Aug. 20, 2025

Prince William’s “Forever Home” Sparks Backlash — And a Norwegian Royal Faces Criminal Charges

Show Notes
Transcript

Prince William and Princess Catherine’s move to Forest Lodge is being sold as a “fresh start,” but critics aren’t buying it. The Daily Mail’s Amanda Platell says William needs to “man up” and fears he’s becoming a “part-time King.” Meanwhile, The Times and other outlets praise the couple’s low-key lifestyle and modern approach — but what does it mean for Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, and the future of the monarchy?
Plus: Shocking news out of Norway, where Marius Borg Høiby, stepson to Crown Prince Haakon, has been charged with multiple counts of rape and assault. What we know so far about the upcoming trial.

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Caloroga Shark Media. Hello and welcome to Palace Intrigue Again

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host Mark Francis. Prince William and Princess Catherine, along with

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their three children, will relocate later this year to Forest Lodge,

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an eight bedroom Grade two listed property nestled in the

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heart of Windsor Great Park. A royal source told the

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BBC Windsor has become their home. However, over the last

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few years while they have lived at Adelaide Cottage, there

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have been some really difficult times. Moving gives them an

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opportunity for a fresh start and a new chapter. The

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family moved to the four bedroom Adelaide Cottage in August

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of twenty two. Their time there coincided with several difficult moments,

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including the death of Queen Elizabeth I just weeks after

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they arrived, and more recently, the princesses cancer diagnosis and

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ongoing treatment. Large described as their forever home, is intended

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to be the family's base, not only for the present,

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but also in the future, even when William and Catherine

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eventually become King and Queen. Despite its size and grandeur,

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the couple are expected to continue their preference for privacy,

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With no living staff planned. The property, which underwent a

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one point five million pound restoration in two thousand and one,

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features ornate stonework plast ceilings in a dramatic vaulted hallway.

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Earlier this month, the local council approved minor internal alterations,

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including work to a fireplace and the removal of the window.

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The family is said to be funding the move privately,

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including paying market rent on the home. No taxpayer money

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via the sovereign grant will be used. The move is

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not at all without controversy. We saw a rare break

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from the fawning over the often vacationing Royals in the

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Daily Mail, where Amanda Platel writes Prince William needs to

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man up. His new obsession suggests he has forgotten everything

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the late Queen stood for. This is why I fear

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for the future. News that the privacy obsessed Prince William

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has found his forever home in the isolated eight bedroom

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Forest Lodge, where he says he will live even after

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becoming king should raise red flags about what the heir

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might sacrifice to shield his family. To paraphrase the mantra

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of his cherished and wise grandmother, the Late Queen, for

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the royal family to survive in an ever changing world,

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we have to be seen to be believed. During her reign,

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she carried out more than twenty one thousand engagements, even

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up to the days before her death. In comparison, last year,

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William did seventy one, a puny figure against his seventy

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year old aunt Princess Anne's four hundred seventy four, even

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after she was kicked in the head by a horse,

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and his father's three hundred seventy two despite ongoing treatment

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for cancer. It does not bode well. There will come

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a time, who knows how soon, when William has to

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man up for the role he was born into or not.

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I fear a future part time king hiding away in

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Forest Lodge on the Windsor estate could result in an

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even greater collapse of support among his subjects, which by

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the time he takes the crown, the population could be

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largely made up of gen Z, of whom, according to

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a yugo of poll from last year, only twenty nine

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percent believe the monarchy is good for Britain and are

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more likely to want an elected head of state. And

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William declaring, perhaps unwisely that Forest Lodge is the home

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he and his family will live in forever. Also raises

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worrying questions about what kind of monarch he will be

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in the age of a voracious social media world which

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cries out for more than the occasional snaps of the

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Royal brood or attender video of Kate hugging a tree.

