October 25, 2025 • 9 mins
Columnists and correspondents weigh in on what Andrew’s loss of styles really changes—and what it doesn’t—amid reports of a long-standing Abu Dhabi residence and a Royal Lodge lease that runs to 2078. Also today: Pride and Prejudice and Emma editions with deep royal ties go on public display at Windsor Castle in a limited run.
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 is fully available now for everyone. Season 2 has new episodes every Sunday on the regular feed. GET THE FULL SEASON 2 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!
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 is fully available now for everyone. Season 2 has new episodes every Sunday on the regular feed. GET THE FULL SEASON 2 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 (00:03):
Calarogu Shark Media.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
Hello and welcome to Palace Intrigue, Iam your host Mark Francis.
In The Mirror, Kevin McGuire writes, from day one, the
monarchy has put its own interests first, second and third
by covering for Jeffrey Epstein's body, every forced move designed
to protect the institution rather than serve the country. It
(00:36):
was stomach churning that the late Queen coughed up part
most of all of the twelve million pounds paid by
her second son and child to keep out of court
a sex abuse case brought by Missus Geoffrey, as was
her subsequently attempting to rehabilitate Andrew by having him very
publicly escort her to a memorial service for husband Philip Grace.
(01:00):
Andrew was hardly banished by Big Brother Charles when the
King invited him to walk to church at Sandringham with
the royal family on Christmas Day in twenty twenty two
and twenty three, and he didn't instruct the slime ball
to stay at the back of last month's Westminster Cathedral
funeral for the Duchess of Kent and for the BBC
(01:21):
Sean Coughlin wonders if Andrew giving up his titles even matters,
Coughlin writes, whatever the Palace hopes, the headlines are unlikely
to stop. We're unlikely to see Prince Andrew at a
royal public event now for at least six months, and
then maybe only once or twice a year. Banned from
Royal Christmas celebrations at Sandringham, he won't be on the
(01:41):
annual church walk. It could be April twenty twenty six
at the Eastern Church service before he reappears on such
a family occasion, maybe longer. But when he resurfaces, how
much will his life have really changed Despite the drama
of the loss of his titles and honors. On a
day to day basis, he's still a prince, and he's
still living in a mansion, and Windsor Royal Lodge has
(02:04):
got a lease until twenty seventy eight, so if he
leaves it will be his own choice. Living with him
still will be his ex wife, who was now also
an ex duchess. They've gone back to the position when
they first met. Sarah Ferguson and Prince Andrew. He can
still spend his days watching aviation videos or TV shows.
His family life with his daughters, who are still princesses,
(02:26):
can continue unchanged. His statement about not using his titles
more or less a resignation letter didn't have any flicker
of remorse, continuing to assert his sense of duty and honor,
so no change there. Instead, he showed no sense of regret.
A royal insider asked about Andrew's chances of a dignified
(02:47):
return to public life, simply said, to me, the grand
old Duke of York, he gave twelve million quid to
someone he never met for something he never did. Prince
Andrew reportedly maintains a fully staffed palace in Abu Dharby
said to have been gifted to him by the United
Arab Emirates ruling family. According to royal biographer Andrew Lowney
(03:10):
and other sources, the Abu Dhabi residence was a personal
gift from the House of Nayan, the UA's royal family.
It is understood Andrew has had access to the property
for more than two decades. However, it said that the
Duke now finds the palace too quiet, and that his
ex wife, Sarah Ferguson, doesn't like the heat. The Times
(03:33):
points out nothing has really changed for Andrew, who, according
to visitors to Royal Lodge, spends much of his time
playing video games. He is still technically a duke. Only
an act of Parliament would strip him of that title.
As the comedian Manya Chihwahwa said, a privileged man becomes
slightly less privileged. Could Elizabeth have nipped this in the
(03:53):
butt if she had been firmer six years ago and
stripped him of all his titles in twenty nineteen. Perhaps
one of her courtiers says she couldn't bring herself to
do it. It is very hard for a mother to
humiliate her son, far easier for a brother to do it.
