August 23, 2025 • 9 mins
Are William and Kate really going to skip the castle life forever? Tom Sykes isn’t buying it. We break down their “modest” mansion move, plus royal butler Grant Harrold spills tea on Prince Harry, Camilla gets heat for yachting while Charles is ill, and even the Sandringham choir is in scandal mode. Also: Prince Philip’s legendary one-liners and Harry’s quiet tribute to him on VJ Day.
👑 The Palace Intrigue Social Hub is Live! Join the conversation with fellow fans, share your thoughts and royal stories, and dive deeper into the drama behind the crown. Get full episodes, exclusive sneak peeks, behind-the-scenes videos, and more. Don’t miss a moment—find us on Facebook and Instagram or click the links to start your royal journey!
👑 Follow our hit series Crown and Controversy! Season 1 is fully available now for premium subscribers, while new episodes drop every Sunday on the regular feed. Don’t miss a moment of the drama!
🚀 Go Premium – Listen Uninterrupted! No ads. No feed drops. Just pure, uninterrupted entertainment. Apple users, tap the UNINTERRUPTED LISTENING banner in your Podcasts app and unlock 25+ series covering comedy, paranormal, royals, romance, trivia, politics, movies, music, true crime, sports, travel, spirituality, celebrity gossip, feuds—and thousands of episodes, all ad-free!
All this for just $4.99/month with a free trial month. Plus, premium subscribers get early access to shows and exclusive subscriber-only episodes.
Dive into all our shows at Caloroga.com—your next obsession awaits!
Subscribe to Deep Crown’s free newsletter here.
👑 The Palace Intrigue Social Hub is Live! Join the conversation with fellow fans, share your thoughts and royal stories, and dive deeper into the drama behind the crown. Get full episodes, exclusive sneak peeks, behind-the-scenes videos, and more. Don’t miss a moment—find us on Facebook and Instagram or click the links to start your royal journey!
👑 Follow our hit series Crown and Controversy! Season 1 is fully available now for premium subscribers, while new episodes drop every Sunday on the regular feed. Don’t miss a moment of the drama!
🚀 Go Premium – Listen Uninterrupted! No ads. No feed drops. Just pure, uninterrupted entertainment. Apple users, tap the UNINTERRUPTED LISTENING banner in your Podcasts app and unlock 25+ series covering comedy, paranormal, royals, romance, trivia, politics, movies, music, true crime, sports, travel, spirituality, celebrity gossip, feuds—and thousands of episodes, all ad-free!
All this for just $4.99/month with a free trial month. Plus, premium subscribers get early access to shows and exclusive subscriber-only episodes.
👑 The Palace Intrigue Social Hub is Live! Join the conversation with fellow fans, share your thoughts and royal stories, and dive deeper into the drama behind the crown. Get full episodes, exclusive sneak peeks, behind-the-scenes videos, and more. Don’t miss a moment—find us on Facebook and Instagram or click the links to start your royal journey!
👑 Follow our hit series Crown and Controversy! Season 1 is fully available now for premium subscribers, while new episodes drop every Sunday on the regular feed. Don’t miss a moment of the drama!
🚀 Go Premium – Listen Uninterrupted! No ads. No feed drops. Just pure, uninterrupted entertainment. Apple users, tap the UNINTERRUPTED LISTENING banner in your Podcasts app and unlock 25+ series covering comedy, paranormal, royals, romance, trivia, politics, movies, music, true crime, sports, travel, spirituality, celebrity gossip, feuds—and thousands of episodes, all ad-free!
All this for just $4.99/month with a free trial month. Plus, premium subscribers get early access to shows and exclusive subscriber-only episodes.
Dive into all our shows at Caloroga.com—your next obsession awaits!
Subscribe to Deep Crown’s free newsletter here.
