Palace Intrigue delivers the most disturbing year-end revelations as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor suffers complete mental breakdown, treating teddy bears as real companions and insisting "the move from Royal Lodge will be difficult for them because it's their home too." Insiders expose Andrew "projecting his own feelings onto them like a child would" in what palace sources call a "truly pitiable state." But Andrew's rage targets Princess Kate as his "silent assassin," with sources revealing he's "completely fixated on Kate" and blames her for "whipping William into a frenzy" to force him out.
Andrew believes Kate is "poisoning the well" and "vowing to get back at her" for deliberately freezing him out. Explosive FBI revelations expose agents demanding answers about Andrew's relationship with SECOND millionaire sex offender Peter Nygard—now serving 11 years for sexual assault.
Plus, newly released Epstein emails show someone identified as "A" writing from Balmoral asking Ghislaine Maxwell for "inappropriate friends." Year in numbers: Andrew mentioned 1,271 times. Plus, rumors of Harry/Meghan Diana documentary for 30th anniversary to salvage Netflix deal.
Hear our new show "Crown and Controversy: Prince Andrew" here.
Check out "Palace Intrigue Presents: King WIlliam" here.
👑 Follow our hit series Crown and Controversy! Season 1 and 2 are fully available now for everyone. Season 3 has new episodes every Sunday on the regular feed. GET THE FULL SEASON 3 BEFORE REGULAR LISTENERS as a subscriber! Hit that "UNINTERRUPTED LISTENING" Banner on the top of the Apple player. AND listen to Crown and Controversy "NORWAY'S ROYAL REBELS" here and get the full season as a premium subscriber now.
👑 The Palace Intrigue Social Hub is Live! Join the conversation on Facebook and Instagram or click the links to start your royal journey!
Andrew believes Kate is "poisoning the well" and "vowing to get back at her" for deliberately freezing him out. Explosive FBI revelations expose agents demanding answers about Andrew's relationship with SECOND millionaire sex offender Peter Nygard—now serving 11 years for sexual assault.
Plus, newly released Epstein emails show someone identified as "A" writing from Balmoral asking Ghislaine Maxwell for "inappropriate friends." Year in numbers: Andrew mentioned 1,271 times. Plus, rumors of Harry/Meghan Diana documentary for 30th anniversary to salvage Netflix deal.
Hear our new show "Crown and Controversy: Prince Andrew" here.
Check out "Palace Intrigue Presents: King WIlliam" here.
👑 Follow our hit series Crown and Controversy! Season 1 and 2 are fully available now for everyone. Season 3 has new episodes every Sunday on the regular feed. GET THE FULL SEASON 3 BEFORE REGULAR LISTENERS as a subscriber! Hit that "UNINTERRUPTED LISTENING" Banner on the top of the Apple player. AND listen to Crown and Controversy "NORWAY'S ROYAL REBELS" here and get the full season as a premium subscriber now.
👑 The Palace Intrigue Social Hub is Live! Join the conversation on Facebook and Instagram or click the links to start your royal journey!
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Hello and welcome to Pallace Weekly. I'm your host, Mark Francis.
This is a rundown of all the Palace Intrigue daily
shows that happened during the week and if you'd like
to hear the stories in fall, please go back and
check out the daily episodes. Here's what happened. Prince Harry
has sparked online backlash after being introduced as Harry Wales
(00:21):
during a recent appearance at a polo event in the
United States. The Duke of Sussex was playing in the
Saint Regis World Snow Polo Championship in Aspen when a
commentator referred to him as Harry Wales. The name Wales
is traditionally associated with the children of the Prince of Wales.
It was used by Prince Harry during his childhood when
his father, King Charles held the title Prince of Wales.
(00:43):
Since Charles assented the throne, the title has passed to
Prince William and his family now uses the Wales designation.
Despite stepping back from the royal duties, Prince Harry's formal
title remains Duke of Sussex, which he was granted on
his wedding day in twenty eighteen. A spokesperson told The
Express that Harry has not asked anyone to introduce him
(01:03):
as Harry Wales and that it was all a mistake.
