King Charles’s “duty to late Queen” is set to mould how he handles the latest Prince Andrew scandal. The Duke of York, 63, has been bought back into the spotlight again after documents regarding his relationship with late paedophile Jeffrey Epstein were released earlier this week.
The Duke of York stepped down from royal duties in 2019, and was stripped of his HRH title, military titles and royal patronages in January 2022.
Despite him taking a back seat, Andrew has subtly made appearances at various royal engagements, such as attending the Christmas Day service with the royals at the Sandringham estate last month. According to one royal source, the King still feels a “sense of duty” to his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II.
Speaking to the Mirror, the source said that, in honour of their late mother, the King wants to ensure that Andrew is not “cut adrift” from the rest of the family.
According to the paper, the King’ eldest son Prince William feels very differently and thinks that his uncle should be banned from public life for good.
The source said: “This will haunt Andrew and the family forever. In William’s view, [Andrew] should have no role with the family at all.”
Despite trying to keep his brother on side, the King is reportedly preparing to withdraw private funding on Royal Lodge – meaning that Prince Andrew will feel pressured to move out.
At present, Buckingham Palace has declined to comment on the matter. Reports have suggested that if Andrew wants to stay at the 30-room properly that he has lived in since 2002, he will have to find his own way to fund the multi-million-pound security costs.
The newly-released documents relate to a Manhattan defamation case that accuser Virginia Giuffre bought against Ghislaine Maxwell in 2015.
The documents state that Jane Doe 3 – who was later revealed to be Ms Giuffre – claimed that she was forced to have sex with Prince Andrew on three separate occasions, including one when she only 17. Prince Andrew, who has vehemently denied any wrongdoing, is mentioned 69 times.
The documents also claimed that Andrew had committed “acts of sexual abuse” and that he took part in an “underage orgy”. Despite his repeated strong denial of any wrongdoing, Andrew stepped down from royal duties in 2019 and paid millions in a settlement with Ms Giuffre.
A source added: “When it comes to family, it is difficult. But this association is just never going to go away. And that means he [Andrew] has to.”
