"Kate's Triumph: Andrew Faces Bleak Exile While Meghan Crashes William's Big Week" - The week in royal news with Mark Francis

Kate emerges as Andrew's true nemesis as sources reveal his jealousy drove William's zero-tolerance policy. The disgraced royal faces a choice between Abu Dhabi's gilded cage and Sandringham's windswept isolation—where he'll finally learn to cook. William attempts a Rio reset with beach volleyball and DiCaprio, but Harry crashes coverage from Toronto. Meghan returns to acting and deploys the royal cypher to sell candles. Plus: Beckham gets knighted, Andrew's 1984 "Twit of the Year" paint gun disaster, and why Ghislaine Maxwell is now called "Mary Poppins" in prison.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Calorogus Shark Media. Hello and welcome to Pallace Weekly. I
am your host Mark Francis. Here we do a little
roundup of the biggest royal stories of the past seven days.
If you'd like to dive in and get a little
more each of these stories, please check out our daily

(00:23):
show Palace Intrigue for the extended versions. This week brought
fresh revelations about Andrew Mountbatten, Windsor's future, Prince William's environmental
diplomacy in Rio, and the ongoing Sussex attempts to remain relevant.
Let's dive in. Royal commentators say the tension between Prince
William and Andrew has deep roots, and at the center

(00:46):
of it all is Andrew's jealousy of the Princess of Wales.
Speaking to Fox News Digital, royal commentator Hillary Fordage said
the feud between Prince William and Prince Andrew started primarily
due to Andrew's jealousy and resulting disparaging remarks regarding Kate Middleton.
Prince William was infuriated. Being fiercely protective, he instituted a

(01:08):
zero tolerance policy toward any wayward behavior or scandals involving
Prince Andrew. Biographer Andrew Lowney, whose recent book examines the
Duke's turbulent life, alleges that Andrew was rude to Catherine
early in her royal life, a slight William has not forgotten.
Lowney said. My source said Andrew was rude to Kate,
and I think he was probably rude because he's a

(01:29):
real snob. He may have felt that Kate wasn't aristocratic
enough to marry William. Royal Inside a Deep Crown tells
us William was very much his own man, fiercely so
in fact, but one would be remarkably naive to discount
Catherine's influence in shaping the strategic direction of their household,
particularly regarding matters of reputation and family protection. Fordage added

(01:52):
that Andrew's bitterness grew as Catherine's popularity swored. All the
more daunting for Andrew was his displacement as his mother's
golden boy. His resentment grew with his plummeting popularity, and
was then further exacerbated by Kate's prominence and poise. Lost
in the shuffle on the Andrew Gate was news that
the Prince and Princess of Wales won their legal case

(02:14):
against Paris Match magazine, which published photographs of their private
family ski holiday. In April, Kensington Palace confirmed the magazine
breached privacy and image rights. A Palace spokesperson called the
pictures grossly intrusive, adding the Prince and Princess of Wales
are committed to protecting their private family time and ensuring
that their children can grow up without any undue scrutiny

(02:36):
and interference. For the BBC, Shawn Coughlin explored questions about
whether Andrew might get money back from the Crown of
State when he leaves Royal Lodge. When Andrew took on
the seventy five year lease in two thousand and three,
he paid more than eight million pounds up front. Under
the terms of the agreement. If he were to leave
within the first twenty five years, a period that runs

(02:58):
until twenty twenty eight, he would be entitled to reclaim
a portion of that advance payment. The repayment has been
structured to taper each year, with the current value calculated
at around one hundred eighty six thousand pounds for each
remaining year up to twenty twenty eight. The Public Accounts
Committee previously suggested Andrew could receive more than five hundred

(03:19):
thousand pounds, with a projected figure of roughly five hundred
sixty thousand if he vacates next year. However, sources indicate
that some of his compensation may need to be directed
towards repair costs at Royal Lodge. The Telegraph reports the
property has fallen into serious disrepair, requiring a lot of work,

(03:39):
including structural repairs to the flat roof, as well as
crumbling walls and peeling exterior paint. If the cost of
essential repairs exceeds the value of the payout, he could
actually end up out of pocket. One source said Andrew
may also receive little from his Royal Navy pension and
potential State pension eligibility. Andrew will become eligible to clean

(04:00):
the state pension next year, an annual sum of roughly
nine thousand pounds when he turns sixty six. In February,
Tom Selby, director of Public Policy at aj BELL, explained
that Andrew's twenty two years of service in the Royal
Navy make him eligible for approximately nine thousand pounds annually.
In addition, Andrew receives a Royal Navy pension estimated at

(04:21):
twenty thousand pounds a year. Meanwhile, workers have been seen
coming and going from Frogmore Cottage day and night in
recent weeks. According to The Sun, teams have been inside
the Windsor home for several weeks, with lights burning late
into the night, fueling speculation about who might be moving
in or whether it's simply being prepared for another purpose entirely.

