March 3, 2026

Royal Ascot snub stuns Beatrice and Eugenie as Andrew succession battle explodes

Show Notes
Transcript

Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie are reportedly out of this year’s Royal Ascot carriage procession in what insiders describe as a devastating public blow. Sources say Beatrice feels “completely blindsided” as the sisters once again face fallout from Prince Andrew’s ongoing scandal. Meanwhile, pressure is mounting to remove Andrew from the line of succession, with Prince William said to favor decisive action and public opinion overwhelmingly in support. We break down the Ascot decision, the widening succession debate, the late-night mockery, and what it all signals about the monarchy’s tightening inner circle.

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Ah calorougu Shark Media. Hello and welcome to Palaced Intrigue.

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I'm your host, Mark Francis. Reports claim that Princesses Beatrice

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and Eugenie will not take part in this year's Royal

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Ascot carriage procession, a highly visible event traditionally seen as

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a marker of who is firmly in the Royal fold.

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According to The Mail on Sunday, the sisters have been

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told they will not ride in the Royal carriages in June.

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A source told the paper, I've spoken to my friend

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who works at Ascot and they said the goals have

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been told they can't be there this year. The insider

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added that Beatrice has taken it the hardest. She has

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been completely blindsided by all of this. Royal Ascot's carriage

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procession is one of the most symbolic events of the

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Royal calendar. To be excluded from it is widely viewed

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as a public demotion in status. Traditionally, Andrew and his

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daughters were prominent participants. King Charles has previously signaled that

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he does not wish Andrew's daughters to be punished for

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their father's actions. However, commentators suggest that Prince William favors

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a firmer approach. The reported Ascot decision is being interpreted

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by some as a part of a broader shift toward

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a tighter, more controlled royal circle. Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie

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are said to be united in private distress, but divided

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in how they are handling the situation publicly. When insiders said,

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each fresh Epstein disclosure feels like a fresh blow for

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the sisters. Just when they think the worst of it

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might be behind them, something else surfaces and drags it

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all back into the spotlight. It's completely emotionally exhausting for them.

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According to the Radar Online report, Beatrice has taken a

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more visibly loyal stance toward her father. She was seen

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horseback riding with Andrew and her daughter earlier this year,

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before the most recent emails were released. One source claimed

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Beatrice has always had a fiercely loyal streak, especially when

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it comes to her father. Her in instinct is to

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stand by Andrew and show solidarity regardless of the public backlash. Eugenie,

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by contrast, is described as taking a more cautious approach.

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She has been living in Portugal with her husband Jack Brooks,

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bank and their children, and Inside has said her priority

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is protecting her husband and children and preserving the credibility

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she has built in her own career. For her, creating

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some physical and symbolic distance is not about disloyalty, It's

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about stability. Another source added, there's embarrassment, yes, but also

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a great deal of sadness. At the same time, they're realistic.

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They understand that how they respond now, the choices they make,

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the company they keep, and the image they project will

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shape their long term standing. Both sisters have established professional

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careers outside formal royal duties. Beatrice works in tech advisory,

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while Eugenie is employed in the art world. Insiders suggests

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that for now their focus is on managing the immediate

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reputational fallout rather than expanding their public profiles. Prince William

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reported he wanted Andrew removed from the line of succession

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last autumn, at the same time that his remaining royal

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titles were stripped. According to The Sunday Times, the Prince

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of Wales has been frustrated that the issue of succession

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was not resolved then and that the government is only

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now formally weighing up possible action. Reports suggest King Charles

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was initially reluctant to back removing his brother from the succession,

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although he stripped Andrew of all remaining titles, including the

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Duke of York in October after further revelations about his

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links to Epstein. Sources have told The Sunday Times that

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the King now wouldn't argue if the government chose to proceed.

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Public opinion appears strongly in favor of removal. A recent

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poll found that eighty two percent of Britons believe Andrew

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should be taken out of the line of succession. Leaders

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in Australia and New Zealand have also indicated they would

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support such a move if proposed by the UK government.

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Andrew remains eighth in lion to the throne. Former BBC

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Royal correspondent Jenny Bond has argued that the potent child

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reform should go further. Speaking to The Mirror, she said,

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of course Andrew should be removed from the line of succession.

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If you are not fit to be a prince, you're

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certainly not fit to be king. It would also remove

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him as Counselor of State, which is another absurdity at

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the moment, and was obviously not a suitable substitute for

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the king personally, I think they should also remove Harry

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and as children, plus Beatrice, Eugenie and their children from

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the line of succession. I think to have William and

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his children followed by Anne bumping her up the order

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and Edward is more than enough. So I would propose

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a complete shakeup of the succession order. I think this

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long line of succession has become rather ridiculous. Very few

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people have any idea that someone called athenem A Pellimotzy

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or Ernest brooks Bank are eleventh and fourteenth and line

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to the throne. Bond also questioned the practicality of an

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extended succession list, noting I once made a television program

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which showed that in essence we are all related to

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royalty and therefore all in line of succession. It becomes silly,

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so I think we should simply William and his children,

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followed by the much respected Princess Royal and then Prince

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Edward on Prince Harry, currently fifth in line to the throne.