👑 The Palace Intrigue Social Hub is Live! Join the conversation with fellow fans, share your thoughts and royal stories, and dive deeper into the drama behind the crown. Get full episodes, exclusive sneak peeks, behind-the-scenes videos, and more. Don’t miss a moment—find us on Facebook and Instagram or click the links to start your royal journey!
👑 Follow our hit series Crown and Controversy! Season 1 is fully available now for premium subscribers, while new episodes drop every Sunday on the regular feed. Don’t miss a moment of the drama!
🚀 Go Premium – Listen Uninterrupted! No ads. No feed drops. Just pure, uninterrupted entertainment. Apple users, tap the UNINTERRUPTED LISTENING banner in your Podcasts app and unlock 25+ series covering comedy, paranormal, royals, romance, trivia, politics, movies, music, true crime, sports, travel, spirituality, celebrity gossip, feuds—and thousands of episodes, all ad-free!
All this for just $4.99/month with a free trial month. Plus, premium subscribers get early access to shows and exclusive subscriber-only episodes.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
Calorouga Shark Media. Hello and welcome to Pallace Intrigue. I
am your host Mark Francis, and the Royalist Tom Sykes asks,
are people really so gullible they believe the pr spin
the future King William and Queen Kate won't end up
(00:23):
in a castle. Sikes writes, I strongly suspect that when
Charles dies or abdicates, that's a whole other post for
another day, they will indeed move to Windsor Castle. William
and Kate have portrayed their decision to live in the
relatively modest eight bedroom manor houses opposed to a palace
in terms of their own mental health needs, as well
as being portrayed as a logistical decision about schools and commutes.
(00:48):
It may well be that for them, but for the
Crown the decision is a hugely symbolic rupture with the past.
I completely respect that nobody in their right mind would
wish to live in the goldfish bowl of Buckingham Palace.
The late Queen Elizabeth the iond loath the place, but
was basically pressured by Churchill to move in. She spent
her last few years at Windsor Castle. To many of
(01:10):
the palace is being preserved as an empty stage set,
a ceremonial museum, shorn of life. That the state is
spending hundreds of millions on its upkeep, while Britain's enduring
a cost of living crisis only sharpens the charge of waste.
Biographer Robert Lacey tells The Telegraph, I don't think Buckingham
Palace was ever loved. If you read what kings have
said in their diaries, it was always seen as an office.
(01:32):
I think actually as an office, it has been very
successful as a ceremonial figure head for the royal family,
as the place that visitors identify with, it's been a
great success. People forget that at the beginning of late
Queen's reign no one went into Buckingham Palace. Elizabeth also
compared it to camping in a museum. Former Royal butler
Grant Harold, who spent seven years working at Highgrove between
(01:54):
two thousand and four and two thy eleven, is lifting
the curtain on royal life in his new memoir The
Royal Butler, My Remarkable Life of Royal Service, out August
twenty eighth. Harold, who began as a young under butler
and rose to serve the future King and Queen. Offers
a raar behind the scenes look a day to day
life inside the royal households, with anecdotes bringing from heartfelt
(02:16):
to downright cheeky. One of Harold's earliest moments involves a
surprise water balloon ambush from a then nineteen year old
Prince Harry, who was home on his gap year. As
Harold tried to escape through a window, Harry burst through
the door laughing and said, sorry, I'm just being a
bit silly. That spontaneous prank led to an unexpected friendship.
Harry later invited Harold to join him for a takeaway
(02:38):
to keep him company. Harold also disputes Prince Hary's claim
and spare that he and Prince William begged their father
not to marry Camilla. Harold recalls seeing a very different dynamic.
He says the brothers not only attended the wedding, but enthusiastic.
They joined in decorating their father's car with a just
married sion and chased after it like giddy well wishes.