(04:44):
Andrew may soon be living in quiet exile on the
shores of the Persian Gulf. The disgraced royal has been
offered use of a lavish waterfront villa within Abu Dhabi's
Sea Palace compound, the heavily guarded residents of the UAE's
ruling family. The property was made available by UAE President
Sheikh Muhammad Binzaid al Nahan, a longtime acquaintance from their

(05:06):
school days at Gordonstown. Following Queen Elizabeth's death, the Sheikh
reportedly ordered a full refurbishment of one of the private villas.
The six bedroom residents includes a home cinema, indoor plunge pool,
a gym, as well as a large kitchen staffed by
Gordon brus chefs, with gold detailing on the lamps, taps
and even the light switches. When the Sea Palace compound

(05:29):
was placed at Andrew's disposal in twenty ten, Buckingham Palace
stressed it was not a gift, but the offer of
renewed use now gives the former prince away to retreat
from the glare of public life. For Bloomberg, Max Hastings
writes that exhaling Andrew isn't enough to fix the Royals,
noting this squalid story should properly be viewed in a

(05:49):
wider context of the Royal family's historic sense of entitlement.
This has caused even its junior members for centuries to
pursue ill judged friendships with rich and offer disreputable people.
If Andrew remains in Britain, his upcoming life at Sandringham
is being described in one word bleak. A former courtier

(06:11):
summed it up. It's going to be a lonely life
for him. It's a working farm, so there are always
people around, but they are staff, and he's not someone
who has a track record of being friendly with servants.
I wouldn't want to live there the whole time. It's remote,
there is the wind whipping up from the wash, it's cold,
and he will be pretty much stuck there. Having lived
for decades in the thirty room Royal Lodge with full

(06:32):
time staff, Andrew is now expected to move into what
is being described as a modest cottage at sixty five.
He may have to learn some unfamiliar domestic skills. Former
aides say he has never cooked a meal, washed clothes,
or even gone shopping for groceries. The Telegraph notes that
unlike William, who once lived a relatively normal student life,

(06:54):
Andrew has been fully institutionalized since birth. Even during his
years in the Royal Navy, he had cooks and subordinates
to manage his daily needs. The King's Norfolk estate may
bustle during Christmas, but for most of the year it's
a quiet when swept expanse. Exiled from the home counties
and far from his daughter's homes in London, he is
expected to live largely in isolation. Royal observers note the

(07:18):
King will need to decide whether Andrew will be permitted
to join the family for Christmas services. There are small consolations.
Sandringham's a twenty thousand acre estate will offer him time
to ride horses and indulge his passion for golf, but
total privacy will be hard to come by. Sandringham is
crisscrossed with public roads and popular walking routes regularly monitored

(07:38):
by photographers, and just seven miles away. Since the Pizza
Express and King's Lynn given Andrew's infamous Newsnight interview reference
to dining at the chain's Woking location, the BBC aired
a new panorama special title The Fall of Prince Andrew,
which included previously unseen footage of Virginia Geoffrey. In the

(07:59):
Unearth twenty nineteen interview, Geoffrey recounted how Glen Maxwell told
her Gleeen tells me that I have to do for
Andrew what I do for Jeffrey, and that may be sick.
I just didn't expect it from Royalty. The Royal family
took another decisive step to distance itself from Andrew, with
Buckingham Palace quietly removing his biography from the official Royal website.

(08:21):
As of November third, visitors who searched for Andrew's biography
I met with the message the requested page could not
be found. The BBC also reported that Andrew arranged a
private Buckingham Palace tour in June twenty nineteen for two
businessmen linked to a cryptocurrency venture that had agreed to
pay Sarah Ferguson up to one point four million pounds.

(08:44):
Jay Bloom and colleague Michael Evers were collected from their
hotel and Andrew's range Rover and driven through the Palace gates.
Both men attended Andrew's pitch at Palace event and dined
that evening with Andrew, Sarah and Princess Beatrice broadcast at
Jonathan Dimbleby, a longtime friend of King Charles, described the
move against Andrew as the culmination of years of embarrassment.

