Feb. 22, 2026

The King v Mountbatten-Windsor - The week in UK royal news with Mark Francis

Show Notes
Transcript

Andrew arrested Thursday Feb 19 on 66th birthday at Wood Farm, Sandringham. Suspicion of misconduct in public office. 11 hours custody at Aylsham Police Station. Released under investigation—no bail, no conditions. Thames Valley Police/NCA searches at Royal Lodge and Wood Farm. Maximum sentence: life imprisonment. Last royal arrested: King Charles I, 1646. Case would be styled "The King v Mountbatten-Windsor." King Charles statement: "the law must take its course."

Buckingham Palace not informed in advance. Charles continues London Fashion Week appearance. Reuters photo of Andrew in back of car leaving custody becomes iconic. Trump: "very sad." Deep Crown: "Andrew is a chapter. The story is Charles. William and Catherine represent monarchy's most credible path to genuine fresh start." Christmas cards 2011/2012 to Epstein with Beatrice/Eugenie photos despite claiming contact cut off 2010. Torture allegation: watching 6-8 year old girl electric shock (Surrey Police).

Hillary Clinton: Andrew should testify. Documents show Epstein donated $50k to WildAid (William was ambassador). Charles's environmental documentary overshadowed. Sarah distancing: "I need money," considering memoir. MP calls for Andrew removed from succession, stripped of Counsellor of State. Meghan reveals Lilibet's face despite Harry's anti-social media stance. As Ever $295 Complete Pantry. Meghan promotes candles on day of arrest: "What an idiot."

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Calarogu Shark Media Now low and welcome to Palace Weekly.

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I am host Mark Francis. This is the show we

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look back on the week's events. If you'd like to

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hear the daily episodes, please check out Palace Intrigue Daily.

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Andrew mount Batten Windsor was arrested on suspicion of misconduct

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in public office on Thursday morning, in what is being

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described as an unprecedented moment in modern royal history. Police

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vehicles were seen arriving at Wood Farm, the five bedroom

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farmhouse within the Sandringham estate in Norfolk where Andrew has

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been living. The arrest took place on his sixty sixth birthday.

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Thames Valley Police confirmed as part of the investigation, we

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have today arrested a man in his sixties from Norfolk

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on suspicion of misconduct in public office and are carrying

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out searchers at addresses in Berkshire and Norfolk. The man

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remains in police custody at this time. Although British Police

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did not name the suspect, the details match what is

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publicly known about Andrew mount Batten Windsor. BBC News understands

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he was arrested earlier that morning and remained in custody.

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The arrest follows weeks of intensifying scrutiny after the release

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of millions of documents linked to Jeffrey Epstein. Andrew spent

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approximately eleven hours in police custody at Aylsham Police station

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before being photographed leaving in the back seat of a

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vehicle around seven pm. The image of Andrew reclining in

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the rear of the car, hands loosely clasped has already

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become emblematic of the day's events. A friend told the

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son the plan was to spend a quiet and lonely

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sixty sixth birthday at wood Farm, as no one was

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coming around to celebrate with him, not even Fergie or

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their two children, Beatrice and Eugenie. He was expected to

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spend the day with seven dogs. Instead, he had fifteen

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cops at his door. Andrew was released under investigation, meaning

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he is not on bail and faces no conditions. This

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is the least intrusive option available to police. He is

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free to travel and live normally, but he can be

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reinterviewed or re arrested if necessary. There is no time

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limit for when charges could be brought. The investigation centres

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on alleged actions taken during Andrews's time as UK Trade Envoy.

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Misconduct in public office carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

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The involvement of the National Crime Agency marks a further escalation,

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as the NCAA typically handles serious and organized crime. It

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is more than three and a half centuries since a

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member of the British royal family was arrested. The last

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time a reigning monarch was taken into custody was King

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Charles the First in sixteen forty six during the English

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Civil War. He was later convicted of high trees and

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executed in sixteen forty nine. If charges were brought, the

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case would formerly be styled the King v. Mountbatten Windsor,

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Reflecting the constitutional reality, the prosecutions up brought in the

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name of the Crown, as one legal observer noted the

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King versus his brother, the full weight of the Crown's

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legal authority a rayed at least in name against a

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member of the family that wears it. King Charles issued

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a statement, I have learned with the deepest concern the

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news about Andrew mount Batten Windsor and suspicion of misconduct

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in public office. What now follows is the full, fair

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and proper process by which this issue is investigated in

