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Submit ReviewPalace Confidential is weekly royal podcast on the British royal family. Host Jo Elvin, editor of You magazine, speaks to a mix of the Mail's royal experts, celebrity columnists and former palace staff for a mix of exclusive news, sharp analysis and a look back at some fascinating moments in the House of Windsor's history.
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Submit ReviewHE Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s trip to Europe next month will be about ‘having their cake and eating it’, believes Sarah Vine. The Mail columnist told our royal talkshow Palace Confidential that the trip will be a chance for the pair to fulfil their dream of picking and choosing their duties.‘The working royals are on quite a punishing schedule of day-to-day stuff, most of which doesn’t get any coverage, most of which isn’t very glamorous, most of which doesn’t involve wearing very expensive earrings and necklaces and saying very meaningful things about poor people, which is what Meghan likes to do,’ she tells the programme.‘They don’t have to do that any more: They can come in, sweep in, get lots of coverage and then they can go home.’Royal correspondent and author Victoria Murphy says it marks a step on the road to the new life that they have planned.‘Despite the criticism that they get, they have kind of achieved what they want, because they are now doing the things they want to do in the way that they want to do them and they have that control,’ she says. ‘And because of their past roles and their links to the Royal Family they will always be relevant.’This week social media has been awash with rumours that the Sussexes will renew their vows as part of a new Netflix reality show. Charlotte Griffiths, The Mail on Sunday’s editor at large, says it’s so outlandish that it just might be true.‘It sounds so unrealistic, but the truth is stranger than fiction when it comes to these two,’ she says. ‘They probably have a lot of resentment around the wedding time, because of course there were all these dramas going on backstage, plus they need some interesting Netflix content, because footage of them at the WellChild awards is all very well, but they’ve got to have that Kardashian thing, that set-piece.’Later in the show, our panel examine royal security in the wake of the news that Prince Andrew will keep his 24-hour police protection, despite Harry losing his. Plus, they look at how Prince Charles is combating his perceived negative portrayal on The Crown by tackling it head-on.
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AS he fought in vain to hold together his Cabinet, Boris Johnson managed to find time for his weekly audience with HM the Queen – we asked our panel of royal experts how that conversation would have gone down.The Daily Mail’s Diary Editor Richard Eden says that if the Queen had an opinion, she would have got it across.‘We certainly know that they do listen to her. Prime Ministers including Tony Blair have said that she has a very persistent way with them, and she asks probing questions, difficult questions. And he felt that he was often being jogged to maybe think again about something.’Some have drawn parallels between the departure of Margaret Thatcher and this week’s events. But Dickie Arbiter, the Queen’s former press secretary, says the Queen will feel far different about the departure of Johnson to that of Thatcher.‘I don’t think there would be parallels with them, because with Mrs Thatcher there would have been an element of sympathy in the way that it happened,’ he tells the programme. ‘This is something that’s completely different from what’s happening now and the Queen has never experienced that… the Queen admired Mrs Thatcher for having been so long the first female Prime Minister.’The Daily Mail’s Royal Editor Rebecca English discusses a new set of unwanted headlines around the charities run by the Prince of Wales and the access given to wealthy philanthropists.While there is no accusation of wrongdoing by the prince, she points out that ‘it does shine yet another unwelcome spotlight on the way that some of Prince Charles’s charities have been run in the past’.Any criticism being levelled towards Charles is unfair, argues Dickie Arbiter, who questions why these stories are emerging now: ‘It seems that someone with an axe to grind is trying to create a bit of mischief.’PLUS on the 40th anniversary of the day an intruder broke in to Buckingham Palace and made it into the Queen’s bedroom, the Daily Mail’s Editor at Large Richard Kay takes us on a fascinating trip down memory lane to the extraordinary summer of 1982.
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BUCKINGHAM Palace’s decision to bury a report into allegations of bullying by the Duchess of Sussex could be down to a desire not to ‘poke the bear that is Harry and Meghan’, says the Daily Mail’s Royal Editor Rebecca English.Officials announced this week that the result of the investigation into the allegations – firmly denied by lawyers for Meghan – will never be made public‘There’s been a suggestion made to me that the palace have really done this because they don’t want to poke the bear that is Harry and Meghan,’ Rebecca tells Palace Confidential. ‘And they seem to want to keep the peace with them, possibly at the expense of their workforce.‘I suspect the Palace are willing to take a flurry of bad headlines and television reports on the chin over the next few days in the hope that after that, the whole issue will quietly wither away.’The Firm’s decision to ‘sweep things under the carpet’ has created an ‘extraordinary’ situation, argues The Mail on Sunday’s assistant editor Kate Mansey.‘I’ve never been at a briefing in my 20-plus years of reporting experience where something has been so comprehensively swept under the carpet,’ she says. ‘It’s extraordinary that these allegations can be made at such a high level and the public might never know the result of the review that’s been carried out.’It’s the wrong move, says the Daily Mail’s Diary Editor, Richard Eden, as now even Meghan doesn’t get a chance to properly clear her name.‘I think it’s terrible for everyone that’s been left hanging. You could argue that it’s very unfair to Meghan,’ he says. ‘What worries me greatly is it just seems like the Palace are falling over themselves not to upset Harry and Meghan. They seem desperate not to upset them and I think that’s a mistake.’The panel also discuss the revelations that Prince Charles accepted carrier bags of cash totalling £2.5million in donations to his charities. And while there is no suggestion of wrongdoing on the part of the prince, we ask whether the family should change their approach to charitable activities following a number of negative headlines and the cash-for-access scandal.