(09:06):
Speaking on BBC Breakfast, Dimbleby said the King had reached
the point where one of the proper things to do
now is to have made it clear that the Prince
his brother is beyond the pale. He described Andrew as arrogant, boorish,
entitled and embarrassment for a long time. Andrew's reputation for
controversy appears to have begun long before Epstein. According to

(09:29):
Lowney's book, Andrew's nineteen eighty four trip to California was
so disastrous it earned him the title of Twit of
the Year. At just twenty four, Andrew embarked on a
four day solo visit promoting Britain the head of the
La Games. During a department store appearance, he reportedly quipped
that he hadn't worn that particular make since I was thirteen,

(09:50):
before walking out. Seconds later. Then came the paint gun tobaccle.
During a stop in the Watts neighborhood, Andrew picked up
a spray gun meant for a local refurbishment project and
promptly turned it on his own press pack, dousing reporters
and cameras with white paint. Prince Andrew blew it completely
and disastrously, wrote Ross Benson of The Daily Express, while

(10:12):
CBS's Bill Stout branded it the most unpleasant royal visit
since they burnt the White House in eighteen twelve. The
Queen was said to be furious and ordered her son
to personally pay for the damage, estimated between fifteen and
thirty thousand pounds. The People newspaper duly crowned him Twit
of the Year. King Charles will allow Andrew to keep

(10:32):
his Falkland's War Campaign Medal despite removing his remaining honorary
military title. The decision follows Defense Secretary John Healy's announcement
that the government would strip Andrew of his honorary rank
but deferred to the King on medals. Falkland's veteran Simon
Weston told the Telegraph he has lost all other aspects
of dignity, respect and honor he was once ever shown.

(10:54):
But the one thing you cannot strip away from the
man is that moment in his life where he was dignified,
honor and courageous. Andrew may also lose another symbol of
his former royal life, his personalized car number plates. DVLA
records show that the unique registrations once used by the
former Duke are no longer listed. Andrew had long been
seen driving vehicles bearing the plates AYO two do Y

(11:19):
and AYO three DOY for Duke of York. Meanwhile, Glene
Maxwell has reportedly earned a new nickname from fellow inmates
at her Texas prison, Mary Poppins, thanks to her refined
British accent and curious habit of never being seen without
an umbrella. The disgraced socialite carries her umbrella morning, noon

(11:39):
and night, even before sunrise. Couple that with her posh
British accent, and very quickly she was given the name
Mary Poppins. One inmates husband told the Mirror, but unlike Poppins,
there is no love for her more Palace. In just
a moment, Prince William kicked off his visit to Rio,

(12:01):
going barefoot the beach volleyball on Kerber Gabbana. The Prince
joined Olympian Carolina Solberg and her students from the Lavonte Institute.
Witnesses said William threw himself into the match with enthusiasm,
diving across the sand and sharing jubilant high fives after
each success. Earlier in the day, William took part in
football drills at the Marikanya Stadium with local youngsters and

(12:22):
former Brazilian star Cafu. After a penalty shootout, the pitch
erupted in cheers. The royals day began atop Sugarloaf Mountain,
where Rio's mayor presented him with the ceremonial keys to
the city. Prince William paid a touching tribute to his
late mother, recreating one of Princess Diane's most iconic photographs
at Rio's Christ the Redeemer. Standing at the same vantage

(12:45):
point to top Corcovaro Mountain, William posed in front of
the towering statue, more than thirty years after Diane's famous
nineteen ninety one visit. A Kensington Palace spokesperson said the
Prince had loved meeting so many people from across Rio
over the last few days. He's been incredibly strong by
the number of people who fondly remember his mother's visit
to this beautiful city. William's Earthstop Prize ceremony brought global

(13:08):
superstars to Rio on Wednesday night, with Kylie Minogue and
Shawn Mendez headlining the awards show at the Museum of Tomorrow.
William arrived wearing a black tie from tom Ford Suit.
Appropriately given the environmental theme, it was a reware. The
five winners included r E Green for restoring Brazil's Atlantic Forest,
the High Seas Alliance for Ocean Protection, Legos Fashion Week

(13:31):
for Sustainable Fashion, Friendship for Climate Solutions, and Bogata for
reducing air pollution by twenty four percent. William announced a
major new environmental partnership with Leonardo DiCaprio, calling for stronger
global action to protect the planet. Speaking of the United
for Wildlife Global Summit, William unveiled a new partnership between

(13:53):
the Royal Foundation, the Coordination of Indigenous Organizations of the
Brazilian Amazon, and the Poor Dali Fund. William also delivered
what Aids described as a landmark speech on behalf of
the King the British Government of the COP thirty Climate Conference.
In The Royalist, Tom Sykes notes that William ran his
COP thirty speech past his father before flying out after