The four of them got on so well. I saw
(02:59):
them have dinners, drinks, coming to parties together. Harold says,
casting doubt on Harry's later portrayal of discord. As for
King Charles himself, Harold remembers him a very gentle character,
calm and hard working. He didn't once raise his voice,
Harold notes, even under pressure, though Charles once mused about
potentially ruling under a different name. I could be Charles,
(03:19):
but I could also be George the seventh. Harold, like
many were surprised when Charles chose to reign as Charles
the Third and then as Prince Philip. Always known for
his unfiltered remarks, Harold recalls a memorable moment just after
Harry Megan's twenty eighteen wedding, following Bishop Michael Curry's famously
exuberant sermon, As the family exited Saint George Chapel, Prince
(03:40):
Philip turned to the Queen and quipped, thank yeah, for
that's over. Harold also offered a glimpse into the once
close friendship between Prince Harry and Kate Middleton. While William
was away, Harry and Kate often spent time together, going shopping,
visiting pubs, and sharing a sibling like camaraderie. I think
when people say, oh, he was left out, he really wasn't.
(04:00):
In a deeply personal gesture, Prince Harry quietly paid tribute
to his grandfather Philip on the eightieth anniversary of VJ Day.
His hand written letter, accompanied by a wreath, was placed
at the Burmer Star Memorial at the National Memorial Arboretum,
just hours after his father, King Charles and Queen Camilla
led the official commemorations at the same site. The letter,
bearing Prince Harry's Royal crest, was addressed to the Forgotten
(04:23):
Army and recognized the courage and sacrifice of the British
troops who fought in the Far East during the Second
World War. Harry, who himself served in the military for
a decade, acknowledged both their bravery and the legacy left
by veterans like his grandfather Prince Philip, who served aboard
HMS WELP in the Pacific. For me, this anniversary carried
an added layer of meaning, Harry wrote, My late grandfather,
(04:46):
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, served in the Pacific Campaign.
He spoke with quiet humility about those years, but I
know how deeply he respected all who stood beside him
in that theater of war. Your story is part of
our shared heritage, and it must never be forgotten. In
what some interpret as a thoughtful, olive branch, Harry reportedly
instructed a close friend to place the tribute only after
(05:08):
King Charles and Queen Camilla had departed, deliberately stepping back
to ensure his tribute did not draw attention away from
the official ceremony. As with all things Harry, this did
not go without controversy. A friend of the royal family
told the mayors of Richard Eden, what hypocrisy Harry hurt
his grandfather deeply during the final year of his life.
More palace in just a moment. Sometimes stories bubble up
(05:34):
from less mainstream sources before the British tabloids decide to
run with them. Radar Online shares that Charles is said
to have become increasingly frail and leaning on whiskey to
manage pain when inside it claimed his health has deteriorated
significantly in recent months. The walking stick is more than
a traditional accessory for a royal portrait. It's become a necessity.
(05:56):
The King is facing a tough, losing battle with his illness,
and he turns to whis to manage the discomfort. Other
accounts paint a more measured picture. Recent portraits taken at Sandringham,
shared on the estate's official Instagram account, show him walking
through the terpiary garden with a cane, something not uncommon
for someone of his years and often a simple precaution
against falls. Another rumor has the family upset at Camilla.
(06:20):
According to Radar Online, Camilla recently spent time on a
luxury yacht with her daughter Laura Lopes and her grandchildren
rather than remaining with the King at Balmoral. The ought
is said to belong to a prominent Conservative Party donor,
raising further questions given the monarch's duties remain politically neutral,
and Inside acclaimed Camilla's trip has upset the whole royal family,
(06:40):
especially the Princess Royal and the Prince of Wales. Princess
Anne and Prince William are unhappy about Camilla's solo jaunt
that William is also worried about the emotional toll on
his father. The source added that the King's one wish
was for Camilla to be at his side while he
copes with the day to day pressures of treatment. Will
point out that the idea of William being upset about
someone vacationing on his superiotis kind of funny. Former Minister
(07:03):
Norman Baker also weighed in, telling The Mirror members of
the Royal Family really ought to consider the public perception
of such episodes, whether they are on holiday or official business.
