Nobody is greater than the monarchy. Not even the king’s brother.
In the long run, that actuality spelled the top of Prince Andrew’s life as a prince of the realm.
As particulars of Andrew’s hyperlinks to the intercourse offender Jeffrey Epstein continued to dribble out and Parliament raised questions on his rent-free residence at a sprawling nation home close to Windsor Fort, King Charles III moved Thursday to defend the monarchy from any additional revelations.
In an announcement issued by Buckingham Palace, the king mentioned he had taken steps to strip his brother of all his titles and honors, together with the one he has held since beginning — prince. Any further, the scandal-plagued British royal will likely be recognized merely as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor.
“The monarchy needed to draw the thickest line they could between Andrew and the rest of the royal family,’’ said Craig Prescott, an expert on constitutional law and the monarchy at Royal Holloway, University of London. “And he’s precisely done that.”
A transparent assertion
The king’s resolution got here after final week’s announcement that Andrew had agreed to cease utilizing the titles did not staunch the flood of tawdry tales that threaten to weaken help for the monarchy. Removed from ending the media frenzy, the sooner transfer spurred calls from some members of Parliament that Andrew be formally stripped of his titles and evicted from the Royal Lodge, the 30-room manor that has been his house since 2004.
That raised the prospect of a parliamentary debate on Andrew’s conduct that might have subjected the royal household to much more undesirable publicity.
Andrew’s shame comes as Charles, who’s 76 and present process therapy for an undisclosed type of most cancers, works to resolve cussed issues and buttress the foundations of the monarchy earlier than his elder son, Prince William, inherits.
“This, I think, was a very clear statement of what had to be done to get the house in order (now) and also going forward for the future,” mentioned George Gross, a royal professional at King’s Faculty London. “That makes life easier for Prince William … I think that’s also part of it. But it felt inevitable.”
Andrew’s issues aren’t solved
Whereas the king’s resolution could assist defend the monarchy from the fallout from the scandal, it gained’t finish Andrew’s issues.
The newest spherical of tales about Andrew was triggered by the publication of a memoir written by Virginia Giuffre, who alleged that she was trafficked by Epstein and had intercourse with Andrew when she was 17. Giuffre, an American residing in Australia, took her personal life earlier this yr.
Her brother, Sky Roberts, on Thursday lauded his sister’s lengthy struggle to reveal Epstein and Andrew, however continued to name for the king’s brother to be prosecuted.
Andrew has repeatedly denied having intercourse with Giuffre or committing any crimes.
Historian Andrew Lownie, writer of a latest biography of Andrew and his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, mentioned he believes there are grounds to research allegations starting from intercourse trafficking to misconduct in public workplace.
“I don’t think it’s the end of it, I think there are many more disclosures to come,” writer of “Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York,” instructed Britain’s Press Affiliation. “But at least they’re taking some decisive action.”
Andrew, 65, is the second son of the late Queen Elizabeth II. He spent greater than 20 years as a Royal Navy officer earlier than leaving to take up his royal duties in 2001.
He has been the topic of tabloid tales stretching again to at the very least 2007, when he offered a home close to Windsor Fort for 20% over the 15 million pound asking worth. The client was reported to be Timur Kulibayev, son-in-law of Nursultan Nazarbayev, then-president of Kazakhstan, elevating issues that the deal was an try to purchase affect in Britain.
These allegations, coupled with reported hyperlinks to a son of former Libyan strongman Moammar Gadhafi, led to Andrew being stripped of his function as Britain’s particular envoy for worldwide commerce and funding.
Queen Elizabeth II had a gentle spot for Andrew
However royal specialists consider Andrew was typically shielded from the total weight of his scandals due to his place because the queen’s favourite youngster.
That turned untenable in November 2019, after Andrew gave a disastrous interview to the BBC in an effort to counter media studies about his friendship with Epstein. He was broadly criticized for failing to point out empathy for Epstein’s victims and for providing unbelievable explanations for his friendship with the disgraced financier.
Quickly after the interview aired, Andrew was pressured to surrender all of his public duties and charity roles.
Now Charles is severing his brother’s remaining ties to the establishment of the monarchy. The Royal Lodge has been a very sore level, with Andrew till now rejecting the king’s entreaties to surrender his 75-year lease on the property. He’ll now dwell on the king’s personal property at Sandringham in jap England.
A monarchy in transition
Prescott, the constitutional professional, mentioned Andrew’s banishment needs to be seen as a part of a transition within the monarchy that started after Elizabeth’s dying in 2022.
So long as the queen was alive, folks had been reluctant to criticize the monarchy as a result of it was seen as personally criticizing the queen, who turned a revered determine throughout her 70-year reign.
Charles has by no means had that very same standing and he acknowledges that the crown needs to be accountable to the folks and their representatives in Parliament, Prescott mentioned.
“This is part of the transition of the monarchy becoming more like a typical public institution, capable of being scrutinized by Parliament in one way or another,” he mentioned.
“There was public demand and parliamentary demand for the king to do something,” Prescott added. “And he’s done it.”
