King Charles’ decision to cast out his brother Andrew from the monarchy as well as the 30-room mansion where he’s lived for more than 20 years was as sudden as it was dramatic.
It is the ultimate humiliation for the 65-year-old now-former prince, known to enjoy the trappings and privilege of royal life. He will move out of Royal Lodge, his sprawling mansion in the heart of the Windsor estate just outside of London, and be exiled to the countryside to live in obscurity.
The monarchy had been under intense pressure to resolve the Andrew issue amid renewed public fury over his ties to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, which was further inflamed by the release of his sexual abuse accuser Virginia Giuffre’s posthumous memoir. Andrew has repeatedly denied the allegations against him.
Two weeks ago, Andrew gave up the use of his titles and honors, more than five years after stepping back as a frontline royal. He said he was putting “duty to my family and country first,” but it did little to stop the snowballing scandal.
Then on Thursday evening, a brusque bombshell announcement from Buckingham Palace: Andrew is to lose his princely status, and effective immediately he is plain old Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, a commoner.
The palace statement was clear – the decision was the king’s and Andrew had no choice in the matter (although he is understood not to have objected to his brother’s actions). Notable in the statement too, an expression of solidarity with victims of abuse.
The significance of Charles’ moves on Thursday cannot be overstated. Not since the abdication crisis of 1936 has there been such a public casting aside of a senior British royal.
The decision would doubtless have been difficult – and, given the personal family dynamics at play, deeply personal. But the monarch had no choice – Andrew’s controversies have been dogging the family for years and the publication of his accuser’s posthumous memoir was the final straw. The negotiations to get to this stage will have been challenging but the monarch had no option but to engage damage control mode.
It was not just the public that had expressed outrage and frustration; there had also been increasing calls for Andrew to appear before a parliamentary committee. Perhaps this move will head off that particular indignity.
Royal historian Kate Williams said the King’s decision was “unprecedented.”
“This is a huge move from the royal family. Just recently, the King announced that Andrew was stepping back from the title Duke of York just a few days before Ms. Giuffre’s memoir was published. But that simply wasn’t enough for public opinion,” she said.
“We have had people in the past losing the title of prince or princess. Henry VIII (reigned 1509-1547) said his daughters were no longer legitimate after he annulled the marriages with their mothers, Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn – but he changed his mind later.”
She also pointed out Prince Charles Edward – one of Queen Victoria’s grandsons – whose title of the Duke of Albany was removed by parliament in 1917 after he fought for Germany in World War I. But Andrew’s situation, Williams said, was different as he was censured because of his serious errors of judgment.
The King’s moves were welcomed by many British politicians. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said that “the King has clearly felt that this is the right decision for the royal family” but added that it “must have been a very difficult thing” to act against his own sibling.
The leader of the centrist Liberal Democrats said Andrew’s situation “had become totally untenable, having disgraced his office and embarrassed the country.”
He added: “This is an important step towards rebuilding trust in our institutions and drawing a line under this whole sorry saga.”
For several weeks, it has felt like some sort of announcement was coming down the pike and was simply a case of when, rather than if.
Royal sources told CNN that the King was trying to act swiftly following recent developments but had needed some time to consult legal and constitutional experts.
It is also understood that the King took action in light of his sibling’s serious lapses of judgment and has the support of the wider family, including Prince William.
The statement, when it came, was uncompromising. “These censures are deemed necessary, notwithstanding the fact that he continues to deny the allegations against him,” it said.
For many people in the country, and certainly critics of the royal family, these moves might not be enough to rehabilitate the monarchy’s tarnished reputation. For some, the removal of Andrew’s status as prince only goes so far. Other critics say the family has shielded Andrew over the years, and pressure for some sort of accountability needs to continue.
“Losing silly titles is not an answer to very serious accusations of sexual offenses and corruption in public office,” Graham Smith, chief executive of the anti-monarchy campaign group Republic, said following the palace’s announcement.
“This isn’t about William and Charles taking a tough line. It’s about William and Charles protecting their position by putting as much distance between them and Andrew as they can,” Smith added. “We need to see Andrew face justice, because we need to know that the royals are not above the law.”
Despite being stripped of his prince title, Andrew remains eighth in line to the throne. Royal sources have told CNN that he will be given a house on the King’s private estate in Sandringham, and will receive an income from Charles as well.
Andrew is not expected to move from his Windsor mansion to Sandringham in Norfolk until after the Christmas holidays, according to a royal source. The move will happen as soon as possible and practical, but the process of giving notice, surrendering the lease and other practicalities of the relocation can be a drawn-out process.
Moving in the new year might also avoid potential awkwardness over the holidays as Sandringham is traditionally where the royal family gathers for the festive season. It was previously announced that Andrew would be excluded from Christmas celebrations with the rest of the Windsor clan.
His ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, who has been living with Andrew at Royal Lodge for the last two decades, is moving out as well and is understood to be making her own arrangements.
Their two daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, will retain their titles as daughters of the son of a sovereign, in line with a directive issued by King George V in 1917.
It’s not yet clear if the King’s actions will be enough to give a public perception that the situation has been handled, but Charles seems to be doing as much as he feels he can within his own royal prerogative.
