No one can be stronger than the monarchy. Even the king's brother.
Ultimately, this reality brought an end to Andrew's life as the prince of the kingdom.
As details of Andrew's links to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein continued to spread and Parliament raised questions about his free accommodation at a sprawling country house near Windsor Castle, King Charles III moved in on Thursday to protect the monarchy from further exposure.
In a statement released by Buckingham Palace, the king said he had taken steps to strip his brother of all titles and honors, including the one he has held since birth: prince. From now on, scandalous British royal family will be known simply as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor.
Andrew is also forced to move from Royal Lodgea 30-room mansion near Windsor Castle, where he lived for more than 20 years.
“The monarchy needed to draw as thick a line as possible 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 was made after announcement earlier this month that Andrew Those who agreed to stop using the titles have failed to stem the flow of tasteless stories that threaten to weaken support for the monarchy. Far from ending the media frenzy, the move has also prompted calls from some MPs to formally strip Andrew of his titles and evict him from the Royal Lodge.
This raised the possibility of a parliamentary debate about Andrew's behavior, which would expose the royal family to even more unwanted publicity.
Shame Andrew comes as Charles, who is 76 and undergoing treatment for an undiagnosed form of cancer, is working to solve stubborn problems and strengthen the foundations of the monarchy for his eldest son, Prince Williaminherit.
“I think it was a very clear statement about what needs to be done to get the house in order (now) and also about what to do in the future,” said George Gross, a royal expert at King's College London. “It makes life easier for Prince William… I think that's part of it too. But it seemed inevitable.”
While the king's decision may help protect the monarchy from the fallout from the scandal, it will not end Andrew's problems.
The latest round of stories about Andrei was provoked by the publication of memoirs written by Virginia Giuffrewho claimed Epstein trafficked her and had sex with Andrew when she was 17 years old. Giuffre, an American living in Australia, took her own life earlier this year.
Her brother Skye Roberts on Thursday praised his sister's long fight to expose Epstein and Andrew, but continued to call for the King's brother to be prosecuted.
Andrey repeatedly denied have sex with Giuffre or commit any crimes.
Historian Andrew Lowney, author of a recent biography of Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, said he believes there are grounds to investigate allegations ranging from sex trafficking to misconduct in public office.
“I don’t think this is the end, I think there are many more revelations to come,” the author of “Titled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York” told the British Press Association. “But at least they are taking some decisive action.”
Andrew, 65, is the second son of the late Queen Elizabeth II. He spent more than 20 years as a Royal Navy officer before leaving to take up his royal duties in 2001.
The tabloids have been covering him since at least 2007, when he sold a house near Windsor Castle for 20% over the £15 million asking price. The buyer was reportedly Timur Kulibayev, the son-in-law of Nursultan Nazarbayev, then the president of Kazakhstan, raising fears that the deal was an attempt to buy influence in Britain.
These allegations, coupled with reports of links to the son of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, led to Andrew being stripped of his position as Britain's special envoy for international trade and investment.
But royal experts believe Andrew was often shielded from the full brunt of scandals due to his position as the Queen's favorite child.
This became untenable in November 2019 after Andrew gave a disastrous interview with the BBC in an attempt to refute media reports about his friendship with Epstein. He was widely criticized for showing no empathy for Epstein's victims and offering improbable explanations for his friendship with the disgraced financier.
Shortly after the interview aired, Andrew was forced give up all his public duties and charitable roles.
Now Charles is severing his brother's remaining ties to the institution of the monarchy. The Royal Lodge has been a particularly sore point, with Andrew so far rebuffing the king's requests to waive his 75-year lease on the property. He will now live at the king's private estate in Sandringham in eastern England.
Prescott, the constitutional expert, said Andrew's ouster should be seen as part of the transition to a monarchy that began after Elizabeth's death in 2022.
While the Queen was alive, people were reluctant to criticize the monarchy because it was seen as a personal criticism of the Queen, who had become a revered figure during her 70-year reign.
Charles never had that status and he recognizes that the crown must be accountable to the people and their representatives in Parliament, Prescott said.
“This is part of a shift towards the monarchy becoming more and more like a typical state institution, capable of being subject to parliamentary scrutiny in one way or another,” he said.
“There was a public and parliamentary demand for the king to do something,” Prescott added. “And he did it.”
