Good times.

Prince William 'Horrified' by Harry's Diana Documentary as Palace Braces for New Royal Drama

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