WEBVTT - Introducing: Dynasty

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<v Speaker 1>Hey there, I'm Aaron Vanderhoff, one of the co hosts

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<v Speaker 1>of Vanity Fair's newest podcast, Dynasty. Dynasty is dedicated to

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<v Speaker 1>revealing the shocking behavior, devastating riffs, secret alliances, epic romances,

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<v Speaker 1>and complicated dynamics that shape the most influential families in

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<v Speaker 1>the world today. Keep listening for a preview of our

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<v Speaker 1>first season covering the British royal family, the Windsors, and

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<v Speaker 1>don't forget to follow Dynasty wherever you get your podcasts.

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<v Speaker 1>After spending the holidays in Canada, Megan Markel and Prince

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<v Speaker 1>Harry are back home in England and today they shot

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<v Speaker 1>the world with a bombshell announcement. Harry and Meghan are

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<v Speaker 1>stepping back from royal life and setting up a new

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<v Speaker 1>home in North America. This da night, We're married. We

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<v Speaker 1>were excited, we were hopeful, and we were here to

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<v Speaker 1>serve For those reasons. It brings me great sadness that

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<v Speaker 1>it has come to this. The decision that I have

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<v Speaker 1>made for my wife and I to step back is

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<v Speaker 1>not one I made lightly. There was so many months

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<v Speaker 1>of talks, after so many years of challenges. It was

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<v Speaker 1>an email that just made you just stop everything you

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<v Speaker 1>were doing. There were whispers that perhaps they were thinking

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<v Speaker 1>about leaving Britain, but the Palace just gave that absolutely

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<v Speaker 1>no credence at all. Every time we asked, and I

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<v Speaker 1>remember very clearly asking their head of colms, we were

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<v Speaker 1>sort of told no, no, absolutely not. And then the

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<v Speaker 1>Sun published an exclusive. Dan Wootton, who has brilliant sources,

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<v Speaker 1>suggested very strongly that they were not going to be

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<v Speaker 1>around for very long. But I don't think anyone expected

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<v Speaker 1>that within hours of that Sun's splash, Bucking and Palace

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<v Speaker 1>would be announcing that Harry and Megan were standing down

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<v Speaker 1>as working royals. That was January and it was one

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<v Speaker 1>of those days where I come in the British new

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<v Speaker 1>cycle has already been running for a morning by the

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<v Speaker 1>time I sat down at my desk, and nobody seems

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<v Speaker 1>to know what's going on. And so I kind of

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<v Speaker 1>had a story that was all ready to go, which

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<v Speaker 1>is nobody seems to know what's going on, and right

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<v Speaker 1>when we were, you know, getting ready to send it

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<v Speaker 1>to the lawyers, we get this email that says that

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<v Speaker 1>Megan and Harry they're out. Well within minutes of getting

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<v Speaker 1>that email, erin, I know you were filing. I think

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<v Speaker 1>I was filing from the back of a taxi on

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<v Speaker 1>my way to Westminster, where I was going to the

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<v Speaker 1>studio to report Live for Entertainment tonight. I tried for

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<v Speaker 1>that entire journey, which must have taken about forty minutes,

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<v Speaker 1>to get hold of someone, anyone from the Palace. I

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<v Speaker 1>think I must have called twenty different numbers, thirty different numbers,

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<v Speaker 1>and eventually, with minutes before going on air, I managed

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<v Speaker 1>to get through to a very senior aid who was

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<v Speaker 1>able to give me a briefing. It was very evident

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<v Speaker 1>to me, when all of those mobiles went straight to

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<v Speaker 1>voicemail and the switchboard was in meltdown at the Palace

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<v Speaker 1>that this had taken them as much by surprise as

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<v Speaker 1>it had us. I mean, it makes sense. This wasn't

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<v Speaker 1>just a media emergency. Harry and Meghan had held official

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<v Speaker 1>palace roles, real jobs with a staff and diplomatic duties,

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<v Speaker 1>public engagements, charities and patronages, so when they decided to leave,

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<v Speaker 1>it wasn't just a publicity statement. It threatened how the

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<v Speaker 1>royal organization would operate. So fast forward to February. It's

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<v Speaker 1>been almost a year since the couple announced that they

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<v Speaker 1>were taking a step back from the royal roles and

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<v Speaker 1>moving across the pond the megsit. Right after that, the

