While King Charles may have stripped his brother, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, of his titles and publicly distanced himself from his brother, in truth, royal experts believes the king will never be able to entirely ditch the former prince, and in private, will always support him.
The monarch has been keen to separate himself from his brother, as the extent of the former Duke of York’s ties to paedophile Jeffrey Epstein emerges.
Andrew was stripped of his royal titles and duties in October, and left the 30-room Royal Lodge mansion in Windsor earlier this year.
The King’s brother now lives in a smaller, five-bedroom residence at Marsh Farm on the Royal Family’s Sandringham estate in Norfolk.
‘Charles hasn’t cut Andrew off’
Andrew is guarded by a team of ex-police protection officers paid for privately by the King, rather than through the taxpayer-funded Sovereign Grant, The i Paper understands.
But a recent security scare – a man was charged with allegedly threatening Andrew while he was walking his dog – has raised fresh questions about just how much backing he receives in his so-called “exile”.
Carpet and flooring experts were seen at the grounds in March as part of renovation works for the former prince. A firm specialising in transporting fine art was also spotted at the farm.
Royal observers said the King would try to maintain this stance – publicly distant while privately supportive – as long as possible.
Andrew has moved to Marsh Farm on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk (Photo: Joe Giddens/PA)
Norman Baker, author of a book about the monarchy’s finances, Royal Mint: National Debt, said: “Charles