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She said, it's pretty obvious that Harry doesn't want the job.

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Why would he want to get back in the gilded

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cage that he saw as a trap, so we should

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gently ease him to one side. Six people in line

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to the throne is I would contend more than enough. However,

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Bond caution against further reducing the number of working royals.

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I don't, however, think there's any need to further reduce

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the number. As Princess Anne herself has made clear, they

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are pretty stretched as it is, and with so many

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of the few that are left now in their seventies

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or older, there will be a further natural slimming down

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before George and his siblings are old enough to take

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on royal duties. Colin Jost commented on succession during Saturday

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Night Live. During the Weekend Update segment, Jost displayed the

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now widely shared photograph of Andrew in the vehicle and

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said Andrew mount Patten Windsor, former Prince and current river corpse,

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has been arrested and now maybe and from ever taking

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the throne. He then added, in fact, the royal family

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have said that the only way he can become king

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is if it comes down to either him or Megan,

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at which point a photo of Megan Markell appeared on screen.

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The studio audience responded with laughter or Palace in just

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a moment. The mood around Andrew Mountbatten Windsor was also

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evident at the twenty twenty six brit Awards, where a

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joke about his position in the line of succession drew

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loud cheers from the audience. Host Jack Whitehall, introducing James

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Blunt and Maya Jamma to present the Artist of the

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Year award, equipped that Blunt was the only man posher

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than me at the Brits. He then added that the

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singer was about thirtieth in line to the throne, might

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be twenty ninth soon. Historian David Starkey argues that Andrew

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is the subject of excessive public shaming. Speaking to the Telegraph,

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he said, look, it's very simple as far as Andrew

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is concerned and afraid. A lot of people like humiliating others,

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and there's a which hunt under way, being treated to

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the spectacle of a pillory. While stressing he was not

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remotely defending Andrew, whom he described as an individual of

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no merit, Starkey said that if a provable case exists,

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Andrew should be tried, but that should be the end

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of the matter. I'm not interested in a ritual debagging

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for the sake of it on the Prince and Princess

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of Wales. Starkey was more complimentary toward Kate, calling her

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well educated and impressive with an air of natural personal authority. However,

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he questioned whether public walkabouts and charitable messaging alone can

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secure the monarchy's long term future. They are an attractive

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youngish couple and that's a very important symbol. But equally

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just going around the country being nice to people, wearing

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Wellington's or turning up in the rain isn't enough. Starkey's

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broader concern is that the monarchy lacks a clearly defined

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role in modern Britain. He argues that scandals resonate more

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deeply because the institution's purpose is increasingly unclear. If the

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combination of the monarchy and the political class can't come

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up with a proper explanation of what the monarchy is four,

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then all of these little marginal attacks will eventually kill it.

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We must harness the symbolic power of monarchy to pull

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us together rather than terrace apart. Andrew received an unexpected

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visitor over the weekend, just hours before King Charles attended

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church nearby without meeting his brother. On Saturday, evening, Reverend

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Canon Paul Williams, the King's domestic chaplain and rector of

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the Sandringham Group of parishes, were seen driving into wood Farm.

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It is not known how long he stayed or the

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purpose of the visit. The meeting came shortly before Canon

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Williams led Sunday service at Saint Mary Magdalene Church on

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the Sandringham estate, which King Charles attended. Despite the close proximity,

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it is understood that the King did not visit Andrew,

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has not seen him during his stay and has no

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plans to do so. Andrew is not known to attend

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church regularly, but has appeared alongside senior members of the

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royal family at key services in the past. He attended

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the Easter service at Windsor in April twenty twenty five

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with the King and Queen Cammella was present at the

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Christmas Day service at Saint Mary Magdalene in twenty twenty three,

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also led by Canon Williams. His most recent appearance with

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senior royals was at the Duchess of Ken's funeral last September,

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where he was joined by his former wife Sarah Ferguson.

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King Charles seventy seven attended Sunday service at Sandringham alone,

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wearing a camel overcoat and gray suit along with a

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yellow ribbon in recognition of Saint David's Day. And there

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

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addresses the Palace Intrigu at gmail dot com. Please follow

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us on Spotify, Apple on the app of your choice,

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and mark Francis my thanks to John McDermott. This is

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Palace Intrigue in good terms.

Royal Ascot snub stuns Beatrice and Eugenie as Andrew succession battle explodes

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