Harry and Meghan are reported to have offered an exclusive
dinner with themselves to the highest bidder as part of
a charity fundraiser, with the price said to reach six figures.
According to reports, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex auctioned
the dinner experience to raise funds for Archwell Philanthropies, with
(01:25):
bids believed to be around one hundred thousand dollars. The
arrangement is said to have been handled through the high
end fundraising platform charity buzz. The fundraiser would not have
been permitted during Harry and Meghan's time as senior working
members of the Royal family, when strict rules applied to
selling access to royals. New financial filings reveal a difficult
(01:45):
year for the Archibald Foundation, with expenses rising sharply as
income dropped and staff reductions confirmed. The Archiwell Foundation reported
total expenses of five point one million dollars for twenty
twenty four, while donations and grounds fell to two point
one million dollars. Down from five point three the previous year.
(02:06):
The figures show expenses increase by fifty four percent compared
to the previous year, with salaries listed at nine hundred
and thirteen thousand dollars and other expenses reaching two point
nine million dollars. The documents also confirm that three staff
members are being let go as part of a restructuring process.
The filing indicates that Harry and Meghan do not take
(02:27):
a salary and devote an average of one hour per
week to the organization. The rebrand comes as the couple
released their annual Christmas card. Each parent is shown holding
one of their children. Archie is seen hugging his father
around the waist, while Lilibert holds her mother's hands as
Megan bends down to gently touched noses with her daughter.
In keeping with their usual approach to privacy, the couple
(02:49):
have not shown their children's faces directly. Harry and Meghan's
holiday card has come under scrutiny, with some viewers suggesting
the image may have been lightly edited. Attention has focused
on a faint smudge above the head of Prince Harry,
where part of his hairline appears to be missing or blurred.
One user suggested looks like they used the stamp tool
(03:10):
in photoshop, the chunk of head floating above his head
when you zoom in in The Royalist, Tom Sykes singled
out the Archwell rebrand language mentioning family. Sykes rites the
implication that children of Archie and Lilibert's ages six and
four are already participants in global philanthropy and are looking
forward to getting more involved in it, as opposed to
(03:30):
see laughing their heads off it yelling the word poop
is absurd, grandiose and self important. Sykes adds, it's now
undeniable that the Sussex children's faces are being revealed incrementally
to stoke curiosity. Archie and Littlebit are being eased into
their roles as components of the Sussex brand before our eyes,
every bit as much as George's, and fairly soon now
(03:52):
I predict they will be fully unveiled to us in
servers of that cause. Thomas Markel has launched an online
fundraising appeal to help cover mounting medical bills following his
health crisis in the Philippines. A GoFundMe page was set
up on December seventh with an initial target of around
six thousand dollars. Thomas Michael Junior said that without insurance,
(04:13):
the costs were falling entirely on the family, with expenses
in the Philippines expected to reach close to twenty thousand dollars.
Sources speaking to rob Shooters Shooter's Scoop suggests Sarah Ferguson
could command a substantial fee if she chose to tell
her side of the royal story. According to one insider,
(04:33):
Ferguson could receive as much as half a million dollars
for a tell all account, but any such move would
come with serious consequences. The source said, she knows exactly
what she could sell, but she also knows the price
wouldn't just be paid by her. Ferguson is described as
being in a holding pattern as she considers her future,
with another source saying she's looking at all her options.
(04:55):
The delays, the days of multiple homes and lavish living
along gone. She's thinking practically now. Andrew mount Batten Windsor
has become fixated on blaming Kate for his downfall, according
to sources speaking to Heat World. An insider tells the
publication Andrew has become completely fixated on Kate. He keeps
going on about how she's a silent assassin who's been
(05:16):
quietly pulling the strings and whipping William into a frenzy
about him. He's absolutely certain that major decisions about his
future have been run past her and William, But instead
of blaming William for getting him forced out, he's turned
his wrath on Kate. The source continues, he has this
warped belief that William is being controlled by her, that
she's whispering in his ear and turning him against his
(05:37):
own blood. He's saying she's poisoned the well against him.
