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Ah Calorougus Shark Media. Hello and welcome to Palace Weekly.
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I am your host, Mark Francis. It was a week
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that had everything in Prince answering a bakery phone and
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calling a customer juicy, the King managing a cancer diagnosis,
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a disgraced brother, an eight million dollar lawsuit, and a
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planned a trip to America simultaneously, a Duchess splitting from
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Netflix while issuing complimentary chocolate. And through it all the
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monarchy kept moving, kept showing up, kept doing the job,
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because that, as one former aide put it, this week
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is precisely the job. Let's start with where the week started.
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At Westminster Abbey on Commonwealth Day, Monday morning brought the
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annual Commonwealth Day service of celebration to Westminster Abbey and
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the Palace assembled it's eighteen. King Charles and Queen Camilla
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led the procession. The Prince and Princess of Wales joined them.
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Princess Anne arrived with Vice Admiral Sir Tim Lawrence. The
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Duke and Duchess of Gloucester rounded out the gathering. Eighteen
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hundred guests filled the abbey, representatives from fifty six nations,
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young people, diplomats and members of the creative community all
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came together for what has been one of the most
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significant dates in the Royal Calendar since nineteen seventy two.
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What was missing was the BBC. In one of the
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more eyebrow raising editorial decisions of the year, the broadcast
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had chose not to air the Commonwealth Day Service live,
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opting instead to broadcast an episode of Escape to the
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Country in that time slot. A BBC spokesperson offered the
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explanation that difficult funding choices had been made in light
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of the organization's financial pressures, adding the coverage would still
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appear across BBC platforms and Rolling News. Royal author Ingrid
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Sew had called it, with characteristic restraint, a ridiculous and
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appalling decision. She noted that the service has been televised
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since nineteen eighty nine and represents a gathering of roughly
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two point seven billion people across members states. If the
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BBC can't find room for it, she warned, the Commonwealth
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risks fading into irrelevance one year at a time. Royl
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Inside a Deep Crown put it more sharply, writing that
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what we are watching is an institution discovering that goodwill
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is not the same as relevance, and that relevance, once lost,
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is not recovered by annual services and symphonic premiers, However
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beautifully produced, the service went ahead without the cameras. The
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Royals did not appear to notice. If the Commonwealth Day
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Service was this week's most formal moment, Prince William provided
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its most human one, and it came over the phone
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at gear Farm pasty company in Cornwall. In what has
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been described internally as Operation Distract the Media, and we
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say that with affection, William stepped behind the counter and
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attempted to take a customer order. The customer's name was
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Josie William Hurd. Juicy, Sorry, Josie, he told her. I
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thought he said juicy. I apologize. The laughter that followed
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apparently continued for some time. William, to his credit, leaned
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into it, adding that the pasties would in fact be juicy,
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which triggered another round of giggling from staff and onlookers.
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He then professionally confirmed the order five fresh, ten frozen
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and told the customer they'd been ready by one forty
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five pm. The BBC, clearly sensing a story more accessible
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than constitutional monarchy, tracked down Josie herself. She is Josie Trewnson,
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a regular at gear Farm who phones ahead on busy
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days to make sure the pasties haven't run out. She had,
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she said, absolutely no idea. Who answered the phone? They said,
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would you be surprised to hear it was Prince William
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that took your order? She recalled. I couldn't believe it.
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I was flabbergasted. The story spread to her son in Australia.
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Her granddaughter's heard about it at school. Friends, she said,
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have been calling her dear Juicy ever since her verdict
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on the whole affair. I think Juicy from the future
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King sounds a great idea. It does, Josie, It really does.
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The Whales family made another appearance this week, this one
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generating a different kind of excitement. The family was spotted
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visiting Marlborough College in Wiltshire on Sunday, with witnesses telling
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the Daily Mail that students were quietly ushered away from
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the main square before William Kate and their children arrived
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by car and walked through the campus. Prince George's twelve
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in his final year at Lambrook Prep School, and the
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question of where he heads next has been the subject
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of intense speculation for some time. Eaton has long been
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assumed the destination. It is, after all, where his father went,
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but Marlbora has a strong claim too. The Princess of
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Wales attended Marlboro after an unhappy experience at her previous school,
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and by her own account, it was where she flourished.