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Prince William’s speech about racism in Britain will have been in part inspired by the fact that he is still ‘smarting’ about the comments that Harry and Meghan made last year, believes commentator Sarah Vine. The Sussexes’ claims about racism in the Royal Family in a 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey made headlines worldwide.‘I think it’s an issue that [William] feels that he has to address head-on and I think that’s a good way of addressing it,’ she tells Palace Confidential. ‘Maybe he would just like to draw a line under that and just make sure that people understand where he stands on it.’The Daily Mail’s Editor-at-Large Richard Kay believes that ‘a great sadness’ descended on William after the departure of Harry, made worse by his brother’s subsequent ‘ad hominem attacks’ in interviews.‘I think he’s going to find it extremely hard to forget what happened, even if he can forgive,’ he tells the programme. ‘William will not shut the door on him, he will have him back, but I think that there will have to be some fundamental changes in the nature of the relationship that Harry has with the Royal Family before William will allow that change to happen.’The anticipation of Harry’s memoirs will be stopping any rapprochement for now, believes the Daily Mail’s Diary Editor Richard Eden.‘I really do think that [Harry] is keeping his family at a distance until his book is published,’ he says. ‘I think that he is going to be saying some things which are unpleasant and will go down badly with Prince Charles and Prince William and he almost can’t face them.’Meanwhile focus on Prince William as he turns 40 has inevitably led to speculation about how both are preparing for the monarchy. Sarah Vine believes that the attention given to William and his family over Charles will sting the Prince of Wales.‘I think he must feel very acutely that a lot of people if you ask them will say it should skip to William, and I think that’s very unfair,’ she says. ‘So there’s this perception that Prince Charles is a sort of ghost in between the Queen and William. And I think if I were him I would feel a bit annoyed by that, genuinely.’PLUS The Daily Mail’s Royal Editor Rebecca English sends a report from Prince Charles’s visit to Rwanda and our panel look at the first official portrait of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
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Will commercial pressures force Harry to break his promise to the Queen? And will Andrew face boos at the Jubilee? We discuss all this and more in our must-watch royal talk show.Reports this week suggest that Prince Harry’s long-awaited memoirs could be delayed. This follows news that the pair are under pressure from Netflix and Spotify to deliver on their multimillion-dollar commitments.The Daily Mail’s Royal Editor Rebecca English says that since signing their big deals the media companies have ‘precious little to show for it’.‘I think it’s fair to assume that there will be a lot of pressure on them to produce,’ she tells Palace Confidential. ‘How much this will ratchet up the pressure on them to talk about their time as members of the Royal Family? To talk about what it was like to be part of the institution of the monarchy – which are things that Harry promised his grandmother he wouldn’t do?’Meanwhile, there has been shock at the news that Prince Andrew intends to take some part in the Order of the Garter ceremony as part of his mother’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations. Given the reasons for his stepping down from royal duties, Rebecca English believes that he is taking a risk: ‘It’s the first time we’ll see him reacting up close and personal, reacting with members of the public. Could he even be booed?’The Daily Mail’s Diary Editor Richard Eden says he was ‘shocked’ by the news.‘The prospect of him, parading through Windsor in his velvet finery and feathers, my goodness! It’s horrendous, he should be playing no part in public life and certainly not for the Royal Family,’ he tells the programme. ‘Let’s hope wise counsel prevails and he is persuaded not to take part.’Meanwhile royal biographer Robert Hardman, whose latest book Queen of Our Times: The Life of Elizabeth II is out now, says that the buggy used by Her Majesty at the Chelsea Flower show this week should answer the ‘constant preoccupation with her health’.‘I would turn it around and say “isn’t it amazing the amount of stuff she’s doing, not what she’s not doing”,’ he says. ‘To be well into your tenth decade and to be so engaged with public life that she is, I just think it’s remarkable.’
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The Royal Family will use events around the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee to bring Harry and Meghan closer to the rest of the family, according to one expert.After years of bad blood, Kate Mansey, assistant editor at the Mail on Sunday says she believes that the Queen wants a rapprochement with the Sussexes who quit royal working life in 2020.‘There is generally a sense that they want to bring the Sussexes in, I think. They will be invited to lots of family occasions, just not the big, official numbers,’ she tells our royal talk show Palace Confidential.That doesn’t mean the initial encounters won’t be awkward says the Daily Mail’s Royal Editor Rebecca English, with much speculation about how the Sussexes will interact with the rest of the royals at a Jubilee thanksgiving service at St Paul’s Cathedral on June 3.‘The amount of time that they’re seen interacting with other family members on camera will be fairly limited,’ she tells the programme. ‘But as one source said to me the other week, the body language is going to be fascinating. I just hope for the Queen’s sake it doesn’t overshadow everything else that’s going on over the weekend.’The Mail on Sunday’s Editor At Large Charlotte Griffiths says the royal balcony will miss Harry’s humour.‘Harry cold have been the Duke of Edinburgh Mark Two, and we kind of need that,’ she says. ‘The Royal Family do take themselves very seriously but there is a fun side to them and Harry just would have been brilliant at that and he could have brought a jocular side to balcony moments and things like that and we’ve lost that now.’Meanwhile royal biographer Hugo Vickers talks to the programme about A Royal Life, the memoirs he co-wrote with the Duke of Kent. The Daily Mail’s Diary Editor Richard Eden believes that the duke’s life shows what an opportunity has Harry missed.‘It emphasises what we’ve lost and what I think Prince Harry could have been if he’d put loyalty and service at the forefront,’ he tells the show. ‘I think they married very different women, I think Meghan didn’t seem to have a plan to serve and to want to stay in this country. And I think she’s helped encourage Harry to quit the Royal Family. Whereas in the Duke of Kent’s case, he had a wife who was very supportive and did all she could to help him.’
