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Callarogus, shark media low and welcome to Palace Intrigue. I
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am your host, Mark Francis. King Charles has made two
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significant decisions that together may reshape how the public thinks
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about the modern monarchy. One is symbolic, the other practical.
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Together they tell us quite a bit about where he
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believes the institution needs to go. For the first time
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in modern British history, the king has publicly disclosed how
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much tax he pays. The newly released royal financial accounts
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show that Charles voluntarily paid twelve point nine million pounds
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in income and capital gains tax for the twenty twenty
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four to twenty five financial year. That follows a payment
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of eleven point seven million pounds the previous year, bringing
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his total voluntary tax payments since becoming king to more
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than thirty million pounds. Prince William also released his tax
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figures for the first time, revealing he paid seven points
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seven six million pounds during the same financial year after
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receiving income from the Duchy of Cornwall. The move represents
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a notable shift in royal transparency. While monarchs have voluntarily
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paid income tax since the nineteen nineties, the actual amounts
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have never been before published. Buckingham Palace described the decision
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as an effort to increase public understanding of how the
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monarchy operates financially. The release comes after years of growing
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calls for greater openness surrounding royal finances, particularly following controversies
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involving Prince Andrew and wider questions from members of Parliament
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about accountability. Not everyone believes the disclosures go far enough.
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Tax expert Dan Needle, founder of Tax Policy Associates, questioned
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just how much had actually been revealed. We don't know
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how much of that is capital gains tax, how much
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is income tax? He told BBC Radiophors Today Program. Very importantly,
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we don't know what expenses he's deducted to come up
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with the figure on which he pays the tax. The
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annual Sovereign Grant Report also contained another announcement that may
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surprise royal watchers. After years of speculation that Charles would
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eventually move into Buckingham Palace once its extensive refurbishment was completed,
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that will not happen. Instead, the King and Queen Camilla
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have decided they will remain at Clarence House as their
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permanent London residence. Buckingham Palace will continue to serve as
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what officials describe as the operational headquarters of the monarchy. State.
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Banquets will still be held there, Diplomatic receptions will continue, Investitures, audiences,
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official ceremonies, and countless royal events will still take place
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inside the palace, but it will no longer be the
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King's home. James Chalmers, the keeper of the Privy Purse,
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explained the thinking I can update you that, after careful consideration,
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and to greatly increase opportunities for public access, the King
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and Queen have decided not to adopt Buckingham Palace as
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a personal residence and will instead continue to use Clarence
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House their London home. Their majesties will however, have access
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to private rooms within the Palace where they can retire
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during the coursill a working day, and which could be
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utilized as potential residential accommodation in times ahead. Officials say
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the decision was driven in part by a desire to
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allow more visitors into Buckingham Palace. If the monarch actually
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lived there, large sections would need to remain permanently closed
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for security reasons, keeping Clarence House as the King's residence
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allows Buckingham Palace to function more as a working royal
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headquarters and public attraction. A Palace spokesperson added, his Majesty
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retains huge affection for Buckingham Palace and a deep respect
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for its role in royal and public life. It will
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be a buzzing hive of royal activity in every other way.
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It marks a remarkable break with nearly two centuries of tradition.
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Queen Victoria became the first monarch to establish Buckingham Palace
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as the principal royal residence in eighteen thirty seven. Since then,
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every reigning sovereign has called at home. The decision also
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reflects his long standing affection for Clarence House, where he
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has lived since two thousand and five. Compared with Buckingham
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Palace's seven hundred and seventy five rooms, Clarence House is
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considerably smaller and perhaps better suited to the King's preference
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for a less sprawling private residence. Meanwhile, the palace refurbishment
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itself is nearing completion. The ten year project, costing roughly
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three hundred seventy million pounds, has focused largely on infrastructure
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rather than luxury. Ancient electrical wiring, plumbing, boilers and heating
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systems have all been replaced to reduce the risk of
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catastrophic fire or flooding inside one of Britain's most famous buildings.
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The work is expected to finish next year. The financial
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report also revealed details of Royal travel. The most expensive
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overseas engagement during the reporting period was the Prince of
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Wales's three day visit to Saudi Arabia in February, which
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cost one hundred thirty thousand pounds including advanced planning. The
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accounts also show that the Royal household spent just over
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th three point three million pounds on official travel costing
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under twenty thousand pounds, including one hundred seventy seven helicopter
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journeys totally more than seven hundred thirty three thousand pounds,
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sixty charter flights costing more than eight hundred and thirty
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seven thousand, along with rail travel and scheduled commercial flights.
