Andrew’s brother, who is now a prince, has been ordered to leave his lavish residence close to Windsor Castle by King Charles III, according to a report released on Thursday by Buckingham Palace. According to observers, the Palace is finally taking action in response to allegations that Virginia Giuffre was sexually abused by the two men while she was a teenager as a result of Andrew’s connections to Jeffrey Epstein, a late sex offender.
Andrew, 65, the younger brother of King Charles and the second son of Queen Elizabeth, is increasingly being investigated for his ties to Epstein and his personal behavior. He was pressured into resigning as the Duke of York earlier this month.
“I’ve made the decision to prioritize my duty to my family and country as I always have.” Five years ago, Andrew said, “I stand by my decision to step down from public life.” He added that he “vigorously denies] the accusations” made against him.
Following years of compromise scandals, Buckingham Palace wants to draw a line. Due to his connections to Epstein, Andrew was fired from a number of royal responsibilities in 2022.
How were Andrew’s ties to Epstein exposed?
Andrew was a more well-known member of the British royal family who was renowned for his military service as a helicopter pilot during the Falklands War in 1982. He was born in 1960.
However, Andrew’s private antics have plagued the royal family’s patience for years and caused embarrassing headlines. For instance, court records in 2024 revealed a suspected Chinese spy as a close friend of Andrew’s business affairs.
However, Andrew eventually had to resign from his royal duties in 2019 due to his persistent ties to Jeffrey Epstein. In 2019 as he waited to be tried on sex trafficking charges, Epstein committed suicide in a US prison.
One of the most prominent accusers of Epstein, Virginia Giuffre, filed a lawsuit against then-Prince Andrew in 2021, alleging rape and sexual abuse. She claimed that, as a minor in the United States, she was repeatedly forced to have sex with him at the age of 17.
Giuffre’s accusations have never been refuted by Prince Andrew, even saying that a now-discredited photo that appeared to show them two together was fake. He agreed to settle the lawsuit in 2022, which he received as much as $ 16 million.
Virginia Giuffre committed suicide in April of this year. She was a 41-year-old woman.
More than two months after the prince told the BBC he had ended all ties with his former associate, according to British newspapers, Andrew had emailed him in February 2011 in an email earlier that month.
Andrew told Epstein that they were “in this together” and would “have to rise above it” during a period of increased media coverage of the Epstein scandal.
Buckingham Palace’s response on Thursday was ultimately provoked by these revelations.
What has been said by Buckingham Palace?
Buckingham Palace announced that Andrew Mountbatten Windsor would be the King’s brother in a statement released on Thursday night.
He will no longer be referred to as “Prince” or “His Royal Highness (HRH), and his royal patronages, including dukedom, earldom, barony, and military ranks, will no longer apply.
Additionally, it was revealed that he will be evicted from his sprawling Royal Lodge, which was once the Queen Mother’s residence, close to Windsor Castle in west London.
He has been given legal protection to remain in residence as a result of his lease on Royal Lodge. He will move to another private accommodation after receiving formal notice to renounce the lease, according to the palace statement.
The statement continued, “These censures are deemed necessary… Their Majesties wish to make clear that the victims and survivors of any and all forms of abuse are in their thoughts and have the utmost sympathies with them,” it continued.
According to a palace source, King Charles made the decision, but he also had the support of the rest of the royal family, including Prince William, the monarchy’s heir to the throne, to lessen the risk of reputational damage.
Culture secretary Lisa Nandy also claimed that survivors of sexual abuse would receive a “powerful message” from the king’s most recent decision in a “truly brave, important, and correct step.”
Why has Royal Lodge expelled Andrew?
After The Times newspaper reported on October 21 that Andrew had not paid rent on his 30-room mansion, known as Royal Lodge, for 20 years, speculation has rifed in the British press.
According to what it was discovered, Andrew was required to pay “one peppercorn” per year for the work that was being done on the property in exchange for carrying out renovations and keeping the mansion.
A British parliamentary committee on Wednesday questioned whether Andrew should still reside in the house, which is owned by the monarch and is located 5 kilometers (3 miles) south of Windsor Castle) in a rare political move.
The BBC also made it known that Prince Andrew hosted Harvey Weinstein, the disgraced film producer convicted of rape, and Ghislaine Maxwell, one of Epstein’s associates who later served time for sex trafficking, at Royal Lodge on October 28.
Just two months after Epstein’s sexual assault conviction was cited in the United States, the three visited Andrew’s home in 2006 to celebrate his daughter’s 18th birthday.
Where will Andrew currently reside?
Andrew’s move to a private Sandringham Estate property, which will be funded by his brother, the king, is reportedly planned.
The Palace has not specified which property he will reside in, despite the fact that the larger Sandringham Estate has about 8,100 hectares (20, 000 acres) and 240 hectares (600 acres) of gardens.
Andrew’s relocation to Sandringham will be “as soon as practicable,” it is also reportedly understood.
Sarah Ferguson, his ex-wife, will also leave Royal Lodge and move into her own housing arrangements. She still lives there with him.
Have other British royals previously lost their titles?
King Charles III’s removal of Prince Andrew’s royal titles is unusual in contemporary British history.
Other royals have voluntarily given up their positions, including King Edward VIII, who wed Wallis Simpson, an American woman who had previously been divorced twice, and Princess Diana, who wed Prince Harry after her divorce from King Charles.
Others have lost their privileges for political reasons, such as Ernest Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, who sided with Germany in World War I, but there hasn’t been a case where an immediate family or a reigning monarch has been stripped of their status for scandal-related reasons.
Source: Aljazeera
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