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‘Her celebrity is fading!’ Royal expert says Meghan’s Netflix dramas signal fall from grace for the ‘woke warrior Queen’ – we discuss the latest royal stories in our unrivalled royal talk show
Netflix’s decision to ditch Meghan’s animation Pearl before it was even made shows that the duchess’ star power is waning, according to one royal expert.
Andrew Pierce, consultant editor of the Daily Mail, tells Palace Confidential that the streaming giant is working out that the royal pair ‘are not the investment they thought they were’.
‘What does it say about the fall from grace of Meghan? This contract is not even two years old and they’ve realised already that her celebrity is fading in the United States… I think Netflix are working out that they are not the investment they thought they were,’ he says. ‘[Pearl] was very important to Meghan herself who’s the great woke warrior Queen – it’s a real blow to her prestige and ego.’
The cancellation of Pearl could also spell bad news for the rest of the royals, argues the Daily Mail’s diary editor Richard Eden.
‘What’s so significant and what’s frankly worrying is that the only projects that will get the green light from Netflix now will be very personal ones about the Royal Family,’ he says. ‘That puts them in an awkward position because I don’t think they wanted to do that and certainly it will make people nervous back at Buckingham Palace.’
Meanwhile the paper’s royal editor Rebecca English brings an update on the latest jostling over who gets which grand residences. While the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are reported to be keen to move to Adelaide Cottage in Windsor, they could find themselves gazumping Prince Andrew.
‘I’ve been told by contacts that could be a little bit tricky because Prince Andrew has actually always had his eye on that property, it’s been used as a grace-and-favour home for royal staff and distant relatives for many years. He’d rather hoped one of his children, particularly Princess Eugenie, might able to move into it.
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For all the stunning scenery, diving trips and staged photo opportunities, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s trip to the Caribbean has attracted its fair share of negative headlines. Behind the smiles, Prince William will be furious at how things have gone – that’s the view of the Mail on Sunday’s Editor at Large, Charlotte Griffiths.
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A new paper produced by the Houses of Commons library has laid out the process around changing the Counsellors of State – the members of the Royal Family who could step in for the Queen should she be unable to carry out her official duties.
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The shadow of Prince Andrew’s friendship with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has been hovering over the Royal Family for years now, but came to a head this week as he reached an out-of-court settlement with Virginia Giuffre.
Mutterings of the exact amount of the settlement, and who would be funding it, have been on the lips of the nation ever since.
Also, as news pages at home are filled with the bad judgment and connections of Princes Andrew and Charles, over in the US it’s their children putting out their own statements, with Princess Eugenie appearing in public alongside her favourite cousin Prince Harry.
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In a message to mark the 70th anniversary of her accession to the throne, Her Majesty expressed her wish that the Duchess of Cornwall be known as Queen Consort when Prince Charles takes the throne. But what do other members of the family make of it? In particular Camilla’s stepsons, William and Harry.
PLUS, we look at the Daily Mail’s exclusive poll on the public’s view of the Royal Family, including who is up and who is down in the nation’s affections, plus how the senior royals could be planning a spot of castle swapping. And don’t miss our special timeline looking back at the topsy-turvy course of Charles and Camilla’s romance.
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A row over broadcaster Joe Rogan hosting Covid-19 conspiracists on his Spotify show engulfed fellow podcasters the Duke and Duchess of Sussex this week.
The situation is, ‘a nightmare for Harry and Meghan’, says the Daily Mail’s Diary Editor Richard Eden, who dismisses their statement calling for Spotify to ‘meet this moment’ as ‘mealy-mouthed.’
Another of Harry’s money-making schemes is a new autobiography due out later this year. Given his previous comments about his family in an interview with Oprah Winfrey, one area causing concern to the Palace is what he might write about his stepmother.
Meanwhile, Prince Andrew’s US civil case over claims of sexual assault – which he denies – made a return to the headlines, as both sides started to outline the witnesses they wanted to speak to. The Daily Mail’s Royal Editor Rebecca English analyses the latest moves in the legal action for the show.
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This week it was revealed that, after a long period of radio silence, Spotify was taking things into its own hands when it comes to making Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s delayed podcast.
Meanwhile, his uncle Prince Andrew remains under pressure over his ongoing legal battles in New York. This week his lawyers said that the Duke wants a trial by jury over claims by Virginia Giuffre that he sexually abused her when she was 17. Something he has consistently denied.
PLUS from the Queen’s poignant trip to Sandringham, to the Duchess of Cambridge’s engagements, to Camilla’s busy few days, we give you the full royal round-up of this week.
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Prince Harry’s decision to try to get his lawyers to overturn the Home Office’s decision not to offer him police protection in the UK has, says Rebecca English, created ‘another legal drama involving the Sussexes and another unwelcome situation for the Royal Family’.