What makes it sting even more for Andrew is that
they used to be on perfectly good terms. She was
always very polite and warm. He believed she genuinely liked him.
Now she won't give him the time of day, and
he's seeing it as deliberately freezing him out and using
her influence to make sure he stays sidelined. The source
(05:58):
adds he's now lashing out and telling anyone who will
listen that she's the reason he's been booted from his
own family. He's vowing to get back at her, which
is not going down well with William. When he finds out.
According to Radar Online, Andrew now treats a collection of
teddy bears as his primary companions. A source said he
treats the bears as if they're real, insisting that the
(06:19):
move from Royal Lodge will be difficult for them because,
in his view, it's their home too. Being forced to
move seems to have triggered a full blow and meltdown.
He keeps insisting his bears won't handle the change, almost
as if he's projecting his own feelings onto them like
a child would. Another Palace Inside It described Andrew as
being in what they called a truly pitable state. The
(06:40):
source said the bears, along with the Corgies once owned
by Queen Elizabeth, are allegedly the only companions he feels
he can trust, and it may be a lonely Christmas
for Andrew. Royal Lodge is reportedly marked this year by
noticeably restrained decorations. A Christmas tree has been put up,
but there are no additional trees in the bedrooms once
used by Princess Beatrice and Eugenie, neither of whom is
expert to be present on Christmas Day. There has also
(07:02):
been no staff Christmas party and the familiar joint York
Family Christmas cards are no longer being sent more in
a moment in more Andrew news. Christmas itself was expected
to be quiet, with access to Windsor Castle kitchens reportedly withdrawn.
Andrew may once again need to make alternative arrangements for
(07:25):
his meal. He is expected to watch the King's Christmas
broadcast at three o'clock and attend a local church service.
The couple's daughters remain distant. Princess Eugenie is expected to
spend Christmas in Portugal with her family, while Princess Beatrice
is said to be weighing whether to stay at home
in the Cotswolds or accept an invitation to Sandringham. Andrew
Mountbatten Windsor has suffered another blow after having his firearms
(07:47):
license revoked following a police visit to his home at
Royal Lodge in Windsor. The Metropolitan Police confirmed the action,
saying firearms licensing officers attended in November to request that
Andrew voluntarily surrender his firearms and shotgun certificate. The Telegraph
reports the FBI demanded answers from Andrew over his relationship
(08:08):
with a second millionaire sex offender. According to newly revealed
material from the Epstein files. In April twenty twenty, American
officials asked UK authorities to compel Andrew to answer questions
about his links to Canadian fashion tycoon Peter Naigard. The
request focused on visits Andrew made to Niguard's estate in
the Bahamas. Niguard, now eighty five, has since been sentenced
(08:31):
to eleven years in prison in Canada for sexually assaulting
for women. Further proceedings remain ongoing in the United States
and Canada. A man identified as A is shown in
newly released Epstein files discussing the facilitation of meetings with
what he describes as inappropriate friends alongside Kallain Maxwell. The
(08:53):
latest release includes email exchanges from two thousand and one
and two thousand and two between Maxwell and a correspondent
listed as the Invisible Man, who says he is writing
from bow Moral. In an email sent in August two
thousand and one, signed off A, the writer asks Maxwell
whether she had found him some inappropriate friends. The message reads,
(09:13):
I am up here at bowmorl summer camp for the
Royal family. How's la have you found me? Some new
inappropriate friends. In a separate exchange, Maxwell apologizes that she
has only found appropriate friends. The reply from A is
a single word distraught. Our staff used AI to go
through four hundred and seventy episodes we produced this year,
(09:34):
every single one from January first through December nineteenth, and
pull the data on who dominated the headlines. According to AI,
the most mentioned royals were in number six place Kate
Middleton three hundred and thirty seven, Prince Harry four hundred
and fifty, King Charles got four hundred eighty one mentions,
Megan Markle seven hundred and fifty five seems low to me,
(09:56):
Prince William nine hundred sixty nine, and in number one
Prince Andrew with twelve hundred and seventy one mentions. So
the winner or loser, depending on how you look at it,
is Prince Andrew with twelve hundred seventy one mansions. That's
twelve hundred seventy one times we talked about Andrew in
twenty twenty five, more than three mentions every single episode.
