The prince’s links to paedophile Jeffrey Epstein have dominated the headlines for days, with fresh focus on his sex accuser Virginia Giuffre’s allegations, which Andrew denies, after the publication of her posthumous memoirs.
Senior Tory Robert Jenrick said it was “about time Prince Andrew took himself off to live in private” as “the public are sick of him” after it emerged Andrew has paid a “peppercorn rent” on his 30-room home for more than 20 years.
READ MORE: ‘Investigate the royals’: Anti-monarchy protest outside Prince Andrew’s residence
The prince announced last week he would stop using his Duke of York title to avoid distracting from the work of the King and the royal family, but a YouGov poll on Tuesday found 80% of the public back official removal of the dukedom instead.
Only legislation can strip the prince of the title, so it is currently held in abeyance.
With pressure growing for the King to take further action, one royal author has now suggested Charles may be attempting to persuade Andrew to relocate to the Castle of Mey in the Highlands.
Previously a royal residence, The Castle of Mey was The Queen Mother’s home in Caithness. The King has a long-standing affection with the Caithness area and is a regular summer visitor to the nearby castle.
Royal author Andrew Lownie first suggested the move writing in the Daily Mail that John O’Groats — the closest town — is “nothing to write home about,” adding it “consists of little more than drab council housing, a sports park and a shop”.
An unflattering biography of the disgraced prince by Lownie delved into the private life of the late Queen’s son, depicting him as sex obsessed, a “useful idiot” and easy prey for Jeffrey Epstein.
He added: “…it’s so grim that in 2010 it received a ‘Carbuncle Award’ from Urban Realm magazine for being ‘Scotland’s most dismal town’.”
Lownie also predicted that Andrew would not stay at the castle for ling, writing: “…it’s more likely that Air Miles Andy would end up somewhere like Abu Dhabi where he has a standing offer of the use of a salubrious palace courtesy of the ruling house of Nahyan.”