WEBVTT
1
00:00:03.200 --> 00:00:11.199
Calorogus Shark Media. Hello and welcome to balace intrigue Game
2
00:00:11.240 --> 00:00:14.599
your host Mark Francis. Staff at Windsor Castle have found
3
00:00:14.640 --> 00:00:18.960
themselves having to clarify their handling protocols after a social
4
00:00:19.000 --> 00:00:24.280
media video sparked and unexpected backlash. The clip, shared online
5
00:00:24.320 --> 00:00:27.640
by the Royal Collection Trust showed two members of staff
6
00:00:27.679 --> 00:00:30.199
carefully turning the pages of one of the largest books
7
00:00:30.199 --> 00:00:34.600
in the Royal Library collection without wearing gloves. The post
8
00:00:34.600 --> 00:00:38.640
explained that the book was John James Orderbond's monumental four
9
00:00:38.799 --> 00:00:42.679
volume work Birds of America, made up of four hundred
10
00:00:42.719 --> 00:00:46.799
and thirty five hand colored prints. The caption noted that
11
00:00:46.840 --> 00:00:50.600
the auder Bond insisted even the largest species be reproduced
12
00:00:50.719 --> 00:00:54.759
life size, resulting in dramatic illustrations printed on so called
13
00:00:54.880 --> 00:00:59.560
double elephant paper, meaning roughly one hundred by sixty seven centimeters.
14
00:01:00.119 --> 00:01:02.439
The sheer scale of the book and the rare glimpse
15
00:01:02.479 --> 00:01:06.680
inside the Royal Library at Windsor Castle quickly captured attention,
16
00:01:07.239 --> 00:01:10.959
but viewers were soon distracted by one detail. The staff
17
00:01:11.000 --> 00:01:15.040
handling the book were not wearing gloves. Comments flooded in
18
00:01:15.319 --> 00:01:17.719
why aren't these ladies wearing gloves to protect the paper,
19
00:01:17.760 --> 00:01:20.760
wrote one user. Others were more blunt, with one simply
20
00:01:20.799 --> 00:01:24.319
asking no gloves. The reaction was strong enough that twenty
21
00:01:24.359 --> 00:01:27.640
four hours later, the Royal Collection Trust posted a follow
22
00:01:27.719 --> 00:01:31.599
up video addressing the concern directly. The caption read why
23
00:01:31.680 --> 00:01:34.599
don't we wear gloves to handle books? Yesterday's real was
24
00:01:34.640 --> 00:01:37.879
popular with lots of questions about wearing gloves when handling books.
25
00:01:37.920 --> 00:01:40.920
So here's the explanation as to why our curator isn't
26
00:01:40.959 --> 00:01:44.159
wearing gloves. Speaking to the camera, the curator explaining the
27
00:01:44.159 --> 00:01:47.959
best practice for rare books is actually clean, dry, bare hands.
28
00:01:48.560 --> 00:01:51.079
The best practice is to have clean, dry hands with
29
00:01:51.120 --> 00:01:54.159
no hand cream and no nail varnish, she said, adding
30
00:01:54.200 --> 00:01:57.319
that bare hands allow pages to be turned more carefully
31
00:01:57.599 --> 00:02:01.319
and with greater control than gloves, which can reduce sensitivity
32
00:02:01.400 --> 00:02:05.599
and increase the risk of damage. The Royal Library inside
33
00:02:05.599 --> 00:02:08.639
Windsor Castle contains more than forty five thousand rare books
34
00:02:08.639 --> 00:02:12.439
and manuscripts, spread across three rooms. It is not open
35
00:02:12.479 --> 00:02:15.039
to the public, which is why even brief glimpses on
36
00:02:15.080 --> 00:02:21.599
social media tend to generate excitement and occasionally controversy. Dressing
37
00:02:21.599 --> 00:02:24.280
as a senior royal comes with significant expectations and a
38
00:02:24.360 --> 00:02:28.240
notable price tag. While the exact figures are never officially disclosed,
39
00:02:28.759 --> 00:02:32.199
estimates suggest that a royal wardrobe typically cost between fifty
40
00:02:32.240 --> 00:02:37.120
thousand and two hundred thousand dollars per year. For many years,
41
00:02:37.159 --> 00:02:40.400
clothing worn for official engagements was covered by the household
42
00:02:40.400 --> 00:02:43.400
budget of what is now King Charles. That funding was
43
00:02:43.479 --> 00:02:46.680
largely drawn from private income sources, including the Duchy of
44
00:02:46.719 --> 00:02:50.439
Cornwall before it passed to Prince Williaman twenty twenty two.