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Given his current form, I, like so many devout monarchists,

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have serious doubts after decades of King William, I fear

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the royal family will be just like all other minor

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European royals, insignificant, unremarkable, occasionally appearing on the inside pages

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of Hello magazine and pure than The Times, on the

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other hand, apparently thinks this is great. They write, you

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remember back when Barak and Michelle Obama visited William and

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Kate and George in his dressing gown and Kensington Palace,

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the room where they entertained them looked like something in

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an eighties diplomatic residence. Kate will have moved on from

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the tastes she thought she should have back then and

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developed her own, and on top of that, she'll be

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ninety nine percent less interested in other people's opinions. The

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move is right. It's part of the same process that

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started with Kate letting it be known that she would

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no longer be releasing details of her outfits when out

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and about and appointments, the better to get the public

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to focus on the causes she supports, and Kensington Palace

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letting it be known that the Waleses have no living

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staff and want to be the kind of royals who

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are both seen on the school run. It's the opposite

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of the Bezos, the opposite of Montecito, the opposite of Andrew,

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and it's smart. She's Kate, he's William. The Daily Mail's

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Rebecca English wonders what will become of Buckingham Palace, writing

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William's decision has prompted serious questions in royals about the

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long term viability of both Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle,

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as well as other private royal estates such as Sandringham

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in Norfolk and Balmoral and the Scottish Highlands, which the

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Prince is eventually set to inherit. Although well beyond the

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means of most families, forest lodges certainly not grand, particularly

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when it comes to an heir to the throne. William's

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decision to live there shows his determination to adopt a

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more relatable way of living in comparison with Prince Andrew's

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vast thirty room royal lodge just a short drive away

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in the Great Park, or Prince Edward's Bagshot Park, which

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is said to boast between fifty and one hundred and

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twenty rooms. One local tells me the lodge is on

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a private road, close to a little village with a shop,

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the post office and the tea shop which is mainly

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used by staff. It's about as isolated as you can

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get there, so you can see the attraction for them.

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It's situated in a huge private chunk of Windsor Great

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Park and the children can go out cycling for miles

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and not come anywhere near any of the local residents.

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This is a nearby fishing lake that's open only to staff,

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but that's it. It's also a lot closer, probably a

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fifteen minute drive to their current school. As for Windsor Castle,

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which was once earmarked for William and Catherine by the

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late Queen, the prospect of a full or even part

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time royal resident after Charles also looks unlikely, but that

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is less concerning to many than the future of Buckingham Palace.

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The sovereign's official London residence, not least because three hundred

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and sixty nine million pounds of public funds is currently

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being invested in a top to toe refurbishment, including a

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complete redecoration of the Late Queen's suite of rooms. At present,

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no members of the Royal family reside at the palace

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due to this mammoth ten year reservicing program, which is

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required to bring the crumbling Royal residence up to scratch.

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There is no doubt the works were ever due and

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badly needed. Palace's pre war electrics were verging on dangerous

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for such an historic building. But without a king situated

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in or even in proximity, will people really feel this

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is justified? Will that have the same traction as the

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nation's most guilded museum when there is no monarch in

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residence or palace? In just a moment, Hey, true crime junkies,

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check out Celebrity Trials. Wherever you get your podcasts, it's

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your fix of true crime daily Celebrity Trials. Marius borg Hoiby,

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the son of Crown Princess met Marie of Norway and

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step son to Crown Prince Harken, has been officially charged

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with four counts of rape following a lengthy police investigation.

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Appearing in court in Oslo on Monday, Hoeby faced a

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total of thirty two charges, which also included four counts

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of sexual assault and two bodily harm. According to Norwegian authorities,

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the alleged offenses span several years, with some set to

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have occurred while the women involved were asleep. The case

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is very serious, said state attorney Stirler Hendrix Boh as

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he presented the indictment. He stressed that Hoeby's royal connections

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would not influence the legal process, stating that his status

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should not mean that he receives special treatment or leniency

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under the law. The twenty eight year old, who has

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no official tities or duties within the Norwegian royal family,

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has been under investigation for over a year. Authorities say

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he cooperated with police during questioning, and the case involves

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evidence including text messages, witness testimony and materials gathered during searches.

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A six week trial has been scheduled for in January.

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If convicted, Hoeby could face up to ten years in prison. Marius,

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often referred to his youth as Little Marius, was raised

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alongside the royal family and enjoyed the same lifestyle and

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privileges as his half siblings, though he does not hold

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a royal title, having been born before his mother's marriage

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to the Crown Prince in two thousand and one, and

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they have it. If you like to email us addresses

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the Palace Intrinc At gmail dot com, please followus on Spotify,

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can even go on there and tell me how much

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I have mispronounced every name in the Norwegian Royalty. My

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Francis my thanks to John McDermott. This is Palace Intrigue

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in good terms.

Prince William’s “Forever Home” Sparks Backlash — And a Norwegian Royal Faces Criminal Charges

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