They are representing the country at all times, and let's
be honest, it's not as if they are short of cash.
This is not a good look for Camilla. Wait until
Minister Baker finds out what William and Kate were up to. Meanwhile,
a new crisis for King Charles as an official inquiry
(07:24):
has branded the Sandringham Church Choir an unholy din elked
sixteen page report commissioned by the Reverend Canon Paul Williams,
chaplain at Saint Mary Magdalene Church, where the Royal Family
attends Christmas services, concluded the singers had no knowledge of
music or singing technique and were producing little more than
a racket. The report, written by cathedral musician Tansy Kettlstein,
(07:49):
urged the group to aspire to highest standards and embrace
dynamic risk taking. Parishioners, however, dismissed the jargon heavy critique
and have rallied behind the church's long serving director of music,
not to Class Stewart, who is currently on sick leave
after lodging her own twenty eight page grievance. This is
in Norfolk Village Church, not Westminster Abbey, when parishioner told
the Sun, Canon Williams, who took up his post in
(08:11):
twenty twenty three, is said to be pushing for wholesale
modernization of the choir, including plans as improbable as launching
a social media account. His reforms have divided the community,
with numbers at services falling and the Bishop of Norwich
inundated with letters. The King himself has now in drawn
into the affair, reportedly staying behind after recent services to
(08:32):
speak with parishioners in an effort to broke a peace.
Unlike his late mother, who was said to approach music
with polite bafflement, Charles has long held a deep affection
for it, describing it as a necessity, not a luxury.
To have his own parish accused of such discord will
be particularly painful. There you have it, doctor email us
(08:52):
addresses the Palace Intrigue at a gmail on dot com.
Please hit that follow button on Spotify and Apple and
if you'd like to find us on social media. Now
we're on Facebook and Instagram. Just search for Palace Intrigue
in Facebook pages or hit the links in our show
notes and join the community we're trying to build there.
(09:12):
We really appreciate it from behind the scenes here at
calla roker Shark medium him Mark Francis, thanks to John McDermott.
This is Palace Intrigue and good terms.
Calorouga Shark Media. Hello and welcome to Pallace Intrigue. I
am your host Mark Francis, and the Royalist Tom Sykes asks,
are people really so gullible they believe the pr spin
the future King William and Queen Kate won't end up
(00:23):
in a castle. Sikes writes, I strongly suspect that when
Charles dies or abdicates, that's a whole other post for
another day, they will indeed move to Windsor Castle. William
and Kate have portrayed their decision to live in the
relatively modest eight bedroom manor houses opposed to a palace
in terms of their own mental health needs, as well
as being portrayed as a logistical decision about schools and commutes.
(00:48):
It may well be that for them, but for the
Crown the decision is a hugely symbolic rupture with the past.
I completely respect that nobody in their right mind would
wish to live in the goldfish bowl of Buckingham Palace.
The late Queen Elizabeth the iond loath the place, but
was basically pressured by Churchill to move in. She spent
her last few years at Windsor Castle. To many of
(01:10):
the palace is being preserved as an empty stage set,
a ceremonial museum, shorn of life. That the state is
spending hundreds of millions on its upkeep, while Britain's enduring
a cost of living crisis only sharpens the charge of waste.
Biographer Robert Lacey tells The Telegraph, I don't think Buckingham
Palace was ever loved. If you read what kings have
said in their diaries, it was always seen as an office.