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<v Speaker 1>pandemic hits Prince Andrew's and the headlines for all the

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<v Speaker 1>wrong reasons, you know, Jeffrey Epstein, no good news for

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<v Speaker 1>the world or for the Windsors. And still Harry and

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<v Speaker 1>Meghan's relationship with the family could be described as icy

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<v Speaker 1>at this point, But intact the previous spring, they reportedly

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<v Speaker 1>celebrated their son Archie's first birthday. I was told there

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<v Speaker 1>had been family FaceTime chat. Harry was at this point

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<v Speaker 1>in very regular contact with the Queen, to the point

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<v Speaker 1>that she was laughing with one of her friends about

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<v Speaker 1>how often he was video calling her. But all of

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<v Speaker 1>that was going to change. Good evening, I mean, Hannamancy,

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<v Speaker 1>the Duke and Duchess of Sussex tell their side of

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<v Speaker 1>the story in a long awaited interview. I don't know

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<v Speaker 1>how they could expect we would still just be silent

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<v Speaker 1>what they had to say about the royal rift that

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<v Speaker 1>has rattled the foundations of Buckingham Powells the Oprah interview.

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<v Speaker 1>We'll get to that. We'll get to that, Aaron, We're

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<v Speaker 1>going to give a whole episode to that. But I

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<v Speaker 1>think what was so interesting is that just after the

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<v Speaker 1>announcement that that interview was happening, the Palace declares that

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<v Speaker 1>Harry and Megan's split working Royals is now permanent, which

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<v Speaker 1>means Harry loses all his honorary titles and titles, particularly

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<v Speaker 1>royal ones, mean profile and money. The move revealed not

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<v Speaker 1>just a fractured institution, but a fractured family. And then,

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<v Speaker 1>just when you thought things couldn't get any worse, you're

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<v Speaker 1>watching BBC News from London. A short while ago, Buckingham

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<v Speaker 1>Palace announced the death of His Royal Highness, Prince Philip,

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<v Speaker 1>the Duke of Edinburgh. In a statement, the Palace said,

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<v Speaker 1>it is with deep sorrow that her Majesty the Queen

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<v Speaker 1>announces the death of her beloved husband, His Royal Highness,

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<v Speaker 1>the Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. This is Dynasty, a

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<v Speaker 1>podcast from Vanity Fair. In this series, we're exploring the

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<v Speaker 1>families at the seat of power, how they claimed it

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<v Speaker 1>and how they maintain it. This season we're talking about

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<v Speaker 1>the British Royals, the Windsors. We're taking you inside one

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<v Speaker 1>of the most powerful families in the world. We're going

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<v Speaker 1>to look at it all. Incredible wealth and privilege, very

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<v Speaker 1>bad behavior, clashes with the press, and of course some

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<v Speaker 1>epic love affairs and royal weddings. I'm Aaron Vanderhoff, Vanity

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<v Speaker 1>fairstaff writer and I'm Katy Nichol Vanitife Royals correspondent. Welcome

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<v Speaker 1>to Vanitife's Dynasty The Windses, Episode one, Never Complain, Never Explain.

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<v Speaker 1>In America, from the time that we're children, were taught

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<v Speaker 1>about these pieces of paper, the Declaration of Independence, Constitution

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<v Speaker 1>in the Bill of Rights. We put them on display

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<v Speaker 1>in Washington, d C. But we also breathe life into

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<v Speaker 1>them because they're imbued with our ideals. Britain also has

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<v Speaker 1>documents at the basis of their system, but to symbolize

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<v Speaker 1>the story of how they became a nation. Though the

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<v Speaker 1>UK has a Emily, Elizabeth's role as queen emphasizes that

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<v Speaker 1>her blood is the same as William the Conqueror and

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<v Speaker 1>all of the monarchs who followed him. The royals connect

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<v Speaker 1>the country to its very beginnings, so in that way,

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<v Speaker 1>the royal family's power comes from their family line and

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<v Speaker 1>continuing it means marriage and children exactly and That's precisely

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<v Speaker 1>why discord within the family is so damaging and such

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<v Speaker 1>a threat, because it's not just like the family squabbles

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<v Speaker 1>that you and I might have. The stakes for the

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<v Speaker 1>royal family are much much higher. Look at Harry and Megan.

