Dealing with ‘Andrew problem’ could help ease William’s accession to the throne | Prince Andrew

The Prince of Wales, who Buckingham Palace said was “consulted” before Prince Andrew’s stunning announcement, must have been somewhat relieved that his uncle agreed to give up the use of his titles and honour.

At some point William will become king. His uncle, who is 12 years younger than King Charles, may have been watching him take the coronation oath. But indications are that Andrew may be watching from afar.

Charles cannot be unaware that the “Andrew problem” is something William will not like to have in his bag when the time comes.

Friday’s announcement that Andrew’s dukedom, other titles and the Knighthood of the Order of the Garter will be abolished immediately – existing but inactive, as has his HRH title since the Virginia Giuffre scandal broke six years ago – could be seen by some in Buckingham Palace as a solution.

However, once William becomes king himself, he is reportedly prepared to take a more draconian approach if necessary.

Only an act of parliament could completely abolish the duchy. King Charles is understood to have been of the view that it would be a waste of parliament’s time to focus on Andrew’s titles and it was sufficient to set them aside. The government said it would be “guided” by the royal family in any decision to formally strip Andrew of his titles.

But some MPs are putting more pressure. Rachael Maskell, Labor MP for York Central, is writing to ministers in support of the bill that would give the king or a parliamentary committee the power to formally strip Andrew of his titles.

If this were to happen, it would allow William to draw a clear line, if his father had not already done so.

William reportedly still sees his uncle as a “threat” and a reputational risk to the monarchy.

Measures he could take once he ascends the throne include banning Andrew from public and private royal events and most official events, including the coronation. According to the Sunday Times. Andrew is understood to be concerned about the message that engaging in such activities sends to victims of sexual abuse.

Buckingham Palace has said for years that it does not represent Andrew. But while he has kept little public notice since his disastrous Newsnight interview in 2019, he was still invited to Sandringham for Christmas and walked to church with his siblings. He was a prominent figure during the funeral of his mother, Queen Elizabeth, attending her vigil as she lay in state and was allowed to wear a military uniform, although he had previously been stripped of his military titles.

He attended his brother’s coronation in full Order of the Garter robes and regalia. She was also at the Duchess of Kent’s funeral at Westminster Abbey last month, and her body language with the Prince of Wales appeared cold.

Such appearances at family and public events served as a demonstration of unspoken support, first from Andrew’s mother and then from his brother, in light of his vocal denials of having sex with Giuffre. Such appearances continued even after the multimillion-dollar settlement with Giuffre, without admitting any liability; This deal is believed to have been partly funded by the late queen and current King Charles.

Giuffre, who killed herself in April at the age of 41, wrote about the deal in her posthumous memoir: “I agreed to a one-year speaking ban, which seemed important to the prince because it ensured that his mother’s platinum anniversary would not be tainted any more than it had already been.”

Senior members of the royal family may have hoped that Friday’s announcement would help them head off the expected negative publicity that would accompany Tuesday’s publication of Nobody’s Daughter: Surviving Abuse and the Fight for Justice, from which the Guardian published exclusive excerpts.

Inevitably, Giuffre’s statement would lead to public uproar over Andrew’s remaining high-profile status as duke and knight of the Garter. A preemptive strike can reduce the pain and further damage to the organization’s reputation.

However, their titles still remain, even though they are not used. So do questions about why Andrew and his ex-wife of 30 years, now known only as Sarah Ferguson, were able to stay in the 30-room Royal Lodge mansion on the Windsor royal estate.

This is a more complicated situation for the king. The images are bad: a disgraced prince living in the luxury of a large royal estate. The king’s efforts to persuade his brother to downsize to Frogmore Cottage, briefly the marital home of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, appear to have fallen on deaf ears.

Andrew has a private lease with the crown estate, an independent organization that manages crown lands and estates, the income of which goes to the Treasury. The terms of the lease were never made public. Although he is financially responsible for his care, there is no transparency about Andrew’s finances to explain how he pays to stay there.

However, the removal of his dukedom and dignity would not affect his lease. Maybe if William’s uncle is still here when he ascends to the throne, the future king will also have this nettle.