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<v Speaker 1>Calorogus Shark Media. Hello and welcome through palace intrigue. I

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<v Speaker 1>am your host, Mark Francis. In the often isolating world

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<v Speaker 1>of royal duty, King Charles's fortunate to have a small

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<v Speaker 1>but steadfast inner circle, and none more vital than his

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<v Speaker 1>sister Princess Anne. While Queen car Miller is Charles' unwavering

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<v Speaker 1>partner in public and private life, it is the Princess

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<v Speaker 1>Royal who serves as the King's no nonsense sounding board.

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<v Speaker 1>Former BBC Royal correspondent Jenny Bond describes Anne as solid

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<v Speaker 1>and completely reliable, a woman who knows him inside and

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<v Speaker 1>out and offers infinitely sensible advice. Their closeness was underscored

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<v Speaker 1>at the coronation, when the King entrusted Anne with the

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<v Speaker 1>historic role of gold Stick in Waiting, a ceremonial post

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<v Speaker 1>tasked with the monarch's personal security. Princess Anne's blunt, pragmatic

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<v Speaker 1>style has earned her deep respect not only from her

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<v Speaker 1>brother but from the wider public. She is known to

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<v Speaker 1>speak her mind, even when it diverges from the royal consensus.

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<v Speaker 1>In a twenty twenty three interview with CBC News, and

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<v Speaker 1>openly questioned the merits of her brother's plans for a

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<v Speaker 1>streamlined monarchy, saying simply, it doesn't sound like a good idea.

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<v Speaker 1>The king's former gardener had nice things to say about

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<v Speaker 1>Charles to The Mirror. Jack Stooks said he was very

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<v Speaker 1>much on the ball all the time. If he came

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<v Speaker 1>home at the weekend, he would be out in the

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<v Speaker 1>garden checking what's been done, what hasn't been done. He

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<v Speaker 1>would be like, this needs doing. That means doing, the

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<v Speaker 1>former head gardener explains, So it was really good to

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<v Speaker 1>know you're working for somebody who actually took everything in.

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<v Speaker 1>Stooks said that level of interest gave the team a

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<v Speaker 1>sense of satisfaction because their work was being enjoyed and

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<v Speaker 1>admired by the person who owns it. Stucks enjoyed all

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<v Speaker 1>the usual suspects, from Camilla to William and Kate and

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<v Speaker 1>even Harry, saying I think for me, it's just the

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<v Speaker 1>normality of how they are as people. People looking in

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<v Speaker 1>from the outside might say, do we have to give

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<v Speaker 1>them money a year? But the amount of work they

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<v Speaker 1>do for the country is just immense. You see the

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<v Speaker 1>amount of work Charles is still doing and he's just

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<v Speaker 1>not giving up. He could say I'm ill. I can't

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<v Speaker 1>do this and the country would understand, but he's got

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<v Speaker 1>a sense of duty. A new National park honoring Queen

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<v Speaker 1>Elizabeth the Second will be built in Saint James Park,

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<v Speaker 1>directly opposite Buckingham Palace, commemorating her historic seventy year reign

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<v Speaker 1>and seventy three year marriage to Prince Philip. The design

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<v Speaker 1>includes a statue of the late Queen in a newly

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<v Speaker 1>created civic space named Queen Elizabeth I, placed near Marlborough Gate,

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<v Speaker 1>as well as a corresponding Prince Philip Gate and statue

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<v Speaker 1>at the park's bird Cage Walk entrance. The centerpiece is

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<v Speaker 1>a striking new translucent bridge inspired by the Queen Mary

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<v Speaker 1>Fringe diamond tiara, famously worn and briefly broken on Her

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<v Speaker 1>Majesty's nineteen forty seven wedding day, replacing the park's existing

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<v Speaker 1>blue bridge. The new structure is described as a symbol

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<v Speaker 1>of unity, honoring Queen Elizabeth's role in bringing together communities,

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<v Speaker 1>charities and commonwealth. Surrounding grounds will also be transformed. Visitors

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<v Speaker 1>can expect a family of gardens, winding paths, and a

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<v Speaker 1>bodern wind structure intended to create space for reflection and

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<v Speaker 1>remembrance all sat within the familiar landscape of Saint James Park.