(14:13):
the Andrew crisis, where the two were at loggerheads until
Charles did what William had been telling him to do
for three years. William knows the value of presenting a
united front. In The Spectator, Alexander Laman writes that Prince's
tour represents a reset for the Royal family after weeks
of terrible, existentially damaging headlines mainly but not entirely revolving

(14:34):
around the Andrew formerly known as Prince Harry likely didn't
score points with his brother by heading to Toronto for
veterans engagements while William was in Rio. Royal expert Richard
Fitzwilliams said, what he clearly is using here is the
opportunity to do two things. Make his point on security
and also the optics will be that he has deliberately

(14:55):
arranged a clash with his brother, whatever the truth of it.
A spokesperson for the Duke of Sussex said the events
were planned nearly a year ago and that the period
of remembrance traditionally extends from November one through eleventh. However,
royal watchers noted that the timing felt deliberate. His Majesty
knighted David Beckham at Windsor Castle. Sir David described receiving

(15:19):
his knighthood as the proudest moment of his life, and
revealed that the King even inspired the suit he wore.
He's kind of the most elegantly dressed man that I know,
so he inspired quite a few of my looks over
the years, and he definitely inspired this look. Beckham said
the suit was designed by his wife, Victoria, Lady Beckham. Catherine,

(15:39):
the Princess of Wales, will play a leading role in
next week's national commemorations, joining veterans and service families at
the National Memorial Beretum in Staffordshire to mark Armistice Day.
The Prince will attend the Remembrance service of the Armed
Forces Memorial on Tuesday, a number eleventh, where she will
lay a wreath and observe the two minutes silence before

(16:01):
William headed to Brazil, the Prince and Princess of Wales
hosted a small thank you celebration for builders and staff
who worked around the clock to help them move early
into their new home, Forest Lodge in Windsor Gray Park.
William Kate reportedly served drinks and snacks at the York
Club to express their gratitude for completing the move weeks
ahead of schedule. The family's relocation marks their official farewell

(16:24):
to Adelaide Cottage, which William said to have privately described
as cursed and inside. I told The Daily Mail every
part of Adelaide Cottage sadly had an unpleasant memory associated
with it. It's a lovely house, but they experienced some
of their most challenging times there as a family. Megan
Markle has returned to acting for the first time since

(16:46):
stepping away from royal life, appearing as herself in the
upcoming Amazon MGM comedy Close Personal Friends. The Duchess was
seen on sat in Pasadena, filming alongside Breed Larsen, Lily Collins,
Jack Quade and Henry. According to a studio source, this
is a massive moment for Megan and signify as a
return to doing which she truly loves. The announcement came

(17:08):
on the same day as William's Earthshot ceremony, which Royal
Watches noted was unlikely to be received well by the
Wales household. Megan is also facing criticism over her use
of royal imagery in connection with her new as Ever
holiday collection. Ahead of the launch, the Duchess shared a
video showing herself at work with a blue notebook bearing
her gold royal cipher the letter M topped with a

(17:30):
crown clearly visible. Online reaction was swift, with some accusing
Megane of cashing in on her royal past. The signature
candle number five p One nine, is said to evoke
the freshness of a day in the English countryside. As
one online observer put it, without the crown, it's just
a candle. Prince Harry's latest podcast appearance on Hassan Minaj

(17:50):
doesn't Know Her Smart Fresh controversy. According to Colin's Rob Shooter,
Harry's team didn't vet Minage before agreeing to the appearance
on four network. Booker told Shooter it looks like Harry
is endorsing someone known for exaggeration. That's terrible optics for
a prince who already overshares. As we look at Remembrance Week,

(18:12):
the contrast between the two royal brothers has never been
more stark. William returns from Brazil with renewed global credibility
and a clear sense of purpose. Harry remains in California,
making podcast appearances and attending charity dinners, while Megan relaunches
her acting career. Andrew faces an uncertain future, whether in
Abu Dhabi's gilded exile of Sandringham's wind swept isolation. His

(18:34):
daughters maintained their public composure, while Sarah Ferguson considers leaving
the country altogether. The week that began with revelations about
Andrew's jealousy of Kate ended with William demonstrating precisely by
the future of the monarchy rests securely in his hands.
The transition isn't just happening, It's accelerating. And there you
have it, Like to email as her addresses the Palace

(18:57):
Intrigue at a gmail dot com. The way today is Sunday,
and there is a new episode of our new series
Crown and Controversy, Prince Andrew chronicling the life and times
and rise and downfall of Prince Andrew. You can get
that episode through the show notes here, or just search
for Crown and Controversy Prince Andrew I Mind frantis my

(19:20):
thanks to John McDermott. This Palace Weekly and contains