(01:32):
I think actually as an office, it has been very
successful as a ceremonial figure head for the royal family,
as the place that visitors identify with, it's been a
great success. People forget that at the beginning of late
Queen's reign no one went into Buckingham Palace. Elizabeth also
compared it to camping in a museum. Former Royal butler
Grant Harold, who spent seven years working at Highgrove between
(01:54):
two thousand and four and two thy eleven, is lifting
the curtain on royal life in his new memoir The
Royal Butler, My Remarkable Life of Royal Service, out August
twenty eighth. Harold, who began as a young under butler
and rose to serve the future King and Queen. Offers
a raar behind the scenes look a day to day
life inside the royal households, with anecdotes bringing from heartfelt
(02:16):
to downright cheeky. One of Harold's earliest moments involves a
surprise water balloon ambush from a then nineteen year old
Prince Harry, who was home on his gap year. As
Harold tried to escape through a window, Harry burst through
the door laughing and said, sorry, I'm just being a
bit silly. That spontaneous prank led to an unexpected friendship.
Harry later invited Harold to join him for a takeaway
(02:38):
to keep him company. Harold also disputes Prince Hary's claim
and spare that he and Prince William begged their father
not to marry Camilla. Harold recalls seeing a very different dynamic.
He says the brothers not only attended the wedding, but enthusiastic.
They joined in decorating their father's car with a just
married sion and chased after it like giddy well wishes.
The four of them got on so well. I saw
(02:59):
them have dinners, drinks, coming to parties together. Harold says,
casting doubt on Harry's later portrayal of discord. As for
King Charles himself, Harold remembers him a very gentle character,
calm and hard working. He didn't once raise his voice,
Harold notes, even under pressure, though Charles once mused about
potentially ruling under a different name. I could be Charles,
(03:19):
but I could also be George the seventh. Harold, like
many were surprised when Charles chose to reign as Charles
the Third and then as Prince Philip. Always known for
his unfiltered remarks, Harold recalls a memorable moment just after
Harry Megan's twenty eighteen wedding, following Bishop Michael Curry's famously
exuberant sermon, As the family exited Saint George Chapel, Prince
(03:40):
Philip turned to the Queen and quipped, thank yeah, for
that's over. Harold also offered a glimpse into the once
close friendship between Prince Harry and Kate Middleton. While William
was away, Harry and Kate often spent time together, going shopping,
visiting pubs, and sharing a sibling like camaraderie. I think
when people say, oh, he was left out, he really wasn't.
(04:00):
In a deeply personal gesture, Prince Harry quietly paid tribute
to his grandfather Philip on the eightieth anniversary of VJ Day.
His hand written letter, accompanied by a wreath, was placed
at the Burmer Star Memorial at the National Memorial Arboretum,
just hours after his father, King Charles and Queen Camilla
led the official commemorations at the same site. The letter,
bearing Prince Harry's Royal crest, was addressed to the Forgotten
(04:23):
Army and recognized the courage and sacrifice of the British
troops who fought in the Far East during the Second
World War. Harry, who himself served in the military for
a decade, acknowledged both their bravery and the legacy left
by veterans like his grandfather Prince Philip, who served aboard
HMS WELP in the Pacific. For me, this anniversary carried
an added layer of meaning, Harry wrote, My late grandfather,
(04:46):
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, served in the Pacific Campaign.
He spoke with quiet humility about those years, but I
know how deeply he respected all who stood beside him
in that theater of war. Your story is part of
our shared heritage, and it must never be forgotten. In
what some interpret as a thoughtful, olive branch, Harry reportedly
instructed a close friend to place the tribute only after
(05:08):
King Charles and Queen Camilla had departed, deliberately stepping back
to ensure his tribute did not draw attention away from
the official ceremony. As with all things Harry, this did
not go without controversy. A friend of the royal family
told the mayors of Richard Eden, what hypocrisy Harry hurt
his grandfather deeply during the final year of his life.
More palace in just a moment. Sometimes stories bubble up
(05:34):
from less mainstream sources before the British tabloids decide to
run with them. Radar Online shares that Charles is said
to have become increasingly frail and leaning on whiskey to
manage pain when inside it claimed his health has deteriorated
significantly in recent months. The walking stick is more than
a traditional accessory for a royal portrait. It's become a necessity.
