Dec. 8, 2025

‘You’re Better Than This!’ Prince Harry’s U.S. Comedy Faceplant Sparks Palace Panic

Show Notes
Transcript

Prince Harry’s surprise Colbert cameo was supposed to be cute, festive, and harmless — instead, it’s detonated into one of the most brutal weeks of criticism he’s faced since Spare. Royal experts, PR strategists, and even late-night audiences say the Duke’s jokes fell flat, his jabs at President Trump crossed a diplomatic red line, and his attempts at self-deprecating American reinvention have curdled into something “desperate.” Deep Crown calls it “irrelevance catching up.” British commentators say it was “self-harm.” U.S. audiences booed him. And palace insiders warn the fallout is severe — with fresh calls to strip Harry’s titles entirely. We unpack the backlash, the political blowback, and why even sympathetic voices now say the Duke may have just closed the door on any path home.

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Calorogus Shark Media. Hello and welcome to Palace Intrigue. I

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am your host, Mark Francis Prince. Harry's latest late night cameo,

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seemingly designed as a light seasonal moment, has instead prompted

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renewed criticism from viewers and public relations specialists, who argue

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the Duke's comedic instincts once again misfired. What began as

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a cheerful surprise appearance soon shifted toward awkwardness, raising fresh

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questions about the direction of his American reinvention. Rail insider

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Deep Crown tells Pallas Intrigue the most telling moment wasn't

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anything Harry said. It was watching him say it. There's

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a desperation now that wasn't there even a year ago.

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He's become a man arguing with an institution that's simply

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moved on without him. Colbert lobbed soft balls, Harry swung dutifully,

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and the British public barely noticed. That's not Pallas strategy.

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That's irrelevance catching up with so some one who mistook

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departure for leverage. The working Royals were doing actual work

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that day. Harry was doing what he does now, performing

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grievance for an audience that's increasingly changed the channel. In

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the Telegraph, Judith wrote, with every painful, unfunny joke on

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Stephen Colbert, the Duke came across as a man who

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no longer knows who he is. I'm going to say

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something I never thought I would, and I'm going to

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say it loudly so he can hear a cross in

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this magical kingdom of Montecito. Harry, You're better than this,

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I know. Right if you thought the Oprah Winfrey interview

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was a mistake and that spare his Gilded Misery memoir

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was an insult to king and country, It's got nothing

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on what can only be described as an excruciating act

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of self harm. He mocked American's obsession with royalty and

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sent up Donald Trump by claiming the US had elected

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a king, a reference to the no King left wing

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protests which took place in October, voicing opposition to the

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President and his administration. Fair enough on a satirical show,

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but so badly, so painfully done. I just wished he

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would stop trying to be something he not. The only

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moment that rang vaguely true was when Harry acted as

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though he were desperate for a role in the aforementioned

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Hallmark movie, pleading that he would do anything and adding

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that he could ride a horse and fly a helicopter.

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Pr Advisor Mark Borkowski suggested Harry's recent attempt at humor

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highlights wider concerns about how he is presenting himself in

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the United States. Speaking to The Daily Mail, he described

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the skit as yet another embarrassment and said that sussexes

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appear increasingly adrift as they continue to chase celebrity. Brokowski

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argued that the issue is not that Harry seeks a

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place with an American entertainment culture, but rather how he

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is going about it. Harry's Colbert skit isn't embarrassing because

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he's chasing us celebrity. It's embarrassing because he's doing it badly,

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he said. He went on to criticize the Duke's tone,

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noting that making fun of your own privilege only works

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when the audience believes you've transcended it. Harry hasn't the

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joke's land like a man reminding you of a punchline

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that expired three years ago. According to Borkowski, the humor

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felt not just dated but revealing. He suggested Harry keep

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leaning on the same tired I'm a prince, but not

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that kind of prince stick, as if self deprecation can

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launder the monarchy off him, it can't. In America, the

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novelty wore off the minute Netflix lost interest. The pr

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strategist went further, saying the late night exchange exposed to

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what he described as an ongoing confusion in the Duke's

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post royal identity. What we're seeing is the classic identity

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vacuum of the man who walked out of the royal

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machine without building a new want to stand in. In

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his view, each appearance and public facing joke is an

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attempt to construct a persona that was never particularly sought

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by the audience. As he put it, you can't reinvent

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yourself while still selling tickets to the old you. He

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wants to be just Harry, but every beat of the

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joke depends on the audience knowing he isn't pushing Borkowski

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also warned that American fame can be fleeting, remarking that

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the Duke's present strategy isn't helping him maintain it. He added,

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it's all got a bit thirsty, the party circuits, the

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strategic handshakes. The famous don't mind being mocked, they fear

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being ignored. Harry's skating worryingly close to the latter. The

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historical nods proved no more successful. When Colbert described King

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George the Third as a jerk, Harry responded, simply let

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it go. Kingsey Schofield told Fox News Digital Harry's chabb

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at President Trump on Colbert wasn't clever, it was reckless. Honestly,

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how did he thinking hold onto a royal title while

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taking public swipes to the head of a foreign government.

