King banishes Andrew to buttress the House of Windsor
No one is greater than the monarchy. He’s not even the king’s brother.
Eventually, this reality brought the end of Andrew’s life as prince of the realm.
As details of Andrew’s links to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein continue to emerge and Parliament raises questions about his rent-free residence in a sprawling country house near Windsor Castle, King George III’s courthouse has been blocked. Charles moved on Thursday to protect the monarchy from further exposure.
In a statement released by Buckingham Palace, the King said he was taking steps to strip his brother of all the titles and honors he had held since birth, including the principality. Now the scandal-plagued British royal family will be known only as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor.
Andrew is also being forced to move out of Royal Lodge, the 30-room mansion near Windsor Castle where he has lived for more than 20 years.
“The monarchy needed to draw the thickest possible line between Andrew and the rest of the royal family,” said Craig Prescott, an expert on constitutional law and monarchy at Royal Holloway, University of London. “And that’s exactly what he did.”
The King’s decision follows the announcement earlier this month that Andrew had agreed to stop using those titles; this failed in the face of a flood of vulgar stories that threatened to weaken support for the monarchy.
Far from ending the media frenzy, the earlier move has spurred calls from some members of Parliament for Andrew to be formally stripped of his titles and evicted from the Royal Lodge.
This has raised the prospect of a parliamentary debate over Andrew’s behavior, which would expose the royal family to further unwanted publicity.
Andrew’s embarrassment comes as Charles, 76 and being treated for an undisclosed form of cancer, tries to resolve persistent problems and strengthen the foundations of the monarchy for his eldest son, Prince William, to inherit.
“I think it was a very clear statement of what needs to be done to get the house (at the moment) in order and move forward for the future,” said royal expert George Gross of King’s College London.
“It makes Prince William’s life easier… I think that’s part of it. But it felt inevitable.”
While the king’s decision will help protect the monarchy from the consequences of the scandal, it will not put an end to Andrew’s troubles.
The latest stories about Andrew were triggered by the publication of a memoir written by Virginia Giuffre, who claimed she was trafficked by Epstein and had sex with Andrew when she was 17. Giuffre, an American living in Australia, committed suicide earlier this year.
Her sister, Sky Roberts, praised her sister’s long fight to expose Epstein and Andrew on Thursday but continued to call for the King’s brother to be prosecuted.
Andrew has repeatedly denied having sex with Giuffre or committing any crime.
Historian Andrew Lownie, author of a recent biography of Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, said he believed there were grounds to investigate allegations ranging from sex trafficking to misconduct in public office.
“I don’t think it ends here, I think there are many more revelations to come,” the author of Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York told Britain’s Press Association.
“But at least they’re taking decisive action.”
Andrew, 65, is the daughter of the late Queen Elizabeth II. Elizabeth’s second son. He served as a Royal Navy officer for more than 20 years before leaving to take up royal duties in 2001.
He has been the subject of tabloid reports dating back to at least 2007, sparking speculation about connections to foreign leaders.
But royal experts believe Andrew has been spared the full brunt of the scandals because he is the queen’s favorite child.
This became untenable in November 2019 after Andrew gave a disastrous interview to the BBC in a bid to counter media reports about his friendship with Epstein.
Shortly after the interview was broadcast, Andrew was forced to give up all public duties and charity work.
Now Charles is severing his brother’s remaining ties to the institution of the monarchy.