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Princess Eugenie and Pippa Middleton are also alumni. Educational consultant
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Ridion Llewellyn, a former Marlborough headmaster, told The Telegraph that
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Catherine's positive personal history with the college works strongly in
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its favour, and that educating all three children in the
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same school would be a natural instinct for any parent.
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He also noted gently that while Eaton is the most
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prestigious school in the world, Marlboro might offer Georgia a
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slightly lower pri profile option, which, given everything, is not nothing.
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A well connected source told Telegraph columnist Sophia money Counts
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back in December that the decision had already been made
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and letters had gone out to parents. She filed the
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tip with appropriate caution, but added that her source isn't
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often wrong and treats gossip as solemnly as Oscar Wilde.
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The family hasn't confirmed anything, but they did go for
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a walk at Marlborough Troyr owned conclusions what palace in
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just a moment. Beneath the pasties and the school visits,
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something considerably larger was taking shape this week, the prospect
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of a royal visit to the United States. Relations between
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Washington and London have reportedly reached what sources described to
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The Telegraph as an all time low, driven by trade,
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tariff tensions and friction in the Middle East into that
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diplomatic void. Officials on both sides are apparently hoping the
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monarchy can do what it has always done, show up,
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look magnificent and make people feel better about each other.
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King Charles and Queen Camilla are reportedly being discussed for
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a visit beginning April twenty eighth, with possible stops in Washington,
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New York, and at least one other city yet to
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be named. Buckingham Palace has not confirmed anything, but sources
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say the discussions are real and the desire to accelerate
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the timeline is genuine. One source told The Telegraph that
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when it comes to the current American administration, the President's
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positive feelings about the Royal family. Reportedly, Trump punintended his
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negative feelings about Starmer. That is either reassuring or alarming,
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depending on your perspective, but either way, it suggests that
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the visit carries real diplomatic weight. Where the story gets
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genuinely exciting, it's the prospect of William and Kate joining
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the trip. Washington officials are said to be very keen
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one source's words, and some reports point to a possible
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window around the Fourth of July celebrations. If Kate were
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to travel, it would mark her first major overseas engagement
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since her illness, and sources say the symbolism of that
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moment is not lost on anyone involved in the planning.
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The Diana and Trivolter comparison has already been made. In
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nineteen eighty five, a single dance at a White House
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state dinner became one of the defining cultural images of
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Diana's time as a royal. Multiple sources this week invoked
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that memory unprompted, suggesting that the appetite for a similarly
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iconic moment involving the next generation is very much alive
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in diplomatic circles. William is also expected to attend World
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Cup events in his fa patron role. The children may come.
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Nobody is confirming anything, but the machinery is moving. The
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week's most difficult undercurrent remained, as it has for months,
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the ongoing fallout from the arrest of Prince Andrew and
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his continuing association with the Epstein scandal. King Charles has
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reportedly settled on a strategy. According to sources cited by
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Radar Online, the King's approach centers on continuity, keeping the
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working monarchy moving, maintaining full cooperation with investigators, and ensuring
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that no perception of interference takes hole. One source described
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it as a blueprint out of this mess, with the
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end physis on making clear that the Crown continues regardless
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of what one man, with the emphasis of making clear
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that the crown continues regardless of what one member of
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the family is facing. Andrew, meanwhile, is reportedly not going quietly.
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Sources told Radar Online that the disgraced Duke feels backed
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into a corner and is taking a methodical approach to
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his own defense, reviewing old communications, safeguarding emails, reconstructing schedules,
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and documenting who attended which events. One insider was blunt
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about the implication Andrew was convinced that if he is
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required to provide a comprehensive account of his actions and
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his life inside the royal family to investigators, it will
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not portray him as an isolated actor. He sees that information,
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the source said, as leverage, not necessarily to deploy recklessly,
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but as protection in terms of where Andrew will actually live.
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Preparations continued this week at Marsh Farm on the Sandringham Estate.
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New fencing was installed, CCTV cameras have been added, outdoor
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lighting is going in, and the no fly zone above
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Sandringham's reportedly been extended to cover the property. A Palace
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source explained the thinking plainly. The King does not want
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the farmhouse to become a backdrop for long lens photography
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or a focal point for rolling media drama. The strategy
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is to reduce exposure at every level. When Andrew arrives
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at Marsh Farm, he will be reportedly supported by two
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members of staff, a chef and a valet. He has
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been instructed to be addressed simply as sir. Palace officials
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have apparently sent clear guidance on the point, with one
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source noting with some understatement that noticeable reluctance had to
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be managed when determining who would serve at the new residence.
