Calorogus Shark Media. Hello and welcome through palace intrigue. I am your host, Mark Francis. In the often isolating world of royal duty, King Charles's fortunate to have a small but steadfast inner circle, and none more vital than his sister Princess Anne. While Queen car Miller is Charles' unwavering partner in public and private life, it is the Princess Royal who serves as the King's no nonsense sounding board.
Former BBC Royal correspondent Jenny Bond describes Anne as solid and completely reliable, a woman who knows him inside and out and offers infinitely sensible advice. Their closeness was underscored at the coronation, when the King entrusted Anne with the historic role of gold Stick in Waiting, a ceremonial post tasked with the monarch's personal security. Princess Anne's blunt, pragmatic style has earned her deep respect not only from her
brother but from the wider public. She is known to speak her mind, even when it diverges from the royal consensus. In a twenty twenty three interview with CBC News, and openly questioned the merits of her brother's plans for a streamlined monarchy, saying simply, it doesn't sound like a good idea. The king's former gardener had nice things to say about Charles to The Mirror. Jack Stooks said he was very much on the ball all the time. If he came home at the weekend, he would be out in the
garden checking what's been done, what hasn't been done. He would be like, this needs doing. That means doing, the former head gardener explains, So it was really good to know you're working for somebody who actually took everything in. Stooks said that level of interest gave the team a sense of satisfaction because their work was being enjoyed and
admired by the person who owns it. Stucks enjoyed all the usual suspects, from Camilla to William and Kate and even Harry, saying I think for me, it's just the normality of how they are as people. People looking in from the outside might say, do we have to give them money a year? But the amount of work they do for the country is just immense. You see the amount of work Charles is still doing and he's just
not giving up. He could say I'm ill. I can't do this and the country would understand, but he's got a sense of duty. A new National park honoring Queen Elizabeth the Second will be built in Saint James Park, directly opposite Buckingham Palace, commemorating her historic seventy year reign
and seventy three year marriage to Prince Philip. The design includes a statue of the late Queen in a newly created civic space named Queen Elizabeth I, placed near Marlborough Gate, as well as a corresponding Prince Philip Gate and statue at the park's bird Cage Walk entrance. The centerpiece is a striking new translucent bridge inspired by the Queen Mary Fringe diamond tiara, famously worn and briefly broken on Her Majesty's nineteen forty seven wedding day, replacing the park's existing
blue bridge. The new structure is described as a symbol of unity, honoring Queen Elizabeth's role in bringing together communities, charities and commonwealth. Surrounding grounds will also be transformed. Visitors can expect a family of gardens, winding paths, and a bodern wind structure intended to create space for reflection and remembrance all sat within the familiar landscape of Saint James Park.
Lord Foster, the architect behind the memorial and the designer of the Gurkhin, said the entire plan had been created with a light touch, ensuring the natural character of the park remains intact. The feeling should be that if you visit Saint James Park and the site in question later, it will still feel very familiar, he explained. He called the bridge a symbol of the Queen's quiet, strength and continuity, adding that the memorial space would feel gentler, quieter, more contemplative.
Prime Minister Kirstarmer has said the memorial offer everyone a place to honour the late Queen and connect with the shared history we cherish. Public consultation played a role in selecting the design, with five initial concepts displayed in the park earlier this year. The Queen Elizabeth Memorial Committee ultimately chose the final design with input from both experts and the public. Memorial is expected to be unveiled in twenty twenty six, timed to coincide with what would have been
Queen Elizabeth's one hundredth birthday year. Statues of the late Queen already stand in several locations across the UK, but this will serve as the national focal point for remembrance in the Capitol. A rather fascinating royal adjacent tale. Now as a woman known to her loyal lunchtime clan till simply as Francis, is going viral for her quietly aristocratic roots and delightfully unorthodox restaurant just a stone's throw from
Buckingham Palace. Lady Francis Armstrong Jones, the daughter of Lord Snowden, thus half sister to Lady Sarah Chatthow, is indeed the product of a royal adjacent lineage. Her father, the photographer Anthony Armstrong Jones, married Princess Margaret in nineteen sixty and was subsequently made Earl of Snowden. That union produced two children, David and Sarah, making them the only cousins of King Charles, the third on his mother's side. After the Snowdon's divorce
in nineteen seventy eight, Lord Snowden went Lucy Hogg. Daughter Francis was born seven months later, now forty five. Lady Francis might not appear on the Buckingham Palace balcony, but she does run one of the most singular lunch establishments in London, nestled just three miles from the Palace, The Yellow Bitteren is a postage stamp sized eatery with only eighteen seats open weekdays for just two lunch sittings. Reservations are available by phone or charmingly postcard payments cash only.
There is no fixed menu. Dinah's simply read what's on offer each day, written up on a chalkboard. More Palace In just a moment. Now that Lieutenant Colonel Haughty is off the market, there's a new soldier catching the eyes of Royal watchers. They were supposed to be looking at the King, but instead their eyes locked on someone else entirely.
During a recent visit to the Royal Regiment of Artillery in lark Hill, King Charles shared a moment of camaraderie with military personnel while donning ear defenders and trying his hand at firing an artillery gun. But it wasn't the cannon fire that set the Internet light. It was Sergeant Neil Mitchell, the green beret wearing detachment commander, who appeared in one of the royal family's Instagram photos and promptly broke the comments section. Are we not going to talk
about the green beret guy in the first picture? Good heavens, he's handsome, gushed one user. Another admitted, I do love the king honestly, but my eyes went straight to the really muscly guy with the green beret and the killer smile. A third summed it up succentilly the photographer understood the assignment. Mitchell forty six Commands fourteen Regiment thirty four Battery and wore the coveted green beret signifying completion of the elite
All Arms Commando course. His casual charm and warm gren in the background of the King's Instagram post quickly earned him unofficial fan favorite status, just as at the record straight when comment to claiming to be his sister added, he's not single, sorry, ladies. The royal visit had originally been postponed, but Mitchell said it was an honor to be selected as the commander. While the King fired his gun. He did awesome, Mitchell told Forces News, noting that Charles
needed two triers to master the firing lever. The first one he didn't give it a good enough pull, but the second time was faultless. Charles was seen grinning after a successful shot and later received an engraved one hundred and five millimeter cartridge fired during the coronation, the King was also treated to a display of modern military equipment and met with soldiers, families and Chelsea pensioners. Inside the officer's mess he viewed his great grandfather George the fifths
ceremonial too. Nickan commented it's lasted very well, but on social media it was Mitchell who left the lasting impression. This is in the first time a Royal aid has turned into an unlikely Internet crush. Lieutenant Colonel Johnny Thompson, dubbed the hot Equerry and known as Major Hotty before his promotion, became a viral sensation during Queen Elizabeth the Second's funeral and again at Charles's coronation. Though he eventually stepped away from public facing duties due to all attention,
he became the subject of fan accounts and swooning comment threads. Thompson, now remarried to a PR executive named Olivia, was most recently seen with the royal family at Christmas, though his try to maintain a lower profile. As for Sergeant Mitchell, he's yet to issue any official statement, but he may want to prepare. Once the royal fans fall in love, they don't forget, and, judging by the latest Instagram frenzy, hot Beret man may have just fired more than artillery
and they have it. If you like to email us have addresses The Palace Intrigue at gmail dot com. Please follow us on Spotify, Apple, the Apple Your Reason, leave us a nice review. If you're enjoying the show, I'm Mark Francis. I think, to John mcdermoth, this is Palace Intrigue and catains