Royals Keep Calm and Carry On This Christmas

0:03 Calorogus Shark Media. Hello and welcome to Palace Intrigue and I'm your host, Mark Francis. Royal expert Duncan Larcom suggests the Royals will be happy to leave twenty twenty four behind. It's been allows a year for them. Health issues have dominated the news agenda and hundreds of royal engagements have been canceled. They weren't the only Royals blighted by ill health either. The Duchess of York revealed she was receiving treatment for skin cancer so soon after beating breast cancer this time last year. The King would have been horrified if he knew what lay ahead. It's a year he'll want to consign to the history books and move on from.

0:44 Christmas will be an opportunity for the royals to rally together. They don't meet up very often as a family in private. Gathering at Sandringham means they can shut out the rest of the world, focus on what's important and look ahead to new beginnings. Royal author Robert Jobson concurs, noting that hell scares within the family have tightened their bond and highlighted their vulnerability. The cancer issues have brought the royals closer together and made them realize their own mortality. That life is fragile no matter who you are. I think Kate and William felt hurt, frustrated, and angered by the cruel trolling. Kate's probably had moments when she's been very frightened. We know people can survive cancer, be also no cancer can kill. What a horrible time to be attacked by a barrage of conspiracy theories and rumors. People forget they are humans first and royals second. Royal author Robert Jobson ads the royals might have given the impression of keeping calm and carrying on, but this has affected them all doubly so. For for William, he was crestfallen when he heard the news about his father, and as heir to the throne, he had to face up to what this might mean for his position, and then to hear about his wife. It was all very grim and very difficult for him to deal with, but he had to go out into the public, as did Camilla, and he handled it very well. It represents a shift in the way our royals are dealing with the kind of private issues that they would never have spoken about in the past.

2:03 He says it's the end of their old ad age, never explained, never complain. The King and Kate were both forced to explain precisely what was happening. Her video messages have been extremely emotional and personal, which is unusual for the royals. A lot of people warm to her, even those who may not have been particularly enamored by her before. Ever since the Megan and Harry days, people had taken sides. There's now a unified voice of support behind Catherine. She's only forty two. When this happens to young women, there's a lot of concern. Having to explain to her children that things are a bit difficult for mummy. Well, those young children must have been devastated. She has faced up to immense challenges and has dealt with them very bravely. She has put her family first and concentrated on making sure her children are okay. Not being able to give visible support to her early year's work will have disappointed her, but quite rightly. She has prioritized getting well and has focused on her family and loved ones. All eyes were on her, especially at True the Colour, trying to see if there was anything different about her because of her treatment.

3:03 How was her hair, what was her weight like? Being on public display is stressful at the best of times. She can't just run to the school gates in her tracky bottoms. People are watching all the time, but given the circumstances with her health, it must be extremely difficult to be examined and put under that pressure. Her hair has to be perfect otherwise people start asking questions. I'm sure there will be a change in Catherine. You can already tell there's a difference about the King. When he visited the McMillan Cancer Center at University College London Hospital in April, on his first public facing engagement, we saw him being very tactile. I've noticed he's far more open and warmer in the way he interacts with people, particularly others with illness. He also noted when the royals meet up as family this Christmas, I'm sure there will be a few raised glasses, muses Robert. They'll be thinking God and the lucky Stars that King Charles and Catherine are still with us. King Charles has long been known as a more affectionate royal, defying the stiff upper lips stereotype often associated with the monarchy. According to Jobson, Charles is a pretty good hugger, adding that he's always been relaxed and tactile, with a characteristic twinkle in his eye. Pallas insiders echo this sentiment, describing him as warm and relatable.

4:12 Penny Juna, another royal biographer, supports these observations in her book Charles Victim or Villain, recounting how Charles would engage in playful rough and tumble with his sons William and Harry. She shared a particularly heartwarming anecdote of Harry delivering a speech at a family dinner before showering Charles and kisses, much to his mock embarrassment. Even as a hands on father, Charles sometimes paid a price for his affection. Juna hilariously recalled how William and Harry would race across sheep filled fields to greet their father as he landed by helicopter at Highgrove, leaving his suits streaked with sheep droppings. His affection extends beyond family too. At a Buckingham Palace reception earlier this year, Charles warmly embraced a group of New Zealand women rugby players after one requested a hug. His cheerful response why not, led to an impromptuy group embrace, showing that even as King, he's unafraid to connect with people on a personal level. More palace in just a moment.

5:10 The late Queen Elizabeth's love affair with Corgi's was legendary, equal parts adorable and chaotic. Her lifelong devotion to the breed began in childhood when her father brought home a corgy named Dookie. Apparently, Doukie was a bit of a diva with a pension for attacking dining room chairs at Royal Lodge, so not just a dog but a full blown furry furniture menace. Fast forward, and Prince Andrew now lives at Royal Lodge with two of the Queen's later Corgies. The dog's reputation for unpredictability hasn't mellowed over the years, but Andrew probably has bigger concerns than a nibble chair leg. The Queen herself wasn't spared from the corgy's fiery temperament. She needed stitches after a bite and even had staff consider slapping up a beware of dog sigon at bo Moral.

5:52 Imagine being the postman who dared approach the Queen's first Corki of her own. Susan became her lifelong companion, even tagging along on her honeymoon. All thirty plus corgies she owned over the years were descendants of Susan. These dogs lived lives of royal luxury, traveling by helicopter and enjoying Christmas stockings stuffed with goodies from her Majesty herself. Princess Diana once called the Queen's corgy entouragi moving carpet, which seems hilariously accurate given their constant presence. While the Queen doted on the girls and the boys, her devotion came with the occasional bite, literally a corky legacy indeed, part fluff, part chaos or royal Queen Elizabeth's love of corgy's and horses is well documented, but did you know she also raced pigeons. Pigeon racing, an unusual yet historic hobby, has been part of the British royal families traditions since eighteen eighty six, when King Leopold the Second of Belgium gifted racing pigeons to the royals. Elizabeth was particularly skilled at the sport during her younger years, as Princess Elizabeth with her birds purportedly winning every major pigeon racing tournament. According to Hello magazine. Pigeon racing involves releasing birds far from their home loss and timing their return, with some races spanning up to five hundred miles. The late Queen maintained her pigeons at the Royal Loft of the Sandringham Estate and served as a patron of the Royal Pigeon Racing Association and the National Flying Club, demonstrating her commitment to this niche sport. Her interest in birds are said to

7:23 have been inherited from her grandfather, King George the Fifth and her father, King George the six. The Royal Families association with pigeon racing has faced criticism, particularly from animal rights group Peter, which has urged King Charles to discontinue the sport and retire the birds from the Royal Loft. Earlier this year, Peter purchased three of the King's pigeons at auction and relocated them to a shelter. Queen Elizabeth's fondness for birds extended beyond pigeons. She reportedly bonded with her grandfather's parrot Charlotte, which could famously utter God Save the King and amusingly some less polite phrases. Charlotte's antics, combined with the Queen's lifelong love of animals, illustrate the personal connection and that underpinned her dedication to the Royal pigeon racing tradition. And now we're wondering if Kate and William named their daughter after a foul mouth bird, and they have it like to email us addresses the Palasindrig at gmail dot com. Please follow us the Spotify apple or the apple of your choice. And right it's a reviewering some stars. If you're enjoying the show, don't forget.

8:20 You can get a subscription to this show and get a commercial free, along with hundreds of others from Callaoga Shark Media. All the details are in the show notes by Mark Francis Mean. Thanks to John McDermott. This is Palasindrigan. Good Times,