(10:18):
Why because Andrew's story defined at the institutional crisis facing
the monarchy this year from his ongoing connection to Jeffrey Epstein,
to losing his military titles, to being forced out of
Royal Lodge, to his exile from public royal life. Andrew
was the biggest story in the royal family in twenty
twenty five, and it wasn't even close. Prince William came
in second with nine hundred and sixty nine. This was
(10:39):
William's year of transition, preparing for kingship, expanding his role,
quietly reshaping what the monarchy will look like when he
takes the throne. Megan rounds out the top three with
seven hundred and fifty five mentions. Even living in Montecito,
even not being a working royal, she generates constant headlines.
The word controversy appeared one thy, five hundred fifty four
(10:59):
times this year one thousand, five hundred and fifty four times,
because twenty twenty five was defined by controversy, Andrew's scandals,
Harry and Megan's ongoing battles with the Institution, Kate's health crisis,
Charles cancer treatment, family riffs that won't heal. Netflix got
one hundred eleven mentions because streaming has become the battleground.
(11:19):
Cancer appeared forty one times. Feud came up forty. While
Andrew imploded, William stepped up with his father dealing with cancer.
With Kate fighting her own battle with Andrew's scandals threatening
the institution, William became the stabilizing force. Sources say William
is planning a Royal reset, potentially beginning in twenty twenty six.
(11:40):
More palace weekly In just a moment, the Wales family
chose to put Prince George in front of the spotlight.
This week, the twelve year old made his first visit
to the Passage, a charity long supported by his father
and late grandmother. During the visit, George signed the very
same page of the v at his book that Diana
(12:01):
and William signed in nineteen ninety three. Witnesses said the
moment clearly struck him, with the young prince her to
say wow okay. George helped volunteers assemble care packages for
people unable to attend the Christmas lunch. Each package contained
around thirty items, including ten pound Gregg's vouchers, toilet trees, socks,
and snack bars. He also helped decorate a Christmas tree
(12:22):
donated to the charity from Westminster Abbey. Following Kate's recent
carol service, it has been suggested that Prince Harry and
Meghan could release a documentary focused on Princess Diana in
twenty twenty seven, marking the thirtieth anniversary of her death
in the Paris car crash. Writing in The Royalist, Tom
Sykes said the idea had been raised to him by
sources close to the entertainment industry when Hollywood source told
(12:46):
him it's hard to see at this point how and
why the relationship enjewors unless there is something juicy and
possibly Diana shaped being dangled. Royal insided Deep Crown adds
if this rumor proves accurate, it would represent a new
low in what has already been a rather undignified commercial arrangement.
The notion that the thirtieth anniversary of Princess Diane's death
(13:06):
might be leveraged as content to salvage a faltering Netflix
deal is precisely the sort of thing that makes one
understand why relations between Montecito and the rest of the
family have deteriorated so completely. If Harry proceeds with this,
he won't simply be burning bridges with his brother. He'll
be salting the earth. New research analyzing official royal duties show.
(13:27):
King Charles completed five hundred thirty two engagements this year,
around fifty more than Princess Anne, who undertook four hundred
seventy eight. The king accounted for twenty two percent of
all royal duties carried out during the year. Third place
went to Prince Edward with three hundred thirteen. Sophie, Duchess
of Edinburgh followed him fourth place with two hundred and
thirty five. Queen Camilla ranked fifth with two hundred twenty eight.
(13:51):
Prince William carried out two hundred and two engagements across
the year, and Catherine, Princess of Wales recorded sixty eight.
