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Ah Caloroga Shark Media, Yeah lo and welcome through Palace Intrigue.
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I'm your host. Mark Francis is Prince William living in
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a sexless marriage. William is finding himself at the center
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of an unexpected online debate after a lighthearted comment about
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Kate's work habits was taken by some social media users
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as evidence of problems in the way it was his marriage.
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Speaking about Catherine's preparation, he said she wanted to do
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a lot of research god knows how much time now
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looking through all the paperwork. She's a paper pro on
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children's early years, and the most evenings I'm fighting to
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get past in the bedroom, all the paperwork she's got
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lined up to read. So I'm so pleased it went
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so well for her, and I think she came back buzzing.
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The comments were widely shared online, with some social media
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users choosing to interpret the joke as a sign of
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marital difficulties. A source tells Radar Online there has been
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a lot of noise online trying to twist William's comments
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into something they are not, but those close to him
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say he was simply highlighting how dedicated Catherine is to
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her work. He is immensely proud of her in the
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way she has approached her return to public duties, even
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if it means their evenings are sometimes taken over by
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documents in preparation. While royal couples are not generally known
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for overt public displays of affection, several subtle moments during
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Saturday's wedding caught the attention of observers. Kaid and William
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were among those navigating the rain as they arrived and
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departed from the ceremony. Photographs showed the couple sharing an
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umbrella while greeting guests and the knowledging well wishes gathered
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outside the church. As conditions became wendy a, William appeared
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to take responsibility for keeping the umbrella positioned over his
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wife while she stopped to speak with guests. The practical
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gesture quickly drew attention online, with some royal fans praising
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the future King's efforts to shield Catherine from the rain.
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Princess Beatrice and her husband EDWARDO Mabelli Motzy were also
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photographed making their way through the rain under an umbrella.
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According to reports that included reading analysis, Beatrice was seen
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commenting to her husband about the challenge of handing the
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umbrella and the windy conditions. When the rain briefly eased,
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the couple were photographed holding hands as they walked together. Elsewhere,
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the Tyndall family appeared well prepared for the weather, with
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several family members carrying their own umbrellas. One of the
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more colorful additions came from Lena Tindall, whose bright umbrella
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stood out among the more traditional royal attire. Even the
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bride and groom found themselves sharing a memorable umbrella moment.
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As Peter Phillips and Harriet Sperling left the church following
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the ceremony, Peter held a large white umbrella above the
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newly weds as they greeted guests and posed for photographs outside.
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In The Royalist, Tom Sykes writes, the sticky used to
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beat William has always been that he is lazy or
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workshy and primi fussy, and the data supports it. Charles,
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whatever his critics think of him, absorbed his mother's first
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commandment that royals must be seen to be believed, and
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turned himself into the most visible monarch and modern history.
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The numbers aren't in this. As Prince of Wales, he
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topped the family leaderboard with six hundred one engagements in
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twenty eleven, five hundred and twenty one and twenty nineteen
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the last normal pre pandemic year ahead even of the
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tireless Princess Anne. Williams Court argues that he simply sees
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the job differently. He disdains performative monarchy, the appearance counting,
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the diary stuffed with engagements that exist only to be counted.
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He believes in impact earth shot, homewards mental health, Fewer
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things done, more deeply, and the figures speak for themselves.
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Charles never ending two plus the patina of actually being
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king have pushed his approval to a record high of
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around sixty percent, but William and Catherine outstrip him by
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a mile. In the late seventies, the big overseas trips
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have all been earthshot, while he's made eight visits to
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watch rugby or football. I can add to this. William
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is as of now reluctant to commit to going to
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the USA this summer to support England at the World Cup,
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citing the end of George's final term at junior school.
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I am told he's resisting unless England reached the quarter final.
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This is the kind of thing that sends Charles absolutely bonkers, says.
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Personal wishes and personal family life comes second to duty.
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Hey all, this month, we're encouraging listeners of Palace Intrigue
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to help spread the word. If you enjoy the show,
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tell a friend about us of belly A, share an
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episode with someone who loves following the Royal family and
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you know who they are. Be sure to follow Palace
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Intrigue on Spotify as well as Apple and turn on
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your notifications so you never miss an episode. And we'd
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love to hear your thoughts on today's stories. You can
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lead comments for us on Spotify or Palace in just
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a moment. Newly released government documents are prompting renewed questions
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about former Prince Andrew's former role as Britain's trade envoy
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and the extent to which the late Queen Elizabeth supported
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his appointment. According to a report from Radar Online, concerns
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are growing among some royal observers. The continuing scrutiny of
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Andrew's activities could eventually lead to greater examination of how
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the institution responded to con scerns about him over the years.