That story is as old as the Bible. The next
monarch will be more ruthless. Buckingham Palace says the Prince
(04:14):
of Wales was consulted on the decision, but it is
understood that he is not satisfied with the outcome and
knows the Andrew problem will be in his intray at
some point when William is king. Andrew will be banned
from all elements of royal life. He will be excluded
from public and private royal events, including the coronation, and
banned from most state occasions. In the Sun, Rob Little writes,
(04:40):
where does all this leave the royal family and the King,
who is still undergoing his weekly cancer treatments. It has
been a terrible century for the Windsors so far. Andrew
has been a spectacularly awful side show, of course, but
the family has also been seriously damaged by Prince Harry
and his ghastly missus Meghan, dissing the royal at every
(05:00):
opportunity they get, making stupid, woke statements to anyone who
will listen, whining in documentaries which nobody in their right
minds would pay to watch. You look at this parade
of privileged thick as Mince Lincoln poops, and wonder if
we should have a royal family at all. It does
seem a bit anachronistic in this day and age, unelected
(05:20):
and unaccountable, none of them except maybe Princess Anne, particularly Bright,
living this gilded lifestyle through hereditary privilege. The truth is,
King Charles and even more so before him, Queen Elizabeth,
were able to charm and flatter foreign heads of state,
and that sort of soft power matters. Despite the idiotic
(05:40):
Andrew and the awful Harry and Meghan, the Royal family
is still a considerable asset to our country. It's one
of the reasons so many foreign tourists visit London every
year to take in the pomp and splendor from the
bygone age. It is hard to defend constitutionally, but it
works practically. It seems to be in fairly capable hands
(06:01):
right now, although I'd prefer it if Anne was on
the throne. King Charles has been a dextrous and dutiful king.
In Prince William, the Prince of Wales, we have a
success of lined up who has even less patience with
the like of Andrew and Harry than does his dad.
One day, Wills will make a fine king. He's not
a genius, but you don't need to be a genius
(06:21):
to be king, just to do your duty and put
the country first. More palance, just a moment. By the way,
It's the last few days of Halloween and Callaogoshark Media.
The people behind this podcast to have a couple of
great Halloween shows and channels out there. Check out Ghost
(06:43):
Scary Stories. It's been out there for a couple of
years and there's hundreds of ghost stories for all your
Halloween needs. And there's a new show every day through
October Ghost Scary Stories, and our pop up channel is
called Halloween pop Up and it's a combination of all
the stories you can get from Kala Rugashark Media, murder mysteries, trivia, music,
(07:05):
ghost stories. All of those are there under one umbrella.
Check that one out Halloween Pop Up Channel for all
your ghoulish fun. Two treasured Jane Austen volumes with deep
royal connections are set to go on public display at Windsor.
Among the highlights is the very copy of Pride and
Prejudice that Prince Albert once read aloud to Queen Victoria
(07:28):
as she recovered from measles in eighteen fifty three, an
event she later recorded in her personal journal. Also on
view will be George, the fourth specially bound edition of Emma,
personally dedicated by Austin to then Prince Regent. The author
inscribed the front page to His Royal Highness, the Prince Regent.
This work is, by his Royal Highness's permission, most respectfully
(07:51):
dedicated by His Royal Highness's dutiful and obedient, humble servant,
the author. Both books will be displayed in the Queen's
drawing Room once one of Windsor Castle's most important reception
spaces today through Monday, and again from October thirtieth through
November two. George the Fourth, a noted admirer of novels,
kept Austin's works in each of his residences, and first
(08:14):
received the dedicated Emma in eighteen fifteen after granting Austin
a private tour of his London home, Carlton House. A
second copy of Pride and Prejudice, thought to have once
belonged to the castle's servants library before entering the Royal Library,
will also feature in the exhibition part of celebrations marking
the two hundred and fiftieth anniversary of Austin's birth. Published
(08:36):
anonymously in eighteen thirteen, Pride and Prejudice sold out its
first edition within a year and remains one of the
most beloved novels in the English language. And there you
have it if you like to email us our addresses
the Palace intricat gmail dot com. By the way, if
you're ever having any audio issues or subscription issues, or
you hear things that kind of odd in the feed
you want to bring to our attention, you can always
(08:58):
email me directly at my at Kalaroga dot com. That's
c A l O r O g A dot com
and I will happily reply to every one of your emails.