This is the year Andrew talked to Teddy Bears, The
year he blamed Kate for his downfall, calling her a
silent assassin who poisoned William against him. The year he
spent Christmas alone at Royal Lodge with restrained decorations and
(14:11):
no staff party. The year the FBI wanted him questioned
about a second sex offender. The year emails emerged showing
someone at Balmorrel asking for inappropriate friends. Andrew dominated twenty
twenty five with one thousand, two hundred seventy one mentions.
Because his implosion defined the year. William stepped up with
nine hundred sixty nine mentions preparing for kingship while his
(14:33):
father fights cancer. Megan generated seven hundred fifty five mentions
from Montecito, selling one hundred thousand dollars dinners while her
father launches a go fundme for medical bills. The working
Royals work, the disgraced Prince talks to Teddy Bears and
blames his niece in law. And somewhere in California, someone
is allegedly planning a Diana documentary for the thirtieth anniversary
(14:55):
of her death to salvage on Netflix. Deal controversy appeared
one thousand, five hundred and fifty four times this year.
That's not a coincidence. That's twenty twenty five and the habit.
If you'd like to email us, our address is the
Palace intryg at gmail dot com. Please follow us on Spotify, Apple, Facebook,
Instagram or on all the social media. Science leaves a
(15:17):
nice review if you enjoying the show, I'm Mark Francis
My thanks to John McDermott. This is Palace Weekly in
good times
Hello and welcome to Pallace Weekly. I'm your host, Mark Francis.
This is a rundown of all the Palace Intrigue daily
shows that happened during the week and if you'd like
to hear the stories in fall, please go back and
check out the daily episodes. Here's what happened. Prince Harry
has sparked online backlash after being introduced as Harry Wales
(00:21):
during a recent appearance at a polo event in the
United States. The Duke of Sussex was playing in the
Saint Regis World Snow Polo Championship in Aspen when a
commentator referred to him as Harry Wales. The name Wales
is traditionally associated with the children of the Prince of Wales.
It was used by Prince Harry during his childhood when
his father, King Charles held the title Prince of Wales.
(00:43):
Since Charles assented the throne, the title has passed to
Prince William and his family now uses the Wales designation.
Despite stepping back from the royal duties, Prince Harry's formal
title remains Duke of Sussex, which he was granted on
his wedding day in twenty eighteen. A spokesperson told The
Express that Harry has not asked anyone to introduce him
(01:03):
as Harry Wales and that it was all a mistake.
Harry and Meghan are reported to have offered an exclusive
dinner with themselves to the highest bidder as part of
a charity fundraiser, with the price said to reach six figures.
According to reports, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex auctioned
the dinner experience to raise funds for Archwell Philanthropies, with
(01:25):
bids believed to be around one hundred thousand dollars. The
arrangement is said to have been handled through the high
end fundraising platform charity buzz. The fundraiser would not have
been permitted during Harry and Meghan's time as senior working
members of the Royal family, when strict rules applied to
selling access to royals. New financial filings reveal a difficult
(01:45):
year for the Archibald Foundation, with expenses rising sharply as
income dropped and staff reductions confirmed. The Archiwell Foundation reported
total expenses of five point one million dollars for twenty
twenty four, while donations and grounds fell to two point
one million dollars. Down from five point three the previous year.
(02:06):
The figures show expenses increase by fifty four percent compared
to the previous year, with salaries listed at nine hundred
and thirteen thousand dollars and other expenses reaching two point
nine million dollars. The documents also confirm that three staff
members are being let go as part of a restructuring process.
The filing indicates that Harry and Meghan do not take
(02:27):
a salary and devote an average of one hour per
week to the organization. The rebrand comes as the couple
released their annual Christmas card. Each parent is shown holding
one of their children. Archie is seen hugging his father
around the waist, while Lilibert holds her mother's hands as
Megan bends down to gently touched noses with her daughter.