(05:56):
The King is facing a tough, losing battle with his illness,
and he turns to whis to manage the discomfort. Other
accounts paint a more measured picture. Recent portraits taken at Sandringham,
shared on the estate's official Instagram account, show him walking
through the terpiary garden with a cane, something not uncommon
for someone of his years and often a simple precaution
against falls. Another rumor has the family upset at Camilla.
(06:20):
According to Radar Online, Camilla recently spent time on a
luxury yacht with her daughter Laura Lopes and her grandchildren
rather than remaining with the King at Balmoral. The ought
is said to belong to a prominent Conservative Party donor,
raising further questions given the monarch's duties remain politically neutral,
and Inside acclaimed Camilla's trip has upset the whole royal family,
(06:40):
especially the Princess Royal and the Prince of Wales. Princess
Anne and Prince William are unhappy about Camilla's solo jaunt
that William is also worried about the emotional toll on
his father. The source added that the King's one wish
was for Camilla to be at his side while he
copes with the day to day pressures of treatment. Will
point out that the idea of William being upset about
someone vacationing on his superiotis kind of funny. Former Minister
(07:03):
Norman Baker also weighed in, telling The Mirror members of
the Royal Family really ought to consider the public perception
of such episodes, whether they are on holiday or official business.
They are representing the country at all times, and let's
be honest, it's not as if they are short of cash.
This is not a good look for Camilla. Wait until
Minister Baker finds out what William and Kate were up to. Meanwhile,
a new crisis for King Charles as an official inquiry
(07:24):
has branded the Sandringham Church Choir an unholy din elked
sixteen page report commissioned by the Reverend Canon Paul Williams,
chaplain at Saint Mary Magdalene Church, where the Royal Family
attends Christmas services, concluded the singers had no knowledge of
music or singing technique and were producing little more than
a racket. The report, written by cathedral musician Tansy Kettlstein,
(07:49):
urged the group to aspire to highest standards and embrace
dynamic risk taking. Parishioners, however, dismissed the jargon heavy critique
and have rallied behind the church's long serving director of music,
not to Class Stewart, who is currently on sick leave
after lodging her own twenty eight page grievance. This is
in Norfolk Village Church, not Westminster Abbey, when parishioner told
the Sun, Canon Williams, who took up his post in
(08:11):
twenty twenty three, is said to be pushing for wholesale
modernization of the choir, including plans as improbable as launching
a social media account. His reforms have divided the community,
with numbers at services falling and the Bishop of Norwich
inundated with letters. The King himself has now in drawn
into the affair, reportedly staying behind after recent services to
(08:32):
speak with parishioners in an effort to broke a peace.
Unlike his late mother, who was said to approach music
with polite bafflement, Charles has long held a deep affection
for it, describing it as a necessity, not a luxury.
To have his own parish accused of such discord will
be particularly painful. There you have it, doctor email us
(08:52):
addresses the Palace Intrigue at a gmail on dot com.
Please hit that follow button on Spotify and Apple and
if you'd like to find us on social media. Now
we're on Facebook and Instagram. Just search for Palace Intrigue
in Facebook pages or hit the links in our show
notes and join the community we're trying to build there.
(09:12):
We really appreciate it from behind the scenes here at
calla roker Shark medium him Mark Francis, thanks to John McDermott.
This is Palace Intrigue and 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.
New Heights with Jason & Travis Kelce
Football’s funniest family duo — Jason Kelce of the Philadelphia Eagles and Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs — team up to provide next-level access to life in the league as it unfolds. The two brothers and Super Bowl champions drop weekly insights about the weekly slate of games and share their INSIDE perspectives on trending NFL news and sports headlines. They also endlessly rag on each other as brothers do, chat the latest in pop culture and welcome some very popular and well-known friends to chat with them. Check out new episodes every Wednesday. Follow New Heights on the Wondery App, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to new episodes early and ad-free, and get exclusive content on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. And join our new membership for a unique fan experience by going to the New Heights YouTube channel now!
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.