45
00:02:50.919 --> 00:02:54.199
Items worn outside official duties could be paid for personally,
46
00:02:54.240 --> 00:02:57.120
while designers have also been known to loan outfits that
47
00:02:57.159 --> 00:03:01.639
are later returned. Kate has built substantial wardrobe since joining
48
00:03:01.680 --> 00:03:04.599
the royal family in twenty eleven. Reports have estimated that
49
00:03:04.639 --> 00:03:08.719
her post wedding wardrobe refresh alone exceeded fifty thousand dollars,
50
00:03:09.199 --> 00:03:11.879
though that figure does not account for clothing borrowed on
51
00:03:12.039 --> 00:03:16.520
loan or pieces she already owned. Megan Markle also drew
52
00:03:16.560 --> 00:03:18.520
attention for the cost of her fashion during her time
53
00:03:18.520 --> 00:03:22.319
as a working royal. In twenty eighteen, British press estimates
54
00:03:22.319 --> 00:03:26.080
suggests her post wedding outfits total more than two hundred
55
00:03:26.159 --> 00:03:30.080
thousand dollars. Again, noting that the figure likely included loaned,
56
00:03:30.199 --> 00:03:34.840
discounted or previously owned clothing. King Charles has been recognized
57
00:03:34.879 --> 00:03:38.719
for pushing green at Royal travel, with new figures highlighting
58
00:03:38.759 --> 00:03:43.240
the scale and environmental focus of the Royal Family's helicopter use.
59
00:03:43.800 --> 00:03:47.159
Since entering service in twenty twenty five, the Royal Family's
60
00:03:47.199 --> 00:03:51.719
two leased Augusta Westland AWE thirty nine helicopters have flown
61
00:03:51.759 --> 00:03:55.360
around fifty eight thousand miles, the equivalent of circling the
62
00:03:55.439 --> 00:03:59.719
globe twice. Flight records show the aircraft logged roughly four
63
00:03:59.759 --> 00:04:03.719
hunt twenty flying hours between late February and the end
64
00:04:03.759 --> 00:04:06.879
of November, operating on at least one hundred and forty
65
00:04:06.879 --> 00:04:09.120
two of the two hundred and seventy nine days for
66
00:04:09.159 --> 00:04:13.039
that period. In total, the helicopters completed around three hundred
67
00:04:13.120 --> 00:04:17.879
and forty separate journeys. The helicopters replaced two Sikorski aircraft
68
00:04:17.879 --> 00:04:20.639
that had been in service for fifteen years, with the
69
00:04:20.680 --> 00:04:23.680
Royal Household confirming in June twenty twenty four that their
70
00:04:23.759 --> 00:04:27.000
use would be maximized. A key factor in the decision
71
00:04:27.079 --> 00:04:30.079
was that the new helicopters operate using the maximum industry
72
00:04:30.120 --> 00:04:34.240
standard of fifty percent sustainable aviation fuel, reducing reliance on
73
00:04:34.319 --> 00:04:39.199
more expensive fixed wing aircraft. Princess Anne emerged as the
74
00:04:39.240 --> 00:04:42.160
most frequent user of the new fleet. Flight data shows
75
00:04:42.240 --> 00:04:45.519
sixty eight stops at her Gatcombe Park home in Gloucestershire,
76
00:04:45.920 --> 00:04:49.720
reflecting her consistently high volume of public engagements throughout the year.
77
00:04:51.079 --> 00:04:53.920
Prince William has also made extensive use of the helicopters,
78
00:04:53.959 --> 00:04:56.519
with forty seven recorded stops at Windsor and five at
79
00:04:56.560 --> 00:04:59.399
Forest Lodge, the family home he moved to in October.