In keeping with their usual approach to privacy, the couple
(02:49):
have not shown their children's faces directly. Harry and Meghan's
holiday card has come under scrutiny, with some viewers suggesting
the image may have been lightly edited. Attention has focused
on a faint smudge above the head of Prince Harry,
where part of his hairline appears to be missing or blurred.
One user suggested looks like they used the stamp tool
(03:10):
in photoshop, the chunk of head floating above his head
when you zoom in in The Royalist, Tom Sykes singled
out the Archwell rebrand language mentioning family. Sykes rites the
implication that children of Archie and Lilibert's ages six and
four are already participants in global philanthropy and are looking
forward to getting more involved in it, as opposed to
(03:30):
see laughing their heads off it yelling the word poop
is absurd, grandiose and self important. Sykes adds, it's now
undeniable that the Sussex children's faces are being revealed incrementally
to stoke curiosity. Archie and Littlebit are being eased into
their roles as components of the Sussex brand before our eyes,
every bit as much as George's, and fairly soon now
(03:52):
I predict they will be fully unveiled to us in
servers of that cause. Thomas Markel has launched an online
fundraising appeal to help cover mounting medical bills following his
health crisis in the Philippines. A GoFundMe page was set
up on December seventh with an initial target of around
six thousand dollars. Thomas Michael Junior said that without insurance,
(04:13):
the costs were falling entirely on the family, with expenses
in the Philippines expected to reach close to twenty thousand dollars.
Sources speaking to rob Shooters Shooter's Scoop suggests Sarah Ferguson
could command a substantial fee if she chose to tell
her side of the royal story. According to one insider,
(04:33):
Ferguson could receive as much as half a million dollars
for a tell all account, but any such move would
come with serious consequences. The source said, she knows exactly
what she could sell, but she also knows the price
wouldn't just be paid by her. Ferguson is described as
being in a holding pattern as she considers her future,
with another source saying she's looking at all her options.
(04:55):
The delays, the days of multiple homes and lavish living
along gone. She's thinking practically now. Andrew mount Batten Windsor
has become fixated on blaming Kate for his downfall, according
to sources speaking to Heat World. An insider tells the
publication Andrew has become completely fixated on Kate. He keeps
going on about how she's a silent assassin who's been
(05:16):
quietly pulling the strings and whipping William into a frenzy
about him. He's absolutely certain that major decisions about his
future have been run past her and William, But instead
of blaming William for getting him forced out, he's turned
his wrath on Kate. The source continues, he has this
warped belief that William is being controlled by her, that
she's whispering in his ear and turning him against his
(05:37):
own blood. He's saying she's poisoned the well against him.
What makes it sting even more for Andrew is that
they used to be on perfectly good terms. She was
always very polite and warm. He believed she genuinely liked him.
Now she won't give him the time of day, and
he's seeing it as deliberately freezing him out and using
her influence to make sure he stays sidelined. The source
(05:58):
adds he's now lashing out and telling anyone who will
listen that she's the reason he's been booted from his
own family. He's vowing to get back at her, which
is not going down well with William. When he finds out.
According to Radar Online, Andrew now treats a collection of
teddy bears as his primary companions. A source said he
treats the bears as if they're real, insisting that the
(06:19):
move from Royal Lodge will be difficult for them because,
in his view, it's their home too. Being forced to
move seems to have triggered a full blow and meltdown.
He keeps insisting his bears won't handle the change, almost
as if he's projecting his own feelings onto them like
a child would. Another Palace Inside It described Andrew as
being in what they called a truly pitable state. The
(06:40):
source said the bears, along with the Corgies once owned
by Queen Elizabeth, are allegedly the only companions he feels
he can trust, and it may be a lonely Christmas
for Andrew. Royal Lodge is reportedly marked this year by
noticeably restrained decorations. A Christmas tree has been put up,
but there are no additional trees in the bedrooms once
used by Princess Beatrice and Eugenie, neither of whom is
expert to be present on Christmas Day. There has also
(07:02):
been no staff Christmas party and the familiar joint York
Family Christmas cards are no longer being sent more in
a moment in more Andrew news. Christmas itself was expected
to be quiet, with access to Windsor Castle kitchens reportedly withdrawn.