PLUS After the extraordinary events that saw Boris Johnson apologise to the Queen after parties were held in Downing Street the night before the funeral of the Duke of Edinburgh, Daily Mail columnist Robert Hardman looks at the curious relationship between prime ministers and monarchs. He explains when the Government has the upper hand and when politicians have been forced to show contrition to the Palace.
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The news that Prince Andrew is set to face trial in America over a civil claim that he abused a sex-trafficked 17-year-old is ‘the Royal Family’s worst nightmare and there’s no easy way out’.
That’s the view of the Daily Mail’s Diary Editor Richard Eden, who says that enough is enough: it’s time for the Firm to take decisive action to put ‘clear water’ between them and Andrew, who denies all the allegations against him.
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In an essay on the environment published this week, Prince Charles praised not only his late father but both of his sons for their commitment to green issues.
It might seem like a small thing, but the Daily Mail’s Royal Editor Rebecca English says it is ‘very notable’, adding: ‘I don’t think that’s a coincidence. Relationships with Harry are still really poor [but] I do think this is an olive branch to his younger son to show that he is still loved and he is still valued. How that will be received is anyone’s guess.’
There is likely to be less enthusiasm in rehabilitating the Duke of York, however. This week his lawyers’ attempts to get a US judge to strike out a civil case brought against him were, at the time of recording, looking unlikely to succeed. The case comes from Virginia Giuffre, who accuses the prince of sexual abuse when she was 17, he has denied all claims against him.
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Despite stepping back from his official royal role in 2019, Prince Andrew's ability to dominate the headlines throughout 2021 has given our panel on Palace Confidential plenty to talk about all year long. In this special episode, we’ve put together some of the biggest talking points and most jaw-dropping moments from the story of Prince Andrew over the past year.
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2020 was a seismic year for the Royal Family as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced plans to leave Britain and to relinquish royal duties, so much so that few thought 2021 would provide as much drama.
However, the fallout from Megxit has continued to be drawn out, providing a series of unexpected twists that have proved incredibly uncomfortable for the Royal Family.
Each week Palace Confidential has asked our experts to dissect all the developments: from the accusations and recriminations around interviews to the multimillion-pound deals; and from a controversial internal investigation to the behind-the-scenes manoeuvres in the royal households.
In this special episode, we’ve put together some of the biggest talking points and most jaw-dropping moments from the Harry and Meghan story of 2021.
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Earlier this year, Buckingham Palace announced an investigation into accusations of bullying by the Duchess of Sussex against members of staff. Fast forward nine months and, as the Mail’s Rebecca English reveals, just ‘a tiny handful’ of staff have been interviewed and she believes the whole process is ‘being kicked into the long grass’.
The panel also discuss a moving Christmas event hosted by the Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Charles taking on the anti-vaxxers and Prince William’s battle with the producers of The Crown.
Meanwhile, after a year that has seen the death of Prince Phillip, the Queen’s own health problems and the continued challenge of the pandemic to royal duties, speculation about how long Her Majesty could and would remain on the throne has increased. We asked historian Dr Ed Owens to look back to see what the future might hold.
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What is Prince Harry’s motivation – self-preservation or trying to create more distance from his family in advance of his memoirs being released? That’s the question being asked by our panel in the latest edition of Palace Confidential.
As connections between Prince Charles and a Saudi businessman are called into question, Harry has appeared to criticise his father, referring to the affair as the ‘CBE scandal’. Richard Kay believes the move is a calculated one from the Duke of Sussex, who’s keen to further separate himself from his father before the publication of Harry’s memoirs next year.
Plus, as we gear up to Christmas, Rebecca English joins us the day after the Duchess of Cambridge’s carol concert from Westminster Abbey. Sharing a glimpse of the programme, she praised Kate for the family focused affair, saying that while she wrote a message for the programme, the duchess ‘made sure it wasn’t all about her, which isn’t always the case with members, or ex-members, of the Royal Family’.
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The Prince of Wales found himself dragged back into the royal racism row after a new book made claims – denied by Charles – that he was the so-called ‘royal racist’, writes Richard Eden.
The Prince of Wales was also in the spotlight as he travelled to Barbados this week as the nation declared itself a republic. At one evening event, jetlag appeared to get the better of him, and he appeared to briefly nod off.
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A BBC documentary that set out to examine the relationship between a Royal Family in crisis and the media has ended up exposing the Corporation’s rapidly deteriorating relations with the Firm. That’s the view of royal experts interviewed on this week’s Palace Confidential, who tackle the controversial documentary, The Princes And The Press.
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News that Meghan Markle has given another high-profile interview on US television will cause ‘a real sense of trepidation’ among royals, says Daily Mail Diary Editor Richard Eden, because the last big TV interview ‘set off explosions all around the world and caused a long long headache for the Royal Family’. So far, however, the revelations seem to be more lighthearted than the controversial sit-down with Oprah Winfrey.
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This week, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s battle with the media, both traditional and social, was laid bare in the starkest of terms. The Court of Appeal heard new evidence from a senior royal aide after the Mail on Sunday began an appeal against a High Court ruling earlier this year which found the newspaper had unlawfully breached Meghan’s privacy by publishing extracts from a letter she had sent her estranged father.
Meanwhile, Prince Harry accused British journalists of ‘amplifying’ the voices of abusive social media accounts. Speaking at a conference on misinformation, the Prince also said he warned Twitter boss Jack Dorsey about the storming of the US Capitol the day before it occurred.