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the appropriate manner and by the appropriate authorities. In this

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as I have said before, they have our full and

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wholehearted support and cooperation. Let me state clearly, the law

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must take its course. Buckingham Pallace confirmed it had not

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been informed in advance of the arrest. Prime Minister Kiir

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Stahmer said nobody is above the law. One of the

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core principles in our system is that everybody is equal

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under the law and nobody is above the law. Despite

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the gravity of the situation, King Charles continued with scheduled

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engagements throughout the day. He attended London Fashion Week, where

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he was seated in near design at Stella McCartney. As

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he departed, members of the press shouted questions, but the

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monarch did not respond. US President Donald Trump described the

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situation as very sad, saying I think it's a shame.

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I think it's very sad. I think it's so bad

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for the Royal family. Police searches at Royal Lodge in

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Windsor continued on Friday, while searchers at wood Farm concluded

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writer's photographer Phil Noble described how he captured the now

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widely circulated image. You can plan and use your experience

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and know roughly what you need to do, but still

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everything needs to align. Shots of a moving car require

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more luck than judgment. In The Royalist, Tom Sykes wrote

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this astonishing photograph of Prince Andrew, hunkered down in the

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back seat of a car as he has whisked out

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of a Norfolk police station, looks set to become one

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of those iconic images we can never forget. His hands

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are steepled together in front of him, his head tilted back.

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What is the motion on his shell shocked face, shock, surprise, astonishment, fear.

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Royal inside A Deep Crown tells us I have been

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waiting for this day with a mixture of grim satisfaction

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and profound sorrow. Grim's satisfaction because the rule of law

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has finally caught up with a man who has spent

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decades believing his birth certificate was a permanent exemption from accountability.

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Profound sorrow because this is, at its core a family

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tragedy played out on the world stage. Deep Crown added,

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Andrew is a chapter. The story is Charles. The question

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I find myself sitting with is whether the king has

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the physical capacity to outlast this particular storm, Whether the

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combination of what his body is managing and what his

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institution is managing will allow him the years he would

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need to reshape the narrative. The monarchy will survive. Of that,

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I have very little doubt. But survival and continuity are

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not always the same thing. William and Catherine represented that possibility.

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They are in the language of institutional renewal, the monarchy's

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most credible path to a genuine fresh start, more palasing

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just a moment labour. MP Richard Maskell called for Andrew

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to be removed from the line of succession and stripped

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of his Counselor of State role. She told the BBC

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all of these titles and positions need to be addressed.

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So we had just left with Andrew the citizen and

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a citizen that is fully accountable. Fresh disclosures from the

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US Department of Justice documents show that Andrew sent Jeffrey

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Epstein Christmas cards in twenty eleven and twelve, featuring family

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photographs of Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, despite previously stating

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he had cut off contact with a convicted sex offender

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in December of twenty ten. One card dated December twenty first,

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twenty eleven reportedly wished Epstein much joy and happiness at

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this time and for the year ahead. A second card

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sent in December of twenty twelve also featured photographs of

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the princesses and their mother, Sarah. Andrew mount Batten Windsor

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has been accused in newly surfaced material of watching a

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young girl, said to be between six and eight years old,

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being subjected to a lifeatric's shock torture, according to reports.

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An FBI document from July twenty twenty refers to claims

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involving Andrew and Gillen Maxwell in Surrey during the mid

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nineteen nineties. The allegations claim of goal was restrained on

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a table and tortured with electrical shocks by Maxwell while

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Andrew and other men allegedly watched. Sorry Police said it

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had become aware of a redacted report alleging historic human

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trafficking and sexual assaults on a miner in the Virginia

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Water area between nineteen ninety four and nineteen ninety six.

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A spokesperson said, we therefore encourage anyone with information in

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relation to these allegations to report this to US. We

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take all reports of child and sexual abuse seriously. Hillary

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Clinton has said Andrew should give evidence to Congress over

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his links to Jeffrey Epstein. Asked specifically whether Andrew should

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appear MISSUS, Clinton replied that those requested to give evidence

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or to do so, She said, we will show up,

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but we think it would be better to be in

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public rather than a closed door deposition. We have nothing

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to hide. King Charles Knew documentary Finding Harmony. The King's

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vision was quickly overshadowed by renewed attention on Andrew. According

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to Pallas sources, the King had hoped the documentary would

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focus public attention on his environmental legacy. Instead, headlines shifted

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almost immediately to Andrew. A Palace source said Charles invested

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enormous personal energy into this documentary. He regarded it as

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a distillation of everything he has stood for over decades. Instead,

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the headlines pivoted almost immediately to Andrew and the latest

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Epstein revelations. Sarah and Andrew are said to be drifting apart.