Andrew may once again need to make alternative arrangements for
(07:25):
his meal. He is expected to watch the King's Christmas
broadcast at three o'clock and attend a local church service.
The couple's daughters remain distant. Princess Eugenie is expected to
spend Christmas in Portugal with her family, while Princess Beatrice
is said to be weighing whether to stay at home
in the Cotswolds or accept an invitation to Sandringham. Andrew
Mountbatten Windsor has suffered another blow after having his firearms
(07:47):
license revoked following a police visit to his home at
Royal Lodge in Windsor. The Metropolitan Police confirmed the action,
saying firearms licensing officers attended in November to request that
Andrew voluntarily surrender his firearms and shotgun certificate. The Telegraph
reports the FBI demanded answers from Andrew over his relationship
(08:08):
with a second millionaire sex offender. According to newly revealed
material from the Epstein files. In April twenty twenty, American
officials asked UK authorities to compel Andrew to answer questions
about his links to Canadian fashion tycoon Peter Naigard. The
request focused on visits Andrew made to Niguard's estate in
the Bahamas. Niguard, now eighty five, has since been sentenced
(08:31):
to eleven years in prison in Canada for sexually assaulting
for women. Further proceedings remain ongoing in the United States
and Canada. A man identified as A is shown in
newly released Epstein files discussing the facilitation of meetings with
what he describes as inappropriate friends alongside Kallain Maxwell. The
(08:53):
latest release includes email exchanges from two thousand and one
and two thousand and two between Maxwell and a correspondent
listed as the Invisible Man, who says he is writing
from bow Moral. In an email sent in August two
thousand and one, signed off A, the writer asks Maxwell
whether she had found him some inappropriate friends. The message reads,
(09:13):
I am up here at bowmorl summer camp for the
Royal family. How's la have you found me? Some new
inappropriate friends. In a separate exchange, Maxwell apologizes that she
has only found appropriate friends. The reply from A is
a single word distraught. Our staff used AI to go
through four hundred and seventy episodes we produced this year,
(09:34):
every single one from January first through December nineteenth, and
pull the data on who dominated the headlines. According to AI,
the most mentioned royals were in number six place Kate
Middleton three hundred and thirty seven, Prince Harry four hundred
and fifty, King Charles got four hundred eighty one mentions,
Megan Markle seven hundred and fifty five seems low to me,
(09:56):
Prince William nine hundred sixty nine, and in number one
Prince Andrew with twelve hundred and seventy one mentions. So
the winner or loser, depending on how you look at it,
is Prince Andrew with twelve hundred seventy one mansions. That's
twelve hundred seventy one times we talked about Andrew in
twenty twenty five, more than three mentions every single episode.
(10:18):
Why because Andrew's story defined at the institutional crisis facing
the monarchy this year from his ongoing connection to Jeffrey Epstein,
to losing his military titles, to being forced out of
Royal Lodge, to his exile from public royal life. Andrew
was the biggest story in the royal family in twenty
twenty five, and it wasn't even close. Prince William came
in second with nine hundred and sixty nine. This was
(10:39):
William's year of transition, preparing for kingship, expanding his role,
quietly reshaping what the monarchy will look like when he
takes the throne. Megan rounds out the top three with
seven hundred and fifty five mentions. Even living in Montecito,
even not being a working royal, she generates constant headlines.
The word controversy appeared one thy, five hundred fifty four
(10:59):
times this year one thousand, five hundred and fifty four times,
because twenty twenty five was defined by controversy, Andrew's scandals,
Harry and Megan's ongoing battles with the Institution, Kate's health crisis,
Charles cancer treatment, family riffs that won't heal. Netflix got
one hundred eleven mentions because streaming has become the battleground.