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Moves by Prince Andrew’s lawyers this week to have a civil case against him dismissed show that ‘the gloves are off’ says Richard Kay the Daily Mail’s Editor at Large. Andrew denies all claims made against him, but it was revealed that he will still have to give evidence under oath to the court sometime next year.
Meanwhile the Mail on Sunday’s Assistant Editor Kate Mansey explains that the rest of the Firm have a constitutional challenge of their own to overcome. Namely that the Queen is looking for more Counsellors of State to take on her duties should she be unable to execute them and why replacing Prince Andrew and Prince Harry isn’t as straightforward as it seems.
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Are the palace deceiving the public over the Queen’s health? And how can ‘rockstar’ Prince William avoid getting too political over climate change? Join Jess King and her panel of experts, for all of the latest Royal news.
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There was shock when it was announced that the Queen’s planned trip to Northern Ireland had been cancelled on the advice of doctors. But for our panellist Richard Eden, it is a sign that Her Majesty should be allowed to retired gracefully and make way for her grandson William to take the throne.Meanwhile the Duchess of Sussex’s letter to US political leaders arguing for paid parental leave has had royal watchers speculating that it marks the start of her political ambitions. Meghan has come under fire for ‘meddling’, but the Mail on Sunday’s Charlotte Griffiths, says she’s right to throw her weight behind the cause.Plus Meghan’s sister-in-law Kate Middleton has been winning plaudits for a series of increasingly confident public appearances to go with a number of very stylish outfits. The Daily Mail’s Royal Editor Rebecca English believes our future Queen is coming of age.
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Is Prince William right to criticise billionaire space invaders like Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk? That’s one of the questions for this week’s panel on our royal show Palace Confidential. The Daily Mail’s diary editor Richard Eden believes he shouldn’t be following his father Charles’ eco-zealotry.
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When Prince Harry and Meghan left the UK it was said that they were going it alone, but the late Princess Diana has been a constant presence, playing ‘third wheel’ in their relationship. That’s the view of the princess’ biographer Andrew Morton, in an interview with Palace Confidential.
AND we discuss Prince Charles’ plans to shuffle the Windsors around their royal palaces, a move which will see him ‘living above the shop’ at Buckingham Palace.
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After the Sussexes stopped traffic in New York last week, it was the turn of the Cambridges to grab the headlines, with Kate’s incredibly glamorous look at the Bond premiere setting the fashion agenda.The panel also discuss the latest revelations in the updated version of The Meghan Paradox by Andrew Morton, which is being serialised in the Mail on Sunday, including the claim that Harry was the driving force behind Megxit and the suggestion that he was ‘bullied’ by his older brother.
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Despite not representing the monarchy or Britain anymore, Harry and Meghan have been given the full VIP treatment on their trip to New York, their first official visit since moving to California. The Daily Mail’s royal editor Rebecca English tells Palace Confidential that this trip has ‘the feel of an official royal visit, which of course it isn’t because they are ostensibly private citizens now.’
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Harry and Meghan are back on the front pages – but not as we’re used to seeing them. The pair grace the cover of the new Time magazine as part of its annual 100 most influential people special, and their inclusion and the accompanying photos are a hot topic for our panel.
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It was reported this week that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were planning a ‘summit’ with the Queen following months of recriminations following Megxit. The Daily Mail’s royal editor Rebecca English says while they will meet in the near future, it will be in ‘a private, family get together’ with ‘certainly no officials getting involved, because they know that’s something that would really wind Harry and Meghan up.’
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TV presenter and thorn in the side of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Piers Morgan was this week cleared by Ofcom over comments he made about the truthfulness of Meghan Markle’s interview with Oprah in March. Julia Hartley-Brewer agrees, arguing that it’s an important win for freedom of speech, adding that for Meghan and Harry to paint themselves as victims is disingenuous.
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Another week another royal rift. A new excerpt of the updated version of the controversial book Finding Freedom, claims that Meghan and Harry were unhappy that the royal family failed to take ‘full ownership’ and ‘accountability’ over their claims of racism.The royal pair insist that the book is unauthorised, and that they haven’t sought to stoke tensions with the family. But broadcaster and historian Dr Tessa Dunlop says that if the claims are true, they misunderstood the institution they have just left.
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Join Jo Elvin, Richard Eden, Sarah Vine and Rebecca English as they dive headfirst into the week’s Royal news and views.As the Duchess of Sussex celebrates her 40th birthday with the launch of new initiative 40x40 (helping women left unemployed through the pandemic back into work), our panel questions the merits of having Meghan’s friends give less than an hour of their time to help bolster someone’s career.
And it’s the tale of two Sarahs, as Sarah Vine gives us some behind the scenes insight into interviewing Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, for her podcast this week.
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As an epilogue to Harry and Meghan’s autobiography is announced, Andrew Pierce makes his Palace Confidential debut, to skewer the Sussexes for their voracious pursuit of anything that could make them money. Our panel discuss just how little new information the authors could include, and speculate that any true new revelations will come in Prince Harry’s upcoming memoir.
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The announcement that Prince Harry is writing a memoir was one of the major shocks in an already turbulent year for the Royal Family. The Firm don’t appear to have been informed much before the public and there was dismay that its publication in 2022 will coincide with what should have been a year of celebration for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
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The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have announced their latest project – a kids TV show called Pearl made in conjuction with David Furnish, husband of Elton John. But, we ask our Palace Confidential experts, will it turn out to be a gem?When it comes to the themes, ‘it’s very Meghan’ says the Daily Mail’s Royal Editor Rebecca English. For the paper’s Diary Editor Richard Eden, Pearl sounds like an extension of Meghan’s persona.