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<v Speaker 1>Lord Foster, the architect behind the memorial and the designer

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<v Speaker 1>of the Gurkhin, said the entire plan had been created

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<v Speaker 1>with a light touch, ensuring the natural character of the

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<v Speaker 1>park remains intact. The feeling should be that if you

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<v Speaker 1>visit Saint James Park and the site in question later,

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<v Speaker 1>it will still feel very familiar, he explained. He called

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<v Speaker 1>the bridge a symbol of the Queen's quiet, strength and continuity,

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<v Speaker 1>adding that the memorial space would feel gentler, quieter, more contemplative.

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<v Speaker 1>Prime Minister Kirstarmer has said the memorial offer everyone a

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<v Speaker 1>place to honour the late Queen and connect with the

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<v Speaker 1>shared history we cherish. Public consultation played a role in

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<v Speaker 1>selecting the design, with five initial concepts displayed in the

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<v Speaker 1>park earlier this year. The Queen Elizabeth Memorial Committee ultimately

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<v Speaker 1>chose the final design with input from both experts and

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<v Speaker 1>the public. Memorial is expected to be unveiled in twenty

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<v Speaker 1>twenty six, timed to coincide with what would have been

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<v Speaker 1>Queen Elizabeth's one hundredth birthday year. Statues of the late

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<v Speaker 1>Queen already stand in several locations across the UK, but

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<v Speaker 1>this will serve as the national focal point for remembrance

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<v Speaker 1>in the Capitol. A rather fascinating royal adjacent tale. Now

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<v Speaker 1>as a woman known to her loyal lunchtime clan till

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<v Speaker 1>simply as Francis, is going viral for her quietly aristocratic

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<v Speaker 1>roots and delightfully unorthodox restaurant just a stone's throw from

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<v Speaker 1>Buckingham Palace. Lady Francis Armstrong Jones, the daughter of Lord Snowden,

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<v Speaker 1>thus half sister to Lady Sarah Chatthow, is indeed the

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<v Speaker 1>product of a royal adjacent lineage. Her father, the photographer

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<v Speaker 1>Anthony Armstrong Jones, married Princess Margaret in nineteen sixty and

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<v Speaker 1>was subsequently made Earl of Snowden. That union produced two children,

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<v Speaker 1>David and Sarah, making them the only cousins of King Charles,

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<v Speaker 1>the third on his mother's side. After the Snowdon's divorce

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<v Speaker 1>in nineteen seventy eight, Lord Snowden went Lucy Hogg. Daughter

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<v Speaker 1>Francis was born seven months later, now forty five. Lady

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<v Speaker 1>Francis might not appear on the Buckingham Palace balcony, but

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<v Speaker 1>she does run one of the most singular lunch establishments

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<v Speaker 1>in London, nestled just three miles from the Palace, The

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<v Speaker 1>Yellow Bitteren is a postage stamp sized eatery with only

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<v Speaker 1>eighteen seats open weekdays for just two lunch sittings. Reservations

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<v Speaker 1>are available by phone or charmingly postcard payments cash only.

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<v Speaker 1>There is no fixed menu. Dinah's simply read what's on

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<v Speaker 1>offer each day, written up on a chalkboard. More Palace

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<v Speaker 1>In just a moment. Now that Lieutenant Colonel Haughty is

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<v Speaker 1>off the market, there's a new soldier catching the eyes

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<v Speaker 1>of Royal watchers. They were supposed to be looking at

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<v Speaker 1>the King, but instead their eyes locked on someone else entirely.