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Another Andrew News One civic honor, however, cannot be removed.
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The City of London Corporation reviewed whether Andrew's freedom of
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the city, granted in twenty twelve by virtue of patrimony,
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meaning he inherited it because his father, Prince Philip was
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already a freeman, could be revoked. The answer, after careful
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examination was no. Rules governing inherited awards do not permit that,
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and we retains the rite on paper at least to
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drive sheep across London Bridge. We do encourage him to
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exercise it at a time of his choosing. Also this week,
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Princess Beatrice's role in the twenty nineteen Newsnight interview came
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under renewed scrutiny. Newsnight producer Sam McAllister and Beatrice had
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unexpectedly joined a key negotiation meeting just three days before
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the broadcast, and that, in McAllister's view, the interview would
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never have happened without her. McAllister called her the rain maker,
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saying she was the one who had his interest purely
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at heart, and that if her questions hadn't been answered satisfactorily,
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the interview was dead. Andrew's motivation at the time, McAllister
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said was personal. He wanted to clear his name so
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he could walk his daughter down the aisle and return
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to the life he had before Epstein hung over him
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like a dark cloud. We know how that went. Prince
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William's views on his uncle are apparently not subtle. Multiple
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sources this week described the future king as determined to
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see the Andrews situation resolved through proper legal channels before
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his reign begins. One senior aide said William wants absolute
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transparency and believes the Palace cannot afford to appear protective
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of privilege. Another source was more direct, He knows Andrew's
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toxic for that brand and vision wants nothing to do
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with him. On the subject of Harry and Meghan's Jordan
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trip and the upcoming Australia visit, William is reportedly frustrated,
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with a source telling heat World that he can't wait
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to put a stop to it the moment he becomes king,
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and it tends stripping the pair of their titles to
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be his first order of business. Kate, for her part,
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apparently thought the Jordan timing was toned deaf, though she
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apparently tends to hold Harry less responsible than Meghan for
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these decisions. The source said she is not slamming the
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door on reconciliation, but there's no denying this has pushed
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things further apart one other piece of William news, a
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lip reading expert analyzing footage from Commonwealth Day suggested the
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Prince told Princess Anne he'd had enough of hearing his name,
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presumably Andrews, and it's up for debate. The king, greeting William,
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appeared to say oh finally, with an expression described as irritated.
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Princess Anne appeared to tell her husband to ignore them,
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likely in reference to the anti monarchy protesters outside with
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their yellow science. The Royal family is an entirely normal,
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functional household, totally fine in There more palaceing, just a moment.
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Harry and Meghan had a characteristically eventful week, and it
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began with a headline that cut through the usual noise.
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Netflix is out. The streaming company has ended its involvement
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with Meghan's lifestyle brand as Ever, which sells fruit spreads,
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herbal tea, rose wine, flower sprinkles and leather bookmarks. Netflix
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had provided staff and development support since the brand launched
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roughly a year ago. Both sides described the parting as amicable.
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The Duchess said as Ever is ready to stand on
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its own. Netflix said it was glad to have played
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a role. Social media users, marketing consultants, and Hollywood trades
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were less diplomas. The Hollywood Reporter led with the headline
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Netflix exits Megan Markle's sixty four dollars center Candle's business.
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They also noted that the split follows Netflix downgrading Megan's
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production deal from an overall deal to a first look
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several months earlier. PR sources who spoke to Page six
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suggested it was Netflix, not Megan, who initiated the exit,
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noting that her show did not go on, so it
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did not make sense to continue the partnership. An industry
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insider added that as Ever has reportedly been considered for
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incorporation into Netflix's upcoming retail concept, Netflix House, but that
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there was, in the insider's words, no appetite for it.
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The brand just didn't fit with Squid Game or Stranger
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Things or Bridgeton like they had hoped. Reputation management consultant
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Eric Schiffer offered perhaps this week's most memorable line, calling
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the split celebrity brand suicide in a cashmere apron. He
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told Page six that Megan now carries the scent of
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high maintenance disappointment, which is rat poison when executives are