(11:19):
Cancer appeared forty one times. Feud came up forty. While
Andrew imploded, William stepped up with his father dealing with cancer.
With Kate fighting her own battle with Andrew's scandals threatening
the institution, William became the stabilizing force. Sources say William
is planning a Royal reset, potentially beginning in twenty twenty six.
(11:40):
More palace weekly In just a moment, the Wales family
chose to put Prince George in front of the spotlight.
This week, the twelve year old made his first visit
to the Passage, a charity long supported by his father
and late grandmother. During the visit, George signed the very
same page of the v at his book that Diana
(12:01):
and William signed in nineteen ninety three. Witnesses said the
moment clearly struck him, with the young prince her to
say wow okay. George helped volunteers assemble care packages for
people unable to attend the Christmas lunch. Each package contained
around thirty items, including ten pound Gregg's vouchers, toilet trees, socks,
and snack bars. He also helped decorate a Christmas tree
(12:22):
donated to the charity from Westminster Abbey. Following Kate's recent
carol service, it has been suggested that Prince Harry and
Meghan could release a documentary focused on Princess Diana in
twenty twenty seven, marking the thirtieth anniversary of her death
in the Paris car crash. Writing in The Royalist, Tom
Sykes said the idea had been raised to him by
sources close to the entertainment industry when Hollywood source told
(12:46):
him it's hard to see at this point how and
why the relationship enjewors unless there is something juicy and
possibly Diana shaped being dangled. Royal insided Deep Crown adds
if this rumor proves accurate, it would represent a new
low in what has already been a rather undignified commercial arrangement.
The notion that the thirtieth anniversary of Princess Diane's death
(13:06):
might be leveraged as content to salvage a faltering Netflix
deal is precisely the sort of thing that makes one
understand why relations between Montecito and the rest of the
family have deteriorated so completely. If Harry proceeds with this,
he won't simply be burning bridges with his brother. He'll
be salting the earth. New research analyzing official royal duties show.
(13:27):
King Charles completed five hundred thirty two engagements this year,
around fifty more than Princess Anne, who undertook four hundred
seventy eight. The king accounted for twenty two percent of
all royal duties carried out during the year. Third place
went to Prince Edward with three hundred thirteen. Sophie, Duchess
of Edinburgh followed him fourth place with two hundred and
thirty five. Queen Camilla ranked fifth with two hundred twenty eight.
(13:51):
Prince William carried out two hundred and two engagements across
the year, and Catherine, Princess of Wales recorded sixty eight.
This is the year Andrew talked to Teddy Bears, The
year he blamed Kate for his downfall, calling her a
silent assassin who poisoned William against him. The year he
spent Christmas alone at Royal Lodge with restrained decorations and
(14:11):
no staff party. The year the FBI wanted him questioned
about a second sex offender. The year emails emerged showing
someone at Balmorrel asking for inappropriate friends. Andrew dominated twenty
twenty five with one thousand, two hundred seventy one mentions.
Because his implosion defined the year. William stepped up with
nine hundred sixty nine mentions preparing for kingship while his
(14:33):
father fights cancer. Megan generated seven hundred fifty five mentions
from Montecito, selling one hundred thousand dollars dinners while her
father launches a go fundme for medical bills. The working
Royals work, the disgraced Prince talks to Teddy Bears and
blames his niece in law. And somewhere in California, someone
is allegedly planning a Diana documentary for the thirtieth anniversary
(14:55):
of her death to salvage on Netflix. Deal controversy appeared
one thousand, five hundred and fifty four times this year.
That's not a coincidence. That's twenty twenty five and the habit.
If you'd like to email us, our address is the
Palace intryg at gmail dot com. Please follow us on Spotify, Apple, Facebook,
Instagram or on all the social media. Science leaves a
(15:17):
nice review if you enjoying the show, I'm Mark Francis
My thanks to John McDermott. This is Palace Weekly in
good times
Popular Podcasts
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
The Bobby Bones Show
Listen to 'The Bobby Bones Show' by downloading the daily full replay.