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<v Speaker 1>During a recent visit to the Royal Regiment of Artillery

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<v Speaker 1>in lark Hill, King Charles shared a moment of camaraderie

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<v Speaker 1>with military personnel while donning ear defenders and trying his

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<v Speaker 1>hand at firing an artillery gun. But it wasn't the

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<v Speaker 1>cannon fire that set the Internet light. It was Sergeant

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<v Speaker 1>Neil Mitchell, the green beret wearing detachment commander, who appeared

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<v Speaker 1>in one of the royal family's Instagram photos and promptly

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<v Speaker 1>broke the comments section. Are we not going to talk

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<v Speaker 1>about the green beret guy in the first picture? Good heavens,

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<v Speaker 1>he's handsome, gushed one user. Another admitted, I do love

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<v Speaker 1>the king honestly, but my eyes went straight to the

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<v Speaker 1>really muscly guy with the green beret and the killer smile.

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<v Speaker 1>A third summed it up succentilly the photographer understood the assignment.

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<v Speaker 1>Mitchell forty six Commands fourteen Regiment thirty four Battery and

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<v Speaker 1>wore the coveted green beret signifying completion of the elite

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<v Speaker 1>All Arms Commando course. His casual charm and warm gren

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<v Speaker 1>in the background of the King's Instagram post quickly earned

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<v Speaker 1>him unofficial fan favorite status, just as at the record

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<v Speaker 1>straight when comment to claiming to be his sister added,

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<v Speaker 1>he's not single, sorry, ladies. The royal visit had originally

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<v Speaker 1>been postponed, but Mitchell said it was an honor to

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<v Speaker 1>be selected as the commander. While the King fired his gun.

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<v Speaker 1>He did awesome, Mitchell told Forces News, noting that Charles

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<v Speaker 1>needed two triers to master the firing lever. The first

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<v Speaker 1>one he didn't give it a good enough pull, but

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<v Speaker 1>the second time was faultless. Charles was seen grinning after

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<v Speaker 1>a successful shot and later received an engraved one hundred

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<v Speaker 1>and five millimeter cartridge fired during the coronation, the King

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<v Speaker 1>was also treated to a display of modern military equipment

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<v Speaker 1>and met with soldiers, families and Chelsea pensioners. Inside the

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<v Speaker 1>officer's mess he viewed his great grandfather George the fifths

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<v Speaker 1>ceremonial too. Nickan commented it's lasted very well, but on

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<v Speaker 1>social media it was Mitchell who left the lasting impression.

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<v Speaker 1>This is in the first time a Royal aid has

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<v Speaker 1>turned into an unlikely Internet crush. Lieutenant Colonel Johnny Thompson,

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<v Speaker 1>dubbed the hot Equerry and known as Major Hotty before

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<v Speaker 1>his promotion, became a viral sensation during Queen Elizabeth the

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<v Speaker 1>Second's funeral and again at Charles's coronation. Though he eventually

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<v Speaker 1>stepped away from public facing duties due to all attention,

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<v Speaker 1>he became the subject of fan accounts and swooning comment threads. Thompson,

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<v Speaker 1>now remarried to a PR executive named Olivia, was most

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<v Speaker 1>recently seen with the royal family at Christmas, though his

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<v Speaker 1>try to maintain a lower profile. As for Sergeant Mitchell,

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<v Speaker 1>he's yet to issue any official statement, but he may

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<v Speaker 1>want to prepare. Once the royal fans fall in love,

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<v Speaker 1>they don't forget, and, judging by the latest Instagram frenzy,

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<v Speaker 1>hot Beret man may have just fired more than artillery

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<v Speaker 1>and they have it. If you like to email us

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<v Speaker 1>have addresses The Palace Intrigue at gmail dot com. Please

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<v Speaker 1>follow us on Spotify, Apple, the Apple Your Reason, leave

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<v Speaker 1>us a nice review. If you're enjoying the show, I'm

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<v Speaker 1>Mark Francis. I think, to John mcdermoth, this is Palace

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<v Speaker 1>Intrigue and catains