80
00:05:00.000 --> 00:05:02.199
I could show the Prince using the aircraft for a
81
00:05:02.240 --> 00:05:05.720
wide range of duties, including travel to a referee training
82
00:05:05.720 --> 00:05:09.639
course in Walsall, a woman's rugby match in Exeter, visits
83
00:05:09.680 --> 00:05:13.639
to the England women's football squad in Staffordshire, Homewood's work
84
00:05:13.680 --> 00:05:18.079
in Sheffield, and earth shot related engagements in Norwich. Kate
85
00:05:18.160 --> 00:05:20.959
also relied on helicopter transport for some engagements. Her visit
86
00:05:21.040 --> 00:05:24.519
to a well being garden at Colchester Hospital on July
87
00:05:24.639 --> 00:05:29.040
second involved seven separate helicopter movements covering around three hundred
88
00:05:29.079 --> 00:05:32.639
and ninety miles, including stops at Windsor, Mervill Barracks and
89
00:05:32.680 --> 00:05:36.199
the family's Norfolkoma and the Hall. The Prince and Princess
90
00:05:36.240 --> 00:05:38.759
of Wales also traveled together by helicopter to events, including
91
00:05:38.759 --> 00:05:43.040
a Six Nations match at Cardiff's Principality Stadium and a
92
00:05:43.120 --> 00:05:46.160
visit to Southport to meet Bereve family. Following the twenty
93
00:05:46.240 --> 00:05:50.240
twenty four nine attack, Tim Foscheng, chief executive of the
94
00:05:50.279 --> 00:05:53.800
British Helicopter Association, praised the King for leading by example
95
00:05:53.959 --> 00:05:57.279
on greener aviation, saying I know full well the Royal
96
00:05:57.279 --> 00:05:59.800
flight do look for a blend. You've got to appreciate.
97
00:05:59.879 --> 00:06:03.720
It comes as an expanse, but the helicopter industry is
98
00:06:03.839 --> 00:06:07.279
very forward leaning on doing the regulatory clearances for saf
99
00:06:07.959 --> 00:06:10.800
All Royal travel is funded through the Sovereign Grant, which
100
00:06:10.800 --> 00:06:13.120
supports official duties and is linked to the Crown and
101
00:06:13.160 --> 00:06:16.800
State profits. A Royal a defended the level of helicopter use,
102
00:06:16.800 --> 00:06:19.519
saying if you're going to make an investment of that magnitude,
103
00:06:19.560 --> 00:06:22.399
then you need to sweat the asset. A Buckingham Palace
104
00:06:22.519 --> 00:06:25.879
spokesman added that helicopters are a key component of the
105
00:06:25.959 --> 00:06:29.360
Royal travel plan due to their unique capability to access
106
00:06:29.399 --> 00:06:32.639
remote regions of the UK. Which are not otherwise readily
107
00:06:32.680 --> 00:06:35.600
served by other modes of transport, and that they allow
108
00:06:35.639 --> 00:06:38.319
members of the royal family to carry out multiple engagements
109
00:06:38.600 --> 00:06:41.600
in a single day more palace in just a moment.
110
00:06:44.959 --> 00:06:48.480
Netflix star Claire Foy has said that portraying Queen Elizabeth
111
00:06:48.480 --> 00:06:51.439
I Sakan felt like just another role, as she reflected
112
00:06:51.480 --> 00:06:54.839
on playing the late monarch in the hit drama The Crown, Foy,
113
00:06:55.000 --> 00:06:57.160
now forty one, said, I'd been acting for a good
114
00:06:57.199 --> 00:06:59.480
ten years before then, so I had a decent gauge
115
00:06:59.480 --> 00:07:01.639
on how it all worked and enough experience under my
116
00:07:01.720 --> 00:07:04.519
belt to know it was just another role that was
117
00:07:04.560 --> 00:07:06.399
good for me, because it meant I was willing just
118
00:07:06.439 --> 00:07:09.319
to be amazed about these extraordinary experiences I was having,
119
00:07:09.600 --> 00:07:13.360
as opposed to believing the hype. Foy also echoed sentiments
120
00:07:13.360 --> 00:07:16.759
previously expressed by Harry when discussing her discomfort with social
121
00:07:16.800 --> 00:07:19.680
media and public commentary. She said she prefers to stay
122
00:07:19.759 --> 00:07:22.759
quiet rather than weigh in on issues. She feels unqualified
123
00:07:22.800 --> 00:07:26.120
to judge. What I believe and who I am and
124
00:07:26.160 --> 00:07:28.639
where I stand on things is constantly in flux, as
125
00:07:28.720 --> 00:07:31.120
much as it is for everyone else, and I have
126
00:07:31.199 --> 00:07:34.639
absolutely no authority to discuss or proclaim about anything other
127
00:07:34.720 --> 00:07:37.040
than what I do as an actor. She said, if
128
00:07:37.079 --> 00:07:38.759
you're just making noise up for the sake of it,
129
00:07:38.879 --> 00:07:41.639
then you should probably shut up. So I tend to
130
00:07:41.720 --> 00:07:45.360
shut up. In recognition of what would have been the
131
00:07:45.399 --> 00:07:48.279
one hundredth birthday of the late Queen Elizabeth, the Royal
132
00:07:48.360 --> 00:07:51.639
Mint has unveiled a special commemorative coin. The late monarch
133
00:07:51.680 --> 00:07:54.879
would have reached her centenary on April twenty first, and
134
00:07:54.920 --> 00:07:57.160
the occasion is being marked with a five pound coin
135
00:07:57.240 --> 00:07:59.920
issued as part of the Mints twenty twenty six collection.