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Sarah is said to have spent several days in the

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French Alps before traveling to the United Arab Emirates. According

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to The Daily Mail, she has told friends, I need

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to get back to work, I need money, and when

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I come back, I'm going to have to put some

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distance between myself and Andrew. There are also claims that

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Ferguson may be considering a memoir or broadcast interview. One

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palace source said, from the perspective of the Royal household,

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the idea that this situation could spill into a tell

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all book or television interview is deeply alarming. Prince William

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described male suicide rates in the UK as a real

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national catastrophe, urging more men to speak openly about their

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mental health. In a special episode of BBC Radio one's

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Life Hacks, William said we need more male roles out

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there talking about it and normalizing it. William announced that

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the twenty twenty six Earth Shot Prize will be held

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in Mumbai, marking a return to a city he and

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Kate last visited during their twenty sixteen tour of India.

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In a statement, Prince William said India is one of

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the world's most important forces for climate and nature. With

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the largest population of young people in the world, there

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is a real sense of momentum. William and Kate marked

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Valentine's Day with a rare personal message, sharing a relaxed

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photograph and a simple declaration of affection. The Prince and

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Princess ware was posted a black and white image of

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themselves seated outdoors, smiling broadly at one another. The caption

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read Happy Valentine's Day, followed by a pinkhart emoji. Megan

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Markle shared what many observers are calling the clearest image

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yet her daughter, Princess Lillibet's face, marking Valentine's Day with

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a family photograph. The Duchess of Sussex posted an image

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to Instagram showing Prince Harry lifting there four year old

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daughter into the air in a grassy field. Little Bit

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dressed in a pink ballet outfit, held a cluster of

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red balloons, and the caption Meghan wrote, these two plus

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Archie equal by Forever Valentines. The timing prompted discussion is

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Prince Harry has recently taken a firm public stance on

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the dangers of social media. Last week, he appeared in

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support of families involved in a landmark California trial examining

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whether the tech companies harmed young people's mental health. Last year,

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Harry described social media platforms as being run by evil,

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wicked people. Meghan's as Ever unveiled three new product bundles.

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The complete as Ever Pantry is priced at two hundred

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ninety five dollars, the go to Hostess gift at one

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hundred thirty two dollars, and when the day's slow set

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at one hundred thirty two. Some fans expressed disappointment at

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the omission of chocolate and questioned the value of the bundles.

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On the day of Andrew's arrest, while King Charles issued

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a formal statement saying the law must take its course,

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Meghan released a lifestyle email to subscribers of her as

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Ever brand, promoting candles and honey. The timing of the

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message has drawn attention. One royal observer said, what an

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idiot were palace in just a moment. This is the

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week Andrew mount Batten Windsor was arrested on his sixty

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sixth birthday. The week he spent eleven hours in custody

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at Elsham Police station. The week the image of him

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in the back of the car leaving custody became iconic

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the King's statement the law must take its course. Trump

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very sad deep Crown. Andrew is a chapter the story

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as Charles, William and Catherine represent the monarchy's most credible

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path to a genuine fresh start. Christmas Cards twenty eleven

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to twelve to Epstein with photos of Beatrice New Genie,

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a torture allegation watching a young girl subjected to electric shocks.

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Hillary Clinton Andrew should testify. Charles documentary was overshadowed. Sarah

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was distancing, saying I need money with a memoir possibility.

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William said male suicide is a real national catastrophe. The

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Earth Shurprise twenty twenty six in Mumbai, William and Kate's

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Valentine's Day photo Meghan reveals the littlet's face on Instagram,

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despite Harry's anti social media stance and as ever, two

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hundred and ninety five dollars complete pantry bundle. Meghan promotes

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candles on the day of Andrew's arrest, and somewhere between

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police custody and Buckingham Palace, the case that will be

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styled The King v. Mount Batton Windsor awaits its next chapter,

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and there you have it. If you'd like to email

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us addresses The Palace Intrigu at gmail dot com. Please

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follow us on Spotify, Apple, or your app of choice

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by Mark Francis My thanks to John McDermott. This is

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Pallas Weekly in good terms.

The King v Mountbatten-Windsor - The week in UK royal news with Mark Francis

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