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<v Speaker 1>The rejection of their roles sent shock waves through the palace.

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<v Speaker 1>It wasn't technically a constitutional crisis, but it rocked the

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<v Speaker 1>institution to the core and actually caused a complete revision

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<v Speaker 1>of the top tier of royals. The Oprah interview changed

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<v Speaker 1>how a lot of people felt about the Royals. Megan

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<v Speaker 1>and Harry lifted the lid on life inside the monarch key.

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<v Speaker 1>They described why they were so unhappy they had no

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<v Speaker 1>choice but to leave. That's the sad irony of the

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<v Speaker 1>last four years, as I've advocated for so long for

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<v Speaker 1>women to use their voice, and then I was silent.

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<v Speaker 1>Were you silent or were you silenced? The latter we

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<v Speaker 1>heard Harry accused his family of cussing off his finances,

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<v Speaker 1>a row of titles, and then the devastating revelation from Megan,

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<v Speaker 1>who said she was so unhappy she'd had suicidal thoughts

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<v Speaker 1>while she was pregnant with Archie. One of the most

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<v Speaker 1>shocking moments of that interview came when Megan and Harry

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<v Speaker 1>alleged that somebody in the royal family had been making

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<v Speaker 1>comments about the color of their unborn child skin and

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<v Speaker 1>what it might look like. They left the family member

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<v Speaker 1>who made the racist comments unnamed, but that just sparked

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<v Speaker 1>its own frenzy of speculation, and it just kept getting uglier.

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<v Speaker 1>A well sourced report detailed complaints from former staffers of

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<v Speaker 1>Kensington Palace about Megan's alleged bullying behavior during your time

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<v Speaker 1>as a senior royal, and the Palace decided to investigate.

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<v Speaker 1>Megan denied the allegations, which she called just the latest

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<v Speaker 1>attacks on her character. It was clear that the war

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<v Speaker 1>was on. It was certainly curious timing. I think this

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<v Speaker 1>was the Palace going into battle mode. It had braced

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<v Speaker 1>itself for the interview, and a few days after oprah Ad,

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<v Speaker 1>the Queen releases a statement. It's just sixty words, sixcinct

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<v Speaker 1>and to the point. Here's the Queen's statement, as read

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<v Speaker 1>on Entertainment Tonight on March nine. The whole family is

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<v Speaker 1>saddened to learn the full extent about challenging the last

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<v Speaker 1>few years have been for Harry and Megan. The issues raised,

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<v Speaker 1>particularly that of race, are concerning. While some recollections may vary,

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<v Speaker 1>they are taken very seriously and be addressed by the

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<v Speaker 1>family privately. Harry, Megan and Archie will always be much

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<v Speaker 1>loved family members. The three words that jump out to

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<v Speaker 1>me most in that statement our recollections may vary, which

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<v Speaker 1>I think is just a stroke of genius um And

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<v Speaker 1>the Queen does have brilliant speechwriters. Who knows whether they

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<v Speaker 1>were her words or theirs, but they certainly made it

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<v Speaker 1>clear that there was more than one interpretation to what

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<v Speaker 1>Harry and Megan had alleged on OPRAH. Now, just after

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<v Speaker 1>this statement has been made, William and Kate are on

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<v Speaker 1>an official visit to a school in London and reporter

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<v Speaker 1>asks if he's spoken to his brother, to which he replies, no, then,

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<v Speaker 1>and can you just let me know? Is that the

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<v Speaker 1>Royal family arranged family sir very much. To call this

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<v Speaker 1>a pr disaster would be an understatement. It was more

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<v Speaker 1>than a simple lifting of the veil. It was a

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<v Speaker 1>rare siege on the palace walls. The institution was unprepared.

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<v Speaker 1>The allegations that Megan and Harry shared really prompted many

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<v Speaker 1>to question what place a hereditary monarch he has in

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<v Speaker 1>the modern world. And just as all of that is

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<v Speaker 1>playing out, the Palace announced that Prince Philip had died

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<v Speaker 1>on April ninth. I want to hear more about this

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<v Speaker 1>royal funeral and how it revealed that all was not

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<v Speaker 1>well in the House of Windsor head over to the

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<v Speaker 1>Dynasty feed by searching Dynasty by Vanity Fair wherever you're

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<v Speaker 1>listening now, or via the link in this episode's notes