What does it mean to be plain old Andrew Mountbatten Windsor? | Monarchy

In The Queen and I, novelist Sue Townsend imagined the monarchy being abolished and the royal family exiled to council estate on a street known locally as Hell Close.

This was a wild and funny montage.

Today it is a very cold fact that Prince Andrew was abolished and exiled. It’s a far cry from spending his days in the town hall, but few can imagine that his new life somewhere on the lush grounds of Sandringham will be anything other than a private hell.

Andrew is a man of the people, but what will that mean? What will life be like for 65-year-old Andrew Mountbatten Windsor? Will this put an end to the questions still being asked about her and her relationships with late financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein?

Royal watchers say Thursday’s announcement is nothing short of an “absolute humiliation” for Andrew.

Royal writer and commentator Richard Fitzwilliams told the Guardian: “Given his particular fondness for titles and his entitled attitude, I think this would be a pretty good hell for him.”

Fitzwilliams said Andrew had never done him any favors. The public rarely warmed to him. “One of his problems is that he has proven to be very greedy,” he said. “Because of that extraordinary Newsnight interview, people see him as entitled, greedy and also incredibly bovine.”

Titles are rarely taken away, and the history of this will surely hurt Andrew’s pride deeply. The last people to be stripped of their principalities were the Dukes of Cumberland and Albany in 1919 after fighting for Germany in the First World War.

Observers say that while Andrew was prince, he particularly enjoyed going to the lavish annual Garter Day ceremony at Windsor Castle in June. However, he was stripped of the Order of the Garter, just as Emperor Hirohito of Japan did during World War II.

“He was effectively treated as an enemy of the state,” royal biographer Robert Hardman told Sky News.

Fitzwilliams said Andrew had been exiled and had no chance of being invited to the king’s Christmas celebrations or any royal events other than royal funerals. But questions remain, including why Andrew remains eighth in line to the throne.

Joe Little, editor-in-chief of Majesty Magazine, said: “I’m sure very soon someone will be asking why he hasn’t been disinherited, if he hasn’t already.”

Little told the Guardian the situation wasn’t that bad for Andrew, especially since the king had provided him with a new place to live. “He will no longer be at Windsor but will be at a private royal estate in Norfolk where he will be provided with accommodation and otherwise supported by his brother the king during what is an equally difficult period for him.”

Andrew has always denied any wrongdoing, but if he thinks stripping his titles is the end of trouble, others will disagree. He is now an “ordinary member of the public” and some see this as an opportunity for his extradition.

The family of the late Virginia Giuffre, who claims Andrew was trafficked and sex-treated when he was 17, continues to call for Andrew to face justice in the United States. “He needs to be behind bars.”Giuffre’s brother, Sky Roberts, told the BBC’s Newsnight program on Thursday:

British Trade Secretary Chris Bryant also suggested that Andrew should go to the US and answer questions about Epstein’s crimes if asked.

Bryant told the BBC: “I think, like any ordinary member of society, if there were requests of this nature from another jurisdiction, I would expect any sane person to comply with that request.”

Democratic congressman Suhas Subramanyam recently He called on Andrew to appear before the committee It investigates how Jeffrey Epstein’s case was handled. “If he hasn’t done anything wrong, he should appear before a committee, be sworn in and testify that he hasn’t done anything wrong,” he said.

There are signs that formal parliamentary investigations into Andrew’s affairs may be launched in the UK.

The Metropolitan police also said they were “actively” investigating allegations that Andrew gave Giuffre’s date of birth and social security number to a police protection officer to dig up dirt for a smear campaign.

It’s impossible to say exactly what will happen next for Andrew, but no one can see a meaningful path back for him as a public figure.