May 24, 2026
The Nazi Plot That Terrified the Palace
Newly declassified wartime files reveal MI5 once feared Nazi paratroopers could attempt to assassinate King George the Sixth, the young Princess Elizabeth and Winston Churchill during the final months of World War Two. We also examine fresh reports that King Charles is quietly trying to repair the relationship between William and Harry through one of his closest aides, Theo Rycroft. Plus, the King’s environmentalism turns up in an unexpected place, the hidden history of the Crown Jewels, plans to renovate a long-abandoned Windsor cottage near Frogmore, and the discovery of a four-hundred-year-old tennis court map tied to Henry the Eighth and Windsor Castle.
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Kalarogu Shark Media. Hello and welcome to you, Palace Intrigue.
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I am your host, Mark Francis. Newly declassified files have
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revealed that MI five feared Nazi paratroopers could attempt to
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assassinate members of the Royal family and Winston Churchill during
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the final months of the Second World War. The warning
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came in December nineteen forty four, just days after Adolf
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Hitler launched the Surprise our Den's offensive known as the
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Battle of the Bulge, which briefly raised fears that Germany
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might still be capable of major operations against Britain. According
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to the secret intelligence report prepared by MI five and
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the Air Ministry, officials believed Germany could attempt daring airborne
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raid on England using elite paratroopers dropped behind British lines.
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The report warned that the Nazis could use giant junkers
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JU two ninety transport planes or even captured American bombers
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including BCA seventeen Flying Fortresses and B twenty four Liberators
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flown by the Liftwaffer's covert KG two hundred. Squadron. Intelligence
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officers feared the aircraft could potentially fly under Allied markings
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to avoid detection. One section of the report stated it
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is possible that they might use these with the Allied
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markings for a special operation by day or night. M
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I five believed the potential targets could include senior royals
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or wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill. The intelligence immediately triggered
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tighter security around King George the Six, Queen Elizabeth, the
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Young Princess Elizabeth, and Churchill himself. General Colin Callender, Deputy
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Chief of Britain's Home Defense Forces, wrote after reviewing the report,
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he feels that there would be very wrong to take
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any risks over the guarding of the royal family and
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the Prime Minister. Officials were instructed that on no account
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must they relax their precautions. Despite the fears, the suspected
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Nazi raid never materialized, but the documents revealed just how
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seriously British intelligence treated the possibility. During the closing months
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of the war, King Charles is reportedly relying on one
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of his most trusted aids to try to repair the
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long running rift between Prince William and Prince Harry. According
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to reports, theo Ryecroft, the King's private secretary, and a
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former diplomat, has made it a personal mission to encourage
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reconciliation between the brothers, whose relationship has remained fractured since
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Queen Elizabeth Iwond's death in twenty twenty two. A source
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claims Ryecroft believed the situation has become effing ridiculous and
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said he thinks it's time to knock their heads together.
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The source added that the ongoing feud causes the King
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great pain and that Rycroft sees his job as helping
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the King resolve it. Rycroft joined the King's household in
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late twenty twenty four after serving at the British Embassy
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in Paris, Pallas. Insiders reportedly view him as a calm
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and effective operator who has grown increasingly influential within the
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King's inner circle, particularly following the recent state visit to
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the United States, and this is also said to have
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worked closely with Prince William, doing several high profile engagements,
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including events surrounding the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral in
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Paris and meetings involving President Donald Trump. Apparently, Rycroft believes
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William and Harry need to be forced to shake hands
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and allow Charles to repair his relationship with Harry King.
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Charles's environmental passions are once again in the spotlight after
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a former palace staffer revealed that one of the monarch's
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cars carries a save the Red Squirrel sticker. The sticker
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appears on one of the King's jaguarism reflects charles long
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standing commitment to conservation and biodiversity. The red squirrel population
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in the UK has sharply declined over the decades, largely
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due to habitat loss and competition from introduced gray squirrels.
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The Royal fleet may soon get another environmentally conscious addition.
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Reports say a new Lotus Eleetree suv valued at more
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than one hundred and thirty thousand dollars, could join the collection.
