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Prince Andrew announced that he would ‘no longer’ be using his Duke of York title last week. The royal is facing renewed pressure to step down from his royal roles following the release of private emails to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and the posthumous release of Virginia Giuffre’s memoir. In a statement, Andrew wrote: “In discussion with The King, and my immediate and wider family, we have concluded the continued accusations about me distract from the work of His Majesty and the Royal Family.”
It was reported that Prince William plans to completely ‘ban’ Andrew from royal life when he one day assumes the throne. Royal insiders have claimed that William has held a ‘grudge’ against his uncle for a number of years, as he was unhappy with how Andrew treated Catherine, Princess of Wales, in the early days of their relationship. However, the numerous scandals surrounding Prince Andrew – from his association with Epstein, to the explosive accusations in recent royal biography, Entitled, and the accusations now levelled against him in Giuffre’s memoir – have left William and Kate no choice but to plan for his ‘exile’ from royal life.
According to royal expert Tina Brown, who wrote the best-selling royal biography The Palace Papers in 2022, William and Kate are looking to ‘banish’ Andrew from the royal fold completely. Brown claims that the Waleses ‘can’t abide’ by the disgraced Prince and his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, who has also faced criticism in recent weeks for maintaining contact with Epstein.
In fact, the former Duke and Duchess of York’s current home, Royal Lodge, is just four miles away from William and Kate’s new home, Forest Lodge, both of which are situated on the Windsor estate – and the set-up is less than favourable for the Waleses, apparently. Andrew’s residence has been a point of contention among the royals in recent years, as he has ‘refused’ to leave the property. In her Substack Fresh Hell, Tina writes (per Daily Mail): “Unless Andrew can be persuaded to banish himself to a cottage on the Balmoral estate or a cushy villa on a Dubai golf course, his scowly, jowly visage will keep seeping back into the national consciousness.”
Brown goes on: “How do you disappear a 6-foot-tall, 190-pound, 65-year-old man in robust good health who has an iron-clad contract to live in the Queen Mother’s former mansion, a short neigh from Windsor Castle and just four miles from the new “forever” home of Prince William and Kate, who can’t abide him?”
The author also questioned how the royal family will navigate Andrew’s public appearances at important royal events, such as William’s future coronation, adding: “The thornier question, perhaps approaching faster than anyone is indelicate enough to discuss, is whether, in the fullness of time, Andrew will be allowed to attend his brother, the king’s, funeral.”
Penguin
The Palace Papers, Tina Brown
Author and former Vanity Fair editor, Tina Brown, offers insight into how the biggest moments in recent royal history unfolded – from Camilla’s royal ascension, to Harry and Meghan’s departure.
Entitled: the Rise and Fall of the House of York, by Andrew Lownie
This new biography unpacks the life of Prince Andrew, and been touted as ‘the most devastating royal biography ever written’.
Revenge: Meghan, Harry and the War Between the Windsors, by Tom Bower
This was branded as one of the most ‘explosive’ royal biographies in recent years, detailing the fallout between the monarchy, and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
Andrew’s living situation has been in the spotlight again this week following the release of his lease agreement with the Crown Estate. According to the BBC, the Prince has only ever paid ‘token rent’ on the property, instead paying large lump sum payments up-front to ‘buy himself out of future rent obligations for the duration of the 75-year lease.’
The Palace has not yet commented.
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