Inside the Prince Andrew media frenzy that saw TV crews scrambled to Royal Lodge

Emily in Palace became Emily at the Apostolic Palace this week, as I travelled to the Vatican to cover the King and Queen's two-day state visit. Home to the Pope, a treasure trove of art and architecture and the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church, the Vatican really is an incredible place.

I visited for the first time with my mum eight years ago, and returned in April when I did some sightseeing ahead of Their Majesties' state visit to Italy. But walking through the richly decorated interiors and passing the Swiss guards dressed in their Renaissance-era uniforms, you're reminded just how special the smallest country in the world really is.

So it's against this backdrop that the King made history by becoming the first British monarch to publicly pray with a Pope in 500 years. The short but meaningful visit served as a reminder that Charles doesn't need to spend a week in a country to make a real impact, as we saw in the summer when he spent less than 24 hours in Canada.

The Palace avoided being drawn into any questions about Prince Andrew during the visit, but that didn't prevent the story from rumbling on back home. And on Thursday evening, just as we thought we could close out laptop lids having filed on the meaningful meeting with the Pope, rumours swirled that there was movement at Royal Lodge, Andrew's luxurious mansion on the Windsor Estate.

Film crews and cameras had rushed to Berkshire in anticipation of some big announcement. It created a rather uneasy atmosphere as we prepared to board our flights home, unable to follow whatever events might unfold while in the air.

But as many of us fastened our seatbelts, the Palace reassured us that there would be no statement or picture opportunity, dismissing the rumours as a media circus. It sparked a sigh of monetary relief, superseded by a barrage of questions about why the tip-off was made on Thursday night.

Even Emily Maitlis, the broadcaster who interviewed the prince in 2019, even wrote on X: "We may be expecting news from the Windsor estate later this evening where TV crews have been told to expect 'passing traffic'...." This was followed by another message two hours later: "Crews have now been pulled and stood down. Very confusing ..."

Was it simply a fuss over nothing, or was Andrew preparing to pack up his bags for good? I'm sure in the coming days we'll find answers to these questions, as there's absolutely one thing I'm certain about: there is zero hope that the scandals engulfing Andrew will be able to be ignored.

At 76 and undergoing cancer treatment, I'm pretty sure that the King has better stamina than me. Less than 12 hours after arriving home on Thursday night,Charles laid on a ceremonial welcome for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at Windsor Castle.

The quadrangle was filled with crisp autumnal sunshine for the event, which marked Zelensky's first British ceremonial welcome.

The King appeared in fine form, chatting animatedly with the wartime leader before heading inside for a private audience. Whereas I was working from home, stifling yawns and fuelled by endless cups of coffee after some very early starts this week in the name of royal reporting.

It had been all quiet on the Montecito front, likely because Harry and Meghan are revelling in the chaos caused by Prince Andrew. But that changed on Thursday, when the Duchess joined her pal Courtney Adamo for a chat at a bookstore before teasing that something was coming next week (on Tuesday if you're interested).

Her positive promo came crashing down though when the Mail revealed that she had lost her 10th publicist in just five years.

Emily Robinson, who joined as director of communications in June, has already quit.

It really is quite remarkable to have lost so many employees and further damages Meghan's reputation.

Wouldn't it be nice if we could all just pay a "peppercorn rent" to live in our homes? The legal term requiring the leaseholder to pay a token amount, typically just £1, is stipulated on Prince Andrew's lease. Naturally, the revelation has caused uproar, as it doesn't seem quite right that a disgraced duke is living in a lavish 30-room mansion rent-free.

MPs, campaigners and even the public are keen for a change, but unfortunately for the King, the decision has to come from Andrew, which seems unlikely.