So if you hear something odd, something out of place,
so you're having a problem, just give me a buzz.
Don't forget to follow us on Facebook or Instagram. You
can find us all on the social hubs. I'm Mark
(09:19):
Francis My Thanks to John McDermott. This balance intrigue in
good terms.
Calarogu Shark Media.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
Hello and welcome to Palace Intrigue, Iam your host Mark Francis.
In The Mirror, Kevin McGuire writes, from day one, the
monarchy has put its own interests first, second and third
by covering for Jeffrey Epstein's body, every forced move designed
to protect the institution rather than serve the country. It
(00:36):
was stomach churning that the late Queen coughed up part
most of all of the twelve million pounds paid by
her second son and child to keep out of court
a sex abuse case brought by Missus Geoffrey, as was
her subsequently attempting to rehabilitate Andrew by having him very
publicly escort her to a memorial service for husband Philip Grace.
(01:00):
Andrew was hardly banished by Big Brother Charles when the
King invited him to walk to church at Sandringham with
the royal family on Christmas Day in twenty twenty two
and twenty three, and he didn't instruct the slime ball
to stay at the back of last month's Westminster Cathedral
funeral for the Duchess of Kent and for the BBC
(01:21):
Sean Coughlin wonders if Andrew giving up his titles even matters,
Coughlin writes, whatever the Palace hopes, the headlines are unlikely
to stop. We're unlikely to see Prince Andrew at a
royal public event now for at least six months, and
then maybe only once or twice a year. Banned from
Royal Christmas celebrations at Sandringham, he won't be on the
(01:41):
annual church walk. It could be April twenty twenty six
at the Eastern Church service before he reappears on such
a family occasion, maybe longer. But when he resurfaces, how
much will his life have really changed Despite the drama
of the loss of his titles and honors. On a
day to day basis, he's still a prince, and he's
still living in a mansion, and Windsor Royal Lodge has
(02:04):
got a lease until twenty seventy eight, so if he
leaves it will be his own choice. Living with him
still will be his ex wife, who was now also
an ex duchess. They've gone back to the position when
they first met. Sarah Ferguson and Prince Andrew. He can
still spend his days watching aviation videos or TV shows.
His family life with his daughters, who are still princesses,
(02:26):
can continue unchanged. His statement about not using his titles
more or less a resignation letter didn't have any flicker
of remorse, continuing to assert his sense of duty and honor,
so no change there. Instead, he showed no sense of regret.
A royal insider asked about Andrew's chances of a dignified
(02:47):
return to public life, simply said, to me, the grand
old Duke of York, he gave twelve million quid to
someone he never met for something he never did. Prince
Andrew reportedly maintains a fully staffed palace in Abu Dharby
said to have been gifted to him by the United
Arab Emirates ruling family. According to royal biographer Andrew Lowney
(03:10):
and other sources, the Abu Dhabi residence was a personal
gift from the House of Nayan, the UA's royal family.
It is understood Andrew has had access to the property
for more than two decades. However, it said that the
Duke now finds the palace too quiet, and that his
ex wife, Sarah Ferguson, doesn't like the heat. The Times
(03:33):
points out nothing has really changed for Andrew, who, according
to visitors to Royal Lodge, spends much of his time
playing video games. He is still technically a duke. Only
an act of Parliament would strip him of that title.
As the comedian Manya Chihwahwa said, a privileged man becomes
slightly less privileged. Could Elizabeth have nipped this in the
(03:53):
butt if she had been firmer six years ago and
stripped him of all his titles in twenty nineteen. Perhaps
one of her courtiers says she couldn't bring herself to
do it. It is very hard for a mother to
humiliate her son, far easier for a brother to do it.