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It's also a slap in the face. Buckingham Palace put

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significant effort into a major state visit for President Trump

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to support diplomatic relations, and frankly, it's a slap to

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President Trump as well, considering he agreed to ease up

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on Harry's immigration situation out of a personal respect for

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King Charle. Hillary forded to another British royals expert, drew

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attention to the moment the studio audience turned on harry sheads.

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Harry did himself no favors and to hear that, decidedly

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left leaning New York City audience boo him. He went

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from cheers and a standing ovasion at first to that

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a few minutes summary, if you ask me of his

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entire trajectory, His ghastly, self defeating swipe at both President

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Trump and his own royal family signaled yet again his

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terrible judgment. The Andrew saga has already left the Royal

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family exposed, and the King is trying to manage those

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issues while carrying out daily duties and undergoing regular cancer treatment.

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In her view, Harry has now made matters worse for Harry.

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To stir a more controversy connected to the family only

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accelerates internal discussions about removing his titles. If anything, this

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moment underscores that there is no path back for Harry

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for those insisting still be a valuable asset, he just

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proved what a liability he is. Reflecting on past attention

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involving the Prince and Princess of Wales, Chaffield also recalled

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how Stephen Colbert's earlier jokes had hurt the couple at

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a difficult time. That was one of the hardest years

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of William's life, and he's acknowledged that publicly. Colbert's nasty

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monologue deeply upset both the Prince and Princess, who were

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already under immense pressure as they quietly navigated Catherine's cancer

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diagnosis while trying to protect their children from fear or confusion.

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Rose was prepared to sue, and for Harry to run

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into Colbert's stage and crack jokes with him tells you

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everything about where that relationship stands. It's irrevocably broken more

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palace in just a moment. Veteran royal correspondent Phil Dampiers

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said the reaction inside palace circles will be severe following

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the Duke of Sussex's latest American television appearance. The King,

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Prince William and courtiers will be horrified. Most dangerous of

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all his jokes about Trump. The Royals can't start meddling

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in US politics without dangers, and he should have steered

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clear of the subject. Dampiers said the appearance demonstrated that

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the Duke doesn't care any more about royal protocol and

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should now face the same consequences as other relatives whose

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conduct has placed the monarchy under strain. Harry is now

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a showbiz Hollywood celebrity, not a royal. As such, he

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should lose his titles and be removed from the line

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of succession. Then he could do whatever he pleased and

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no one could complain. The idea that he can come

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back to the UK and carry out some royal duties

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is now shot to pieces. He is in California for

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the rest of his life and he's totally been taken

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over by his wife's world. Royal commentator Tom Sykes, editor

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of The Royalist Newsletter, said the Palace is left with

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limited room to maneuver after the Duke of Sussex's latest appearance.

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I think the royal family has no real choice, he said,

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noting that Harry continues to act as though his royal

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status no longer carries diplomatic consequences. According to Sikes, the

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Duke's assumption that he can now speak freely simply does

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not match his public reality. Harry believes he's free to

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speak his mind now he's no longer a working royal.

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I think if he were truly living as Harry Wales's

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private citizen, the argument would hold water. But he isn't

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Harry Wales. He's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and in

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the American imagination, he still carries a full aura of

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the prince, a representative of the monarchy. A global audience

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does not grasp that Harry isn't still a part of

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the Windsor family business. Charles and William maybe hundreds of

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miles away in Bowmorral or Windsor, but in the American

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mind they are standing just off stage as Harry delivers

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his punchlines. Sykes warned that because of this, many in

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the United States will view Harry's remarks in a straightforward way,

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saying most Americans will simply see a British prince insulting

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their head of state. The titles must be removed, not

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his punishment, but for clarity. Removing them draws a clear

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blue line between Prince Harry the royal and Harry the

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private citizen. It protects the monarchy from his volatility. He

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either doesn't understand the danger he walked into, or he

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simply no longer cares, having developed a craving for the

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spotlight and for applause that overwhelms caution, context, and even

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self preservation. I believe Harry thought he was being clever,

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tossing off a cheeky wink across the Atlantic. Instead, he

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plunged headlong into America's defining fear. This at a time

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when the Trump administration is reportedly canceling visas for people

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who merely criticize conservative influences, a moment when political deviation,

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even trivial deviation, can be treated as grounds for removal.

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And there you have it. If you'd like to email

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us or addresses the Palace Intrigue at gmail dot com,

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please follow us on Spotify, Apple or the app of

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your choice, and it leaves a nice view from enjoying

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the show, I Mark Francis my thanks to John McDermott.

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This is Palace Intrigue. Good terms,

‘You’re Better Than This!’ Prince Harry’s U.S. Comedy Faceplant Sparks Palace Panic

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