July 27, 2024

The Olympics and the Royal Family

Show Notes
Transcript

During the 1908 and 1948 London Olympics, the royal family was deeply involved. King Edward VII opened the 1908 games at White City Stadium. Originally meant for Rome, the event moved to London after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 1906. Legend has it that Queen Alexandra influenced the marathon's length to 26.2 miles, a distance that became official in 1921.

The 1948 London Games, known as “The Austerity Games,” were the first since World War II and were opened by King George VI.

Princess Anne made history as the first British royal to compete in the Olympics in 1976, participating in the equestrian event. Riding the Queen’s horse, Goodwill, Anne’s journey included a fall that led to a concussion. Her equestrian pursuits are a royal tradition, from King Charles II’s love for horse racing to William and Harry’s polo matches.

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This episode, along with hundreds of others from Calaroga Shark Media,

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Hello and welcome to Palace Injury, a game your host

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in Mark, Francewers. London has hosted the Summer Olympic Games

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three times, in nineteen oh eight, nineteen forty eight and

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twenty twelve. Each occasion saw the Royal family present to

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support Team GB. Historically, the Royals have traveled great distances

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to join in the Olympic celebrations. In nineteen fifty six,

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Prince Philip opened the Melbourne Games, and in nineteen seventy

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six the Queen presided over the Montreal Games. During nineteen

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o eight and nineteen forty eight London Olympics, the royal

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family was deeply involved. King Ebber the Seventh opened the

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nineteen oh eight Games at White City Stadium. Originally meant

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for Rome, the event moved to London after the eruption

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of Mount Vesuvius in nineteen oh six. Legend has it

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the Queen Alexandra influenced the marathon's length to twenty six

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point two miles, a distance that became official in nineteen

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twenty one. The nineteen forty eight London Games, known as

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the Austerity Games, were the first since World War II

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and were opened by King George the six. Princess Anne

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made history as the first British royal to compete in

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the Olympics in nineteen seventy six, participating in the equestrian event,

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riding the Queen's horse Goodwill. Ann's journey included a fall

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that led to a concussion. Her equestrian pursuits are a

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royal tradition, from King Charles the Second's love for horse

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racing to William and Harry's poll their matches. Princess Anne

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said it was a unique instance in equestrian history when

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the Queen had bred not only the horse but also

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the rider. According to royal historian Hugo Vickers, Anne's ex husband,

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Captain Mark Phillips, also competed in the Olympics, winning gold

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in nineteen seventy two and participating again in nineteen eighty eight.

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Queen Elizabeth second memorable appearance with Daniel Craig and a

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James Bond themed video opened the twenty twelve London Olympics.

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This stunt, directed by Danny Boyle, featured the Queen in

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a helicopter, adding a playful touch to the ceremony. Zara Tendall,

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Princess An's daughter, also competed in twenty twelve, winning a

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silver medal in equestrian events. Prince William, Kate Middleton and

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Prince Harry supported Zara, with couple celebrating Team GB's victories

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with public displays of affection. The latest Sovereign Grant report

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reveals that Royal travel costs increased by three hundred thousand

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pounds last year, reaching a total of four point two million,

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even though there were around four hundred fewer visits unless

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foreign travel compared to the previous year. The report shows

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that the Royal family attended twenty three hundred twenty seven events,

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down from twenty seven hundred ten the previous year, with

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King Charles and Queen Camilla undertaking six hundred and sixty

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five official engagements between them. The report lists twenty seven

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separate journeys by Royal family members in twenty three twenty four,

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where travel costs were at least seventeen thousand pounds. Notably,

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only eight of these involved the King. The most expensive

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trip was the five day state visit by King Charles

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and Queen Camilla to Kenya in October and November of

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twenty three, costing one hundred and sixty six thousand pounds.

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Sir Michael Stephens, Keeper of the Privy Purse, highlighted Buckingham

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Palace's central role in significant events during the coronation year,

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describing it as a glorious moment in our national story

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and a source of unity and pride after uncertain times

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for many at home and abroad. I guess it's a

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good thing that Charles kicked Harry out of Frogmore because

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of who lives in it now. Nobody. Palace officials of

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the annual Sovereign Grant Briefing said during the year Frogmore

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Cottage has remained empty. I don't think at this point

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I would speculate on who will be the future occupants

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of the cottage. The Sovereign Grant has been fully reimbursed

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for the refurbishment costs of Frogmore Cottage when it was

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initially provided to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, and

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therefore there is no cost to the Sovereign Grant other

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than some routine maintenance, but it will be required for

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any of the buildings. Palace Intrica be right back. Kate

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has once again gone viral for her photography. A recent

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photo of her two youngest children, Charlotte and Lewis, watching

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England play in the Euro's football Final has caused a

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stir on social media, but not for the reasons one

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might expect. Shared on the Whales social media accounts, the

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adorable image shows the children in personalized England football shirts,

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intently watching the game. However, what caught the attention of

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many viewers was the modest size of the television they

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were watching. Surely Kate can afford a bigger screen than that,

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came one incredulous Stateside tweet. Another appalled comment read that

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can barely be forty inches, criticizing the seemingly small screen

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the third and fourth in line to the throne we're using.

