King Charles’ ruthless move to oust his younger brother Andrew from public life was born out of a desire to isolate a weakened monarchy before handing over the crown, but it remains to be seen whether the deep damage can be managed.
Charles stripped Andrew of his princely title, evicted him from his residence near Windsor Castle, and said he and the Queen were thinking of abuse survivors to draw a line at the scandal surrounding his links to Jeffrey Epstein, which has plagued the royal family for years.
It marked one of the most dramatic moves against a member of the royal family in modern British history, with the king still undergoing regular cancer treatment and whose priority is to shore up support for the monarchy before his eldest son Prince William inherits the throne.
But some commentators said the move should have come much earlier.
With Queen Camilla and the King’s sister-in-law Sophie both long-term campaigners against sexual violence, royal author Robert Hardman said Andrew’s links to an American sex offender increasingly put the royal family in “Epstein’s team” which Charles could not live with.
“He wants to put as much distance as possible between his brother and the monarchy,” Hardman, author of Charles III: The Inside Story, told Reuters.
ROYALS DROP ANDREW OUT OF SELF PRESERVATION
The royal family has been trying for years to ditch Andrew, the younger brother of Charles and second son of the late Queen Elizabeth, for fear he would damage the family with the same pressure and bad behavior that has long persisted around him.
Andrew was once considered a dashing naval officer who returned from the Falklands War with Argentina in 1982 to greet his mother with a red rose between his teeth.
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But in the decades that followed, the Queen’s supposed favorite son became the focus of much ridicule as the British press focused on his personal life and nicknamed him “Randy Andy” and “Air Miles Andy” for his jet-setting lifestyle.
That derision turned to backlash when it was revealed that Andrew had remained in contact with Epstein after he was jailed for sex offenses in 2008 and when he gave a disastrous interview in which he showed no sympathy for victims of abuse.
Speaking to the BBC’s Newsnight, Andrew said he doesn’t regret his friendship with the American financier as it had some “serious beneficial results”.
Following the interview, he abandoned all royal duties and was stripped of his military ties and royal patronage in 2022.
That year, he also settled a lawsuit filed by Virginia Giuffre, who accused him of sexually abusing her when she was a teenager after being introduced by Epstein.
Andrew denied ever meeting Giuffre, who died by suicide in April. Her account returned to the limelight with the release of her memoir this month.
THREATENING REFLECTS THREAT TO ROYAL FAMILY
Royal experts said Charles’ moves reflected a threat to the institution, after the move earlier this month stopped Andrew using his title as Duke of York, which was deemed insufficient.
In recent weeks, Andrew has overshadowed two of Charles’ efforts to shape cultural and public life – his historic prayer with the Pope at the Vatican and the unveiling of a monument to LGBT military veterans that had previously been banned.
Read also | King Charles strips Prince Andrew of his titles and banishes him from the royal residence
“I think the fact that the royal family decided to go against him is a pretty big deal,” recruiter Anna Hunter, 29, said in London on Friday morning.
Giuffre’s brother Sky Roberts told BBC Newsnight that he praised the king but said more investigations were needed. The charity Rape Crisis has praised the King and Queen for their commitment to victims of sexual violence.
But others questioned whether the royal family was taking too long to act. “I don’t know that this step is enough to repair the damage that has been done,” Afua Hagan, a journalist and royal commentator, told Reuters.
SUPPORT FOR THE MONARCHY IS FALLING
Support for the institution has been falling over the past decade, with a British Social Attitudes survey showing that 51% of people in Britain think it is “very important” or “quite important” for Britain to have a monarchy.
This is the lowest figure to date and reflects the disinterest of younger generations.
The British royal family provides stability and continuity to its supporters in a time of constant political upheaval and acts as a draw for political leaders such as US President Donald Trump.
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But to their opponents, a hereditary monarchy that requires subjects to bow and bow is an anachronism holding the country back while the lives of leading members such as William and Kate and their three young children are watched like a soap opera.
Charles will be hoping his very public defenestration of his brother, which a royal source said was supported by Prince William, will resolve the issue.
“It’s recklessness on behalf of King Charles, but it’s also recklessness on behalf of Prince William,” commentator Hagan said.