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One journey aboard the Royal Train to Lancaster cost just
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over forty eight thousand. The sovereign grant itself also increased
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substantially during the year, funding roads to one hundred thirty
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two point one million pounds, reflecting additional allocations tied to
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the Buckingham Palace refurbishment. Once that work concludes, the grant
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is expected to settle it just under one hundred million
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pounds annually, still significantly higher than previous decades. James Chalmers
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emphasized that the funding should not be viewed as personal
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income to members of the royal family. It is important
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to emphasize that the sovereign grant does not provide personal
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income to members of the Royal family. It funds the
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work of the institution, not private lives or private wealth
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inside a deep Crown observes, modern institutions rarely volunteer more
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than it's necessary. The Palace has simply chosen to volunteer
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rather than more than it once did. It has calculated
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that partial transparency costs less than continued opacity. It is
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likely correct in their calculation. More palacing just a moment.
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By the way, all this week on Palace Intrigue in
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the afternoon edition you can hear our USA two fifty
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shows and it's just a celebration of how the monarchy
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has changed in the last two hundred and fifty years.
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So take a listen. Each day this week in the
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afternoon edition. Also our sister show Daily Crime and Justice,
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which looks at all the crimes and trials going on
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on a daily basis. This week is looking at the
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top five UK trials, so check that one out to
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Daily Crime and Justice wherever you get your podcasts. Vicual
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Rose Garden, donated by the Princess of Wales, is now
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in bloom for the first time at the National Memorial Arboretum.
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The new display features eighty Catherine Roses, a variety named
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in Catherine's honor by the Royal Horticultural Society and developed
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by Harkness Roses. The rose was created to celebrate what
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its designers describe as the healing power of nature, while
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raising awareness of the positive impact that time spent outdoors
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can have on mental, physical and spiritual well being. The
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Princess donated the roses to the National Memorial Arboretum, where
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visitors are now seeing the new flower bed come to
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life for the first time. Philippa Rawlson, director of the
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National Memorial, welcome the contribution, saying we are grateful for
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the Princess's thoughtful support and her recognition of the important
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role that landscapes such as ours play in supporting well being.
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It was hot last week, how art was it? At
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one point, the King's Master of the Household, retired Vice
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Admiral Tony Johnston Bert, was seen holding a small portable
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electric fan close to the monarch as Charles spoke with guests.
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The King was also photographed wiping perspiration from his face
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during an event. Last week's heatwave reignited interest in the
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Royal Pool. The swimming pool occupies what was once a
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conservatory at Buckingham Palace and was added in nineteen thirty
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eight as a surprise for the young Princess Elizabeth and
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Princess Margaret. The facility is also said to be available
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to Buckingham Palace staff under a long standing arrangement provided
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no member of the royal family whish is to use
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it at the same time. For Andrew, however, reports suggest
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those days and now over, it is believed he no
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longer has access to the pool. He has also lost
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out on access to an outdoor pool that has former
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home Royal Lodge Hello Reports Archive images reveal it is
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a rectangular pool positioned at the bottom of a gentle
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rolling bank, creating an idyllic setting for an outdoor dip.
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The heat wave also do attention to Zara Tyndall's legs.
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Unlike working members of the royal family, Zara has never
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been bound by the same expectations surrounding official royal dress,
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and over the years she has regularly embraced a real
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at casual style went away from formal engagements. One outfit
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has become something of a signature is a pair of
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cutoff Denham shorts. Perhaps the most widely seen example came
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in twenty twenty four, when Zara was photographed arriving at
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Southmead Hospital after her mother, Princess Anne, suffered minor injuries
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at her Gatcombe Park estate. On that occasion, Zara paired
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freyed denim shorts with an oversized denim shirt, added ask
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gazelle trainers, sunglasses in a cross body handbag, creating a
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practical look that contrasted sharply with the polished outfits normally
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associated with royal women. While denim shorts are a staple
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of many summer wardrobes, they have traditionally fallen outside the
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unwritten style conventions followed by senior royals and official engagements.
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Although there is no formal public handbook governing royal fashion
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etiquette experts have long suggested that women representing the monarchy
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at official events generally favored dresses, skirts, or tailored trousers,
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with casual denim reserved for private occasions. That said, there
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have been notable exceptions. Catherine, the Princess of Wales, wore
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tailored white shorts during the sailing and Game in Plymouth
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and twenty twenty two. Even Diana, Princess of Wales, famously
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embraced sporty shorts during holidays and private outings in the
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nineties the Lake Wuend. Elizabeth, however, was never publicly photographed
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wearing shorts during her seventy year reign, reflecting a more
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traditional approach to royal dressing. And there you have it. Hey,
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before we go, if you're listening on Apple podcasts, we'd
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a month and see what you think. We really, really
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really appreciate your support. I'm Mark Francis My thanks to
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John McDermott. This says palace intrigue. Good names,