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In the US, where superside to TVs are the norm,

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the photo sparked a culture clash. Americans used to recreating

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the IMAX experience at home found the royals choice of

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television baffling. However, in the UK the reaction was different.

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The British tendency the use of a giant TV is

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a naf nuvau riche faux pa. Royal expert Katie Nicol

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elaborated on this cultural difference during an episode of Vanity

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Fairs and Dynasty podcast. She highlighted Prince William's practical and

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pragmatic nature, traits he shares with his father and the

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Lake Queen Elizabeth. The truth is he's got a lot

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of worries, but knowing what I know about his personality

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is practical. He's pragmatic, He's optimistic, just like his father.

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He is a real optimist in life. And he also

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has his grandmother's the Lake Queen Elizabeth's ability to compartmentalize,

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and that's how he copes with life. Sure, but couldn't

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they have a bigger TV. William and Kate have taken

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significant steps to meet diversity goals within their staff. According

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to a new report from Newsweek, the royal couple's household

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employees sixty six people, with fourteen percent or about nine employees,

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coming from ethnic minority backgrounds. Additionally, sixty seven percent of

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their staff for forty four people, a female, while the

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remaining twenty two are male. The Sovereign Grant Reporter has

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cited by Newsweek, states work has continued in support of

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the Royal Household's Inclusion and Diversity strategy, which aims to

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improve representation, but also to support a wholesale approach to

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ensuring the Royal Household's culture is inclusive, encouraging engagement and

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authenticity across all teams. In comparison, Buckingham Palace has different

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diversity targets for its staff and aims to have fourteen

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percent staff members from ethnic minority groups by twenty twenty five. Currently,

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King Charles the Third's Household reports that eleven point four

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percent of its employees are from ethnic backgrounds. The average

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pay gap is three point nine percent, meaning employees from

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ethnic backgrounds are paid less than their white counterparts. Furthermore,

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fifty three percent of the staff a female, with a

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gender pay gap reported at two point two percent. William

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and Kate have confirmed a very exciting new project focusing

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on mental health will be launched later this year. The

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Mystery Project will be self funded. The Royals have been

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longtime advocates for mental health, dedicating significant time and resources

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to support various initiatives aimed at improving mental well being.

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Commitment has seen them spearhead numerous projects over years, reflecting

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a deep seated belief and raising awareness. Prince William has

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previously stated it's time that everyone speaks up and really

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feels very normal about mental health. It's the same as

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physical health. Everybody has mental health and we shouldn't be

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ashamed of it. Just having a conversation with a friend

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or family member can really make such a difference. The

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science are kind of there that when William is the king,

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he will likely be ruthless. The Telegraph reports that the

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Prince of Wales has removed Annabel Elliott, Queen Camilla's sister

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and former chief interior designer for the Duchy of Cornwall,

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from the payroll following his takeover of the estate. Miss

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Elliott seventy five has received several hundred thousand pounds for

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her services over the past two decades. She was employed

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by the King and Prince of Wales after his two

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thousand and five marriage to Queen Camilla to design and

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refurbish Duchy properties. Sources confirmed that Prince William would no

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longer employ Miss Elliott, although this decision does not reflect

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on her work. The Duchy's annual accounts detail how she

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was paid varying amounts between nineteen six hundred and twenty

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five pounds and eighty two thousand, two hundred and seventy

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two for her services and additional amounts for purchasing furniture

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and furnishings. Miss Elliott also oversaw refurbishments at Dumfries's house

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and a twenty bedroom pub at the King's Poundbury development.

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Charles and Kate received an overwhelming amount of get Well

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soon cards after their cancer diagnosis, is revealed by the Palace,

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which reported receiving twenty seven thousand written messages wishing them

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good health. This outpouring of support was evident when they

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announced their diagnosis earlier this year, with children lining the

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streets with hand drawn signs. Charles was moved by the

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support and was reportedly brought to tears when he read

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some of the messages. Many people shared their own experiences

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with the disease or offered advice on message read hit up,

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just out, remain positive and don't let it get you down.

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Trust me, it works, but the main thing is family.

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In the annual Sovereign Grant Report released on Wednesdays, the

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Palace noted that support teams adapted swiftly to the changing

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health circumstances, including handling the increased volume of mail. Sir

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Michael Stephens, Keeper of the Privy Purse, stated some twenty

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seven thousand messages of well wishes for the King and

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Princess of Wales following the announcements about their health, building

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on the thirty one thousand kind messages that have been

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received for the coronation and reaching a total of one

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hundred and thirty eight thousand items of correspondence for the

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year twenty three twenty four and are there You have it.

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If you like to email us or addresses the Palace

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Intrigue at gmail dot com. Please follow us on Spotify,

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Apple or your apple of choice and write a review.

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Leave some stars if you're enjoying the show. I'm Mirk

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Francis meant thanks John McDermot. This is the Palace Intrigue.

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Good damned

The Olympics and the Royal Family

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