That story is as old as the Bible. The next
monarch will be more ruthless. Buckingham Palace says the Prince
(04:14):
of Wales was consulted on the decision, but it is
understood that he is not satisfied with the outcome and
knows the Andrew problem will be in his intray at
some point when William is king. Andrew will be banned
from all elements of royal life. He will be excluded
from public and private royal events, including the coronation, and
banned from most state occasions. In the Sun, Rob Little writes,
(04:40):
where does all this leave the royal family and the King,
who is still undergoing his weekly cancer treatments. It has
been a terrible century for the Windsors so far. Andrew
has been a spectacularly awful side show, of course, but
the family has also been seriously damaged by Prince Harry
and his ghastly missus Meghan, dissing the royal at every
(05:00):
opportunity they get, making stupid, woke statements to anyone who
will listen, whining in documentaries which nobody in their right
minds would pay to watch. You look at this parade
of privileged thick as Mince Lincoln poops, and wonder if
we should have a royal family at all. It does
seem a bit anachronistic in this day and age, unelected
(05:20):
and unaccountable, none of them except maybe Princess Anne, particularly Bright,
living this gilded lifestyle through hereditary privilege. The truth is,
King Charles and even more so before him, Queen Elizabeth,
were able to charm and flatter foreign heads of state,
and that sort of soft power matters. Despite the idiotic
(05:40):
Andrew and the awful Harry and Meghan, the Royal family
is still a considerable asset to our country. It's one
of the reasons so many foreign tourists visit London every
year to take in the pomp and splendor from the
bygone age. It is hard to defend constitutionally, but it
works practically. It seems to be in fairly capable hands
(06:01):
right now, although I'd prefer it if Anne was on
the throne. King Charles has been a dextrous and dutiful king.
In Prince William, the Prince of Wales, we have a
success of lined up who has even less patience with
the like of Andrew and Harry than does his dad.
One day, Wills will make a fine king. He's not
a genius, but you don't need to be a genius
(06:21):
to be king, just to do your duty and put
the country first. More palance, just a moment. By the way,
It's the last few days of Halloween and Callaogoshark Media.
The people behind this podcast to have a couple of
great Halloween shows and channels out there. Check out Ghost
(06:43):
Scary Stories. It's been out there for a couple of
years and there's hundreds of ghost stories for all your
Halloween needs. And there's a new show every day through
October Ghost Scary Stories, and our pop up channel is
called Halloween pop Up and it's a combination of all
the stories you can get from Kala Rugashark Media, murder mysteries, trivia, music,
(07:05):
ghost stories. All of those are there under one umbrella.
Check that one out Halloween Pop Up Channel for all
your ghoulish fun. Two treasured Jane Austen volumes with deep
royal connections are set to go on public display at Windsor.
Among the highlights is the very copy of Pride and
Prejudice that Prince Albert once read aloud to Queen Victoria
(07:28):
as she recovered from measles in eighteen fifty three, an
event she later recorded in her personal journal. Also on
view will be George, the fourth specially bound edition of Emma,
personally dedicated by Austin to then Prince Regent. The author
inscribed the front page to His Royal Highness, the Prince Regent.
This work is, by his Royal Highness's permission, most respectfully
(07:51):
dedicated by His Royal Highness's dutiful and obedient, humble servant,
the author. Both books will be displayed in the Queen's
drawing Room once one of Windsor Castle's most important reception
spaces today through Monday, and again from October thirtieth through
November two. George the Fourth, a noted admirer of novels,
kept Austin's works in each of his residences, and first
(08:14):
received the dedicated Emma in eighteen fifteen after granting Austin
a private tour of his London home, Carlton House. A
second copy of Pride and Prejudice, thought to have once
belonged to the castle's servants library before entering the Royal Library,
will also feature in the exhibition part of celebrations marking
the two hundred and fiftieth anniversary of Austin's birth. Published
(08:36):
anonymously in eighteen thirteen, Pride and Prejudice sold out its
first edition within a year and remains one of the
most beloved novels in the English language. And there you
have it if you like to email us our addresses
the Palace intricat gmail dot com. By the way, if
you're ever having any audio issues or subscription issues, or
you hear things that kind of odd in the feed
you want to bring to our attention, you can always
(08:58):
email me directly at my at Kalaroga dot com. That's
c A l O r O g A dot com
and I will happily reply to every one of your emails.
So if you hear something odd, something out of place,
so you're having a problem, just give me a buzz.
Don't forget to follow us on Facebook or Instagram. You
can find us all on the social hubs. I'm Mark
(09:19):
Francis My Thanks to John McDermott. This balance intrigue in
good terms.
Popular Podcasts
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.
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
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!