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The electric performance suv reportedly produces more than nine hundred
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horsepower and can reach speeds above one hundred and sixty
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miles per hour. Meanwhile, bucking and Palace previously confirmed that
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two State Bentleys used by the royal family would be
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converted to run on biofuel as part of efforts to
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reduce the household's carbon footprint. More Palace in just a moment.
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The British Crown Jewels remain among the most historically significant
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possessions of the monarchy, with many pieces rarely seen in
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public despite their central role in royal ceremonies. According to
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reporting from People, the collection includes more than one hundred
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objects and over twenty three thousand gemstones, many dating back
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to the seventeenth century, when new regalia were created for
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the coronation of King Charles the Second following the English
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Civil War. One of the oldest surviving items is the
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coronation spoon, which dates back to the twelfth century and
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is still used during the anointing ceremony. It was preserved
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during the destruction of royal regalia in sixteen forty nine
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and la returned to the monarchy. Several pieces continue to
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play a central role in coronations, including the Sovereign's scepter
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with cross, which has been used at every coronation since
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sixteen sixty one and now features the culor and one diamond,
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one of the largest cut diamonds in the world. The
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sovereigns orb, another key item, symbolizes the monarch's role and
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authority and is traditionally presented during the ceremony. Other items
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are more rarely worn but remain historically significant. The so
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called Timor Ruby, which is in fact a red spinnel,
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has a complex history tied to imperial expansion, and is
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seldom displayed publicly. The coronation necklace and ear rings, originally
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created for Queen Victoria, have been worn by successive queens,
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including Queen Elizabeth the Second and Queen Miller. Many of
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these jewels are kept under heavy security in the Tower
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of London, where they have been stored for centuries. There
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are significance extends beyond their material value, reflecting the history, symbolism,
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and continuity of the British money across generations. While some
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pieces are regularly used in state ceremonies, others remain largely
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out of public view, adding to their mystique in historical importance.
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Plans have been submitted to renovate a long unused cottage
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on the Windsor Estate and convert it into a four
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bedroom of family home. The Royal Dairy Cottage, located in
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home Park near Windsor Castle, sits beside the historic Royal
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Dairy Building, commissioned by Prince Albert in the eighteen forties.
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The Grade two style listed property is believed to date
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from the eighteen thirties or forties, and was later refaced
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during renovations connected to the Royal Dairy project. According to
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planning documents submitted to the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead,
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the Royal Household Property Section says the cottage has been
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unoccupied for a considerable amount of time and now requires
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a full refurbishment throughout. If approved, the property would become
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a private four bedroom residence. The cottage is located a
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short distance from Frogmore House and from More Cottage, the
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former UK home of Harry and Meghan. Historically, the building
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is believed to have housed a dairy maid connected to
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the estate's operations. More recently, the ground floor has been
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used commercially, while the upper floor served as residential accommodation.
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The neighboring Royal Dairy itself was designed in a Renaissance
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style under the direction of Prince Albert in eighteen forty eight,
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and remains one of the more unusual historic structures on
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the Windsor estate. A newly surfaced historical map has revealed
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a little known feature once located at Windsor Castle, a
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tennis court dating back more than four centuries. According to
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a report, the discovery comes from a manuscript held in
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the Royal Library and highlighted by the Royal Collection Trust
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in a recent video. The map, created in sixteen o
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seven by cartographer John Norden, shows a tennis court built
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during the reign of King Henry the Eighth the base
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of the round tower. The report notes that the layout
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of Windsor at the time would have been familiar to
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William Shakespeare, whose play The Merry Wives of wind Is
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set in the area. While the original court no longer exists,
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there is still a tennis facility on the wider Windsor estate,
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located near the home of the Prince and Princess of Wales. Catherine,
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Princess of Wales, has previously spoken about her interest in
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the sports, saying in a twenty seventeen documentary, I have
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always watched Wimbledon and that was very much a part
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of my growing up. It inspired me when I was
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younger to get involved in the game. And there you
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have it. If you like to email us or addresses
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the palasindrigat gmail dot com, please follow us on Apple
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or Spotify, and you can leave a comment on Spotify
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about this show or any of the previous shows. I'm
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Mark Francis money thanks to John McDermott. This is Palasindrigue
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