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A new documentary about the catastrophic fallout between Princes William and Harry has got royal watchers talking again this week. But unusually it’s what was left on the cutting room floor that’s proved to be the biggest talking point.Lawyers acting for Prince William complained about a section of the programme where a contributor claimed that the Palace had planted stories about Prince Harry’s mental health. Programme makers acquiesced and the film that was shown to the public made no mention of it.
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For Robert Lacey – author of the definitive guide to the fallout between William and Harry – the unveiling of the memorial to Diana, Princess of Wales, represented ‘a Spencer takeover – there wasn’t a single member of the House of Windsor there’. As well as a memorial to their mother, the sculpture is also a testament to the drive of the Princes: ‘they’ve done pretty well those boys – this represents their campaign to insert their mother into the iconography of the British Royal Family – those brothers did that, the Queen didn’t do it, did she? Prince Charles didn’t do it.’ The Mail’s Diary Editor, Richard Eden was less impressed by the finished product from sculptor Ian Rank-Broadley.
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Royal watchers have spent the week reacting to the bombshell new revelations emerging in the updated book Battle of Brothers by Robert Lacey. Among them the suggestion that Prince Charles declared that Harry and Meghan’s son Archie would never be a prince. PLUS is it time to decommission the royal train? Royal finance expert David McClure points out that it’s only been used once this year (at a cost of £49k) and three times last year: ‘it’s not really financially viable, and in the future its days must be numbered.’ AND the Mail’s investigative journalist Stephen Wright tells us all about his new podcast series investigating the events surrounding the death of Diana, Princess of Wales in a Paris tunnel in 1997. He reveals the details of the police interview with Prince Charles and some of the extraordinary conspiracy theories that have sprung from the event.
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The royal name blame game rumbles on: did Prince Harry ‘ask’ the Queen’s permission to name his daughter Lilibet or ‘tell’ her? Kate Mansey – who wrote about the story in the Mail on Sunday – says that following the row, which saw royal sources questioning Harry and Meghan’s version of events to a BBC reporter, Her Majesty has decided that the Palace will challenge ‘mistruths’ made about the family.
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Choosing a name for a baby can be hard work, but only in the royal family could it lead to another transatlantic royal row and threats of legal action against newspapers. An extraordinary story in the BBC – an institution which usually steers clear of royal gossip – suggested that Harry and Meghan had NOT sought permission from the Queen to name their daughter Lillibet – Her Majesty’s family nickname. The name didn’t go down well with the Palace Confidential panel. ‘A lot of readers emailed me to say that they thought it was really shameless that they had done this,’ says Mail columnist Sarah Vine. ‘To deliberately almost stamp the royal name on this child’s head.’
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In his new show with Oprah on mental health, Prince Harry asks ‘where do we go from here?’ It’s a question many royal watchers will ask when it comes to how many more revelatory shows the Duke is planning to make. ‘Buckingham Palace genuinely don’t want to get into a public slanging match with Harry and Meghan,’ the Mail’s Royal Editor Rebecca English tells Palace Confidential.
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The news that Princess Beatrice is expecting a baby should mean celebration in the palace. But with royals awaiting the fallout from Prince Harry’s new mental health documentary with Oprah Winfrey, the mood is far from happy. The Daily Mail’s Royal Editor Rebecca English says the frustration in the palace is ‘immense’. The ongoing saga has seem some palace insiders call for Harry and Meghan to be stripped of their royal titles. But do Harry’s comments about the US’ ‘bonkers’ First Amendment signal that he hasn’t found the paradise in LA that he thought he had?
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Just when it seemed like things were calming down in the House of Windsor’s transatlantic royal row, comes another broadside that threatens to both reopen old wounds and cause a couple more.
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Join our panel for a jam packed Palace Confidential, as we discuss the fall out from the announcement of Meghan's new children's book, and look at the other royal authors whose footsteps she's following in. As William and Kate get down with the kids by joining YouTube, our panel discuss how to keep it regal whilst making sure people "like" and "subscribe", and former Royal Protection Officer Ken Wharfe tells us just how easy it is to break into the Royal Estate, following ANOTHER lapse in security at Windsor.
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he Duke and Duchess of Cambridge celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary this week with new pictures and family footage to mark the occasion. The Mail's Editor at Large Richard Kay explains how they have grown into their royal roles, but why William is in no hurry to take the throne. And the Mail on Sunday's Diary Editor Charlotte Griffiths reveals that despite their demur demeanour, Will and Kate do go wild behind closed doors. Their success might be food for thought for Harry & Meghan whose popularity has dropped drastically according to new poll by YouGov. Still, they're still more popular than Prince Andrew, who is back in the headlines for all the wrong reasons, again...
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The Queen could be forgiven for not celebrating her 95th birthday this week, not only was she still mourning the death of her husband, but the very public row between her grandson Harry and the rest of the family remains unresolved. Sarah Vine suggests that there was more to the politics of Prince Philip's funeral procession than first revealed... PLUS Rebecca English examines claims that Meghan Markle called the Queen before the service.AND security in Windsor is being reviewed after Prince Andrew received an unwanted visitor.