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One source, quoted by columnist rob Shooter claimed Andrew got
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away with an extraordinary amount because the Queen protected him.
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People inside the palace knew he was a problem, but
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nobody wanted to challenge Elizabeth over her favorite son. Another
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source said there was a real sense of unease building
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behind palace walls because many people fear the public still
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has only seen a fraction of what went on and
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when it came to protecting Andrew over the years. According
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to those familiar with the institution at the time, concerns
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about his judgment, behavior and the company he kept were
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circulating internally long before the Epstein scandal became an international embarrassment,
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but there was an unspoken understanding that Andrew occupied a
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uniquely protected position because of how deeply loyal the Queen
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was to him personally. People inside the royal household apparently
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felt there was very little appetite for confronting the issue
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had on or questioning decisions connected to Andrew, because nobody
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wanted to be viewed as challenging Elizabeth herself. The belief
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among some former aides is that this created an environment
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where warning signs were minimized, awkward questions were pushed aside,
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and reputational risks were managed quietly rather than addressed openly.
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Critics inside and outside the palace now argue that this
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long standing culture of deference effectively allowed Andrew to move
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through elite circles with enormous privilege, influence, and freedom for
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far longer than should have ever been possible. Radar's report
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also cites concerns that future disclosures could place greater focus
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on the monarchy's handling of Andrew's affairs rather than solely
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on Andrew himself. A separate source said, what is really
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alarming senior royal figures now is the possibility that this
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story now stops being seen purely as Andrew's personal scandal
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and starts becoming a much broader examination of how the
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monarchy itself responded behind the scenes. There is growing concern
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that additional disclosures, whether from official documents, former staff members,
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or private exchanges that eventually became public, could leave people
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with the impression that protecting the institution's image was prioritized
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by Elizabeth over properly confronting the seriousness of the situation.
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According to insiders, there is particular anxiety about the impact
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this could have on Queen Elizabeth's historical reputation and legacy
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because she was viewed by many within the Palace was
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fiercely protected of Andrew throughout the years. The fear is
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that future revelations may paint a picture of an institution
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quietly containing crises, managing headlines, and shielding Andrew from deeper scrutiny,
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rather than dealing with uncomfortable allegations openly and transparently. Senior
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royal aids are saying there is genuine nervousness. The public
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opinion could shieft dramatically if more evidence emergers suggesting the
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Palace operated an extensive damage limitation strategy surrounding Andrew for years,
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and that it worked to essentially cover up his alleged
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perverted lifestyle. Author Andrew Lowney warns that former Prince Andrew
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needs to beef up his own security. Lowney said, my
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view is that he can afford it, and he does
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need security, and he should do it. He should be
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paying for his own security. He brought these problems on himself.
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Lowney also suggested that a determined group could potentially time
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the Duke of York of his protection were insufficient. He said,
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I do think it just needs five cars when he
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is out to stop him in the way they did
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with Princess Anne, cut him off and do a raid,
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a bit like a bank raid. He could be kidnapped
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or attacked. There is a duty of care for him,
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either he pays for it or Charles pays for it.
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But I don't think the public is going to swallow
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him getting more taxpayers money, given this is a problem
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of his own making. A security source told Radar Online,
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Andrew is no longer surrounded by the level of royal
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infrastructure he once had. If someone wanted to create chaos
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or exploit his notoriety, there are vulnerabilities there. Another source added,
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whether people sympathized with him or not is irrelevant from
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a security perspective. He remains a globally recognized royal figure
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with enemies, obsessives, and people who may see him as
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a target. The discussion of Andrew's security also prompted renewed
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attention on the attempted kidnapping of Princess Anne in nineteen
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seventy four. During that incident, gunman Ian Ball stopped the
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Princess's car in central London and demanded she leave the vehicle,
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and famously refused, replying not bloody likely. Several people were
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injured while helping protect the princess before Ball was eventually arrested.
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Loney has suggested that Andrew could eventually relocate to the
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Middle East, arguing that such a move might ease ongoing
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pressures on the royal family as scrutiny surrounding him continues.
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I think Andrew may well end up in the Middle East,
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Loney said that would solve a lot of problems for
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the royal family. Keep the story under wraps and get
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them away from public view, and there you have it.
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If you'd like to email us, our address is the
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Palace Intrigue at a gmail dot com. I'm Mirke Francis.
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My things to John McDermott. This is Palace Intrigue and
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good Times.