136
00:08:00.519 --> 00:08:03.399
Elizabeth appeared on more UK coins than any other sovereign,
137
00:08:03.600 --> 00:08:07.120
and for decades her portrait was synonymous with British coinage.
138
00:08:07.600 --> 00:08:10.319
Over the course of her reign, five official portraits of
139
00:08:10.360 --> 00:08:14.720
the Queen were introduced on circulating coins. The design of
140
00:08:14.720 --> 00:08:18.399
the centenary coins centers on Elizabeth's royal cipher and features
141
00:08:18.439 --> 00:08:21.879
Saint Edward's crown. The imagery is framed by a decorative
142
00:08:22.079 --> 00:08:24.839
foliage inspired by the ironwork of the east door at
143
00:08:24.839 --> 00:08:27.879
Saint George's Chapel in Windsor, where the late Queen is
144
00:08:27.959 --> 00:08:32.320
laid to rest around The designer one hundred beads symbolizing
145
00:08:32.360 --> 00:08:35.679
the one hundred years since her birth. Exalted Beta in
146
00:08:35.759 --> 00:08:40.200
Gloria also appears translated as she will be exhorted in glory.
147
00:08:41.320 --> 00:08:43.799
Rebecca Morgan, director of Commemorative Coin at the Royal Mint,
148
00:08:43.919 --> 00:08:46.440
said this is an exciting moment for the nation to
149
00:08:46.480 --> 00:08:49.000
discover some of the anniversaries that will be celebrated on
150
00:08:49.120 --> 00:08:52.679
UK coins in twenty twenty six. Whether you're a Royal
151
00:08:52.799 --> 00:08:56.720
enthusiast and motor racing van or passionate about conservation, there's
152
00:08:56.759 --> 00:08:59.759
something for everyone in this collection. Coins have a unique
153
00:08:59.759 --> 00:09:02.559
bill to mark a variety of themes that resonate across
154
00:09:02.639 --> 00:09:06.399
different communities and interests, creating lasting reminders of the moments
155
00:09:06.399 --> 00:09:10.440
and institutions the shape house shared heritage. We are also
156
00:09:10.480 --> 00:09:13.799
delighted to be introducing recycle gold into a limited number
157
00:09:13.799 --> 00:09:17.200
of commemorative coins. This move demonstrates our commitment to a
158
00:09:17.240 --> 00:09:21.080
more sustainable future for the Royal Mint, preserving finite precious
159
00:09:21.080 --> 00:09:25.279
metal resources and supporting a circular economy. Alongside the Queen's
160
00:09:25.279 --> 00:09:28.240
Centenary coin, the Royal Mint will release other commemoratives marking
161
00:09:28.279 --> 00:09:31.519
major milestones. These include one hundred years of the British
162
00:09:31.559 --> 00:09:35.840
Grand Prix two hundred years of the Zoological Society of
163
00:09:35.879 --> 00:09:41.200
London and the bi centenary of HMS Bagel, and they
164
00:09:41.399 --> 00:09:43.879
have it. If you'd like to email and so addresses
165
00:09:43.879 --> 00:09:46.600
the Palace intrigu at gmail dot com. Please follow us
166
00:09:46.600 --> 00:09:49.480
at Spotify, Apple or the app of your choice and
167
00:09:49.919 --> 00:09:52.919
mark Francis Mayor. Thanks to John McDermott, this is Palace
168
00:09:52.960 --> 00:09:54.960
Intrigue and good terms.