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From the guestlist to the dress code, to the quirky twist only he could have insisted on, The Mail's Royal Editor Rebecca English reveals the plans for the funeral of the Duke of Edinburgh. PLUS the secret life of Philip - our experts look at the life of the Duke away from the cameras with unmissable insight from the Duke's official biographer Gyles Brandreth, the Mail's Editor at Large Richard Kay, and historian Dr Tessa Dunlop.
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n a special edition of Palace Confidential, we look back at the extraordinary life of the late Duke of Edinburgh. Mail columnist Robert Hardman, who interviewed Philip a number of times, looks at the massive impact he made as Queen's Consort, while biographer Ian Lloyd explores the Prince's fascinating early life and his distinguished war record. PLUS our expert contributors share their stories of encountering the Duke at his outspoken best.
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As he publishes his new book Elizabeth & Margaret, Morton tells us how William's relationship with Harry is like the Queen's with her late sister AND whether Diana would have been closer to Kate or Meghan. We look at how "ruthless" William jettisoned old friend Tom Bradby and examine Harry and Meghan's new Netflix show. PLUS how the Queen has been getting letters of support over "sad" Megxit.
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Royals and politics is always a dangerous mix and this week the spectre of a Meghan Markle presidency was revived by Tom Bower, the man tasked with writing a biography of the Duchess. Our panel discuss the implications, while Alastair Campbell tells the programme how the royals snubbed his old boss Tony Blair at William's wedding. PLUS historian Adrian Tinniswood reveals the difficulty of changing the old guard at the Palace. AND find out why William has left the door open to doing his own Oprah-style interview...
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Royal Editor Rebecca English explains how the terms of Harry's new jobs could mean a bumper payday for the Duke. Let's be honest, says historian Dr Tessa Dunlop he's only getting these new bizarre titles because of his title. It's also a bit rich for Harry to fight fake news, argues Mail diarist Richard Eden, his vague accusations against The Firm mean have forced the family into desperately trying to salvage their reputations. PLUS we hear the extraordinary story of the birth of the Queen's newest great-grandson.
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The Duke of Edinburgh left hospital this week only to be greeted by a worsening family feud. It was "genuinely shocking" that details of Prince Harry's private family phone calls were leaked to TV presenter pal Gayle King, says the Mail's Richard Eden, how can Charles and William be sure that they're they know they're not being recorded when they call Harry? This seems to have spurred the Palace onto positive PR push notes the Mail on Sunday's diarist Charlotte Griffiths, following the maxim "when they go low, we go high". One thing's for sure, says royal editor Rebecca English, the whole episode has been a "game changer" for William and his plans for the whole future of the royal family.
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While many in the palace seethe over what they see to be inaccuracies in Meghan and Harry's interview, the Queen has tried to heal the rift with a conciliatory message. People forget, says editor at large Richard Kay, that HM offered a similar olive branch to the the late Princess Diana after her Panorama interview. These efforts may work in the UK, says US-based royal author Clive Irving, but The Crown-loving Americans will only see history repeating itself.
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Meghan and Harry's interview with Oprah left viewers with questions about both what was said and what was unsaid. Were their accusations true? How does the family respond to racism allegations? And what's being discussed inside the palace today? Jo Elvin speaks to Rebecca English, Sarah Vine and Richard Eden to get their insight and opinions on the bombshell interview rocking the royals.
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Claims and accusations have flown across the Atlantic this week as the world prepares to watch Meghan and Harry’s interview with Oprah Winfrey. While the Duchess of Sussex accused The Firm of a ‘smear campaign’ against her, the Queen authorised an unprecedented investigation into claims that Meghan had bullied staff. As if this were not already more dramatic than an episode of The Crown, the 99-year-old Duke of Edinburgh is recovering from heart surgery. It’s another must-watch episode of Palace Confidential.
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Harry & Meghan are said to be hurt after losing a number of official roles and patronages, will they attempt to gain revenge through their controversial interview with Oprah? PLUS as if the Queen didn't have enough on her plate, Prince Philip remains in hospital with secrecy over his condition. But does the Palace's silence only drive the rumour mill? AND after Princess Eugenie announced the name of her son, we hear the latest royal baby news.
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It's been a busy week for the Sussexes, as they announce that baby number 2 is on the way, AND they've recorded an all-access interview with Hollywood royalty, Oprah! Join the experts on Palace Confidential as they speculate what the future has in store for our transatlantic couple. Plus, biographer Ian Lloyd talks us through Prince Philip's life in pictures.
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Controversy over the Queen's Consent has filled front pages this week - but is the tradition fair or a case of the Firm taking the law into their own hands? We have more legal news with the latest on Meghan's court case. PLUS a royal baby update AND our experts cast their eye over Princess Anne's living room.
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After a small discrepancy on baby Archie's birth certificate turned into another right royal transatlantic row this week, royal biographer Hugo Vickers questions why Harry and Meghan are again challenging Buckingham Palace. It leaves Harry fighting battles on multiple fronts - says Royal Editor Rebecca English - as he's now arguing to keep his military titles. And the Palace and the BBC are at it again, this time over the banning of a famous old royal documentary, Editor at Large Richard Kay looks into the furore.
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A controversial new biography of Her Majesty blasts "autocrat" Charles and says that the Firm are heading towards a cliff edge, but our Royal Editor Rebecca English doesn't think that is a fair assessment. AND the Mail on Sunday's Emily Andrews has revealed that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have a new puppy, but why are they being so secretive about it?
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As Meghan's legal case comes back to the High Court, it emerged this week that Prince Harry is "heartbroken" over Megxit. What with William revealing his own painful emotions and Prince Charles' facing a tenants revolt it's been a challenging week for the Firm. BUT it's not all bad news - as our expert panel discuss the Queen's secret Wessex weapon.
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A year on from the announcement that they'd be leaving the Firm, Harry & Meghan are still struggling to navigate the royal social minefield - the latest, will they fly over for the Queen's 95th birthday party? Plus rumours persist that the pair have quit social media, we look at the royal family's tricky relationship with modern media. But ultimately could ANYTHING be more awkward than Fergie's new steamy novel for Mills & Boon?
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The Palace are tight-lipped as to whether the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh have been vaccinated against Covid-19, so why does one royal expert think Prince Philip won't bother? And on the first anniversary of Harry and Meghan's bombshell announcement that they were quitting the Firm, our experts discuss what's next for the not-quite-so-royal pair.
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Plus, as Meghan and Harry launch the most right-on podcast ever, listen to the cringe-inducing clip - and hear what our experts have to say. And ahead of Christmas week, we take a look back at the history of the UK... as narrated through the Queen's Speech.
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Our expert royal team look at a week where William and Kate travelled high-speed into a political row north of the border, another royal baby was announced AND Camilla deployed a crafty sausage to get a dog to perform its first royal engagement.
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Roles were reversed this week as former party animal Harry made a speech on the environment, while his dad and stepmum promoted the country's nightlife industry. Meanwhile the Queen has cancelled her annual present-giving ceremony and the government is now involved in the growing row over hit Netflix series The Crown.
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SUB What do the new COVID restrictions mean for a big family like the Windsors? Who gets a seat at the table and who will get left out in the cold? Host Jo Elvin guides our panel Rebecca English (the Daily Mail's Royal Editor), Richard Eden and Julia Hartley-Brewer through all the big royal talking points from Meghan Markle's moving revelation of her recent miscarriage, Prince Harry lending his house to his cousin Princess Eugenie and the renovations at Buckingham Palace.
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This week saw an extraordinary intervention from the Duke of Cambridge who praised the inquiry into the behaviour of Martin Bashir and the BBC when his mother gave an interview to Panorama in 1995. 10 years on from his engagement to Catherine, we look at how far William has come in his royal role. But their decade pales in comparison to the 73 YEAR anniversary of the Queen and Prince Phillip - we take a look at the new portrait released to celebrate the occasion. Join host Jo Elvin, Royal Editor Rebecca English, hilarious best-selling author Kathy Lette and diarist Richard Eden for a look at all the big royal stories of the week PLUS royal biographer Hugo Vickers tells the programme that he has found one or two flaws with the accuracy of The Crown...
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Remembrance week is hugely important to Her Majesty and this year was more important than ever with her return to public life after isolating. But all that was overshadowed by the scandal engulfing the BBC's over it's Princess Diana interview in 1995 - as Richard Kay, who covered the story 25 years ago explains. Meanwhile Prince Harry - angry at being excluded from events here - didn't make things easier by posing for cameras at a self-organised memorial service in California. Join host Jo Elvin as she discusses the week's big stories with the Daily Mail's royal editor Rebecca English, star columnist Sarah Vine and royal writer Victoria Murphy. PLUS Charles the Couturier - find out how the Prince of Wales has become a fashionista and as plans for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee emerge, biographer Christopher Warwick discusses updating his weighty tome, Her Majesty.
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Should the public have been told when Prince William tested positive for COVID-19 in April? Especially given that his father Prince Charles was recovering from the virus? And what to make of Earl Spencer's claims about the BBC and Martin Bashir? Host Jo Elvin speaks to the Mail's Royal Editor Rebecca English, diarist Richard Eden and writer Guy Adams about all the latest royal news. Plus the Queen's former Press Secretary Dickie Arbiter shares a fascinating insight about life with Princess Diana.
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As Prince Andrew edges his way back into Royal life this week, but our peerless panel ponder whether he'll ever escape the whiff of scandal. PLUS just in time for Halloween, Dr Tessa Dunlop reveals the surprising link between Prince Charles... and a certain Vlad the Impaler.
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The late Princess of Wales' remark that "there were three of us in this marriage" was watched by 23 million people and inspired the Queen to tell Prince Charles to file for divorce. The Mail's Editor at Large Richard Kay, a royal correspondent at the time, who KNEW Diana, talks us through the build up and the fall out to the interview. Watch analysis from royal editor Rebecca English, Sarah Vine and Richard Eden in a new, must-watch episode of Palace Confidential.
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Discover the truth behind the princes’ dramatic row in a special episode of Palace Confidential. In an exclusive interview, bestselling author Robert Lacey talks about his new book Battle Of Brothers, which tells the astonishing tale of how the once-inseparable pair found themselves no longer friends and on either side of the Atlantic
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In the first episode of the new podcast version of the unmissable Mail+ royal show, our Royal Editor Rebecca English joins us from an engagement with the Duchess of Cornwall, visiting elderly people at a lunch club run by the Royal Voluntary Service. Plus: Her Majesty donning the marigolds! Dickie Arbiter tells an extraordinary tale from his life behind Palace doors as the Queen’s press secretary, when she joined him to wash the dishes!
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Welcome to Palace Confidential, the weekly podcast all about the royal family, we assemble some of Britain most fabulous experts and commentators and delve into the news coming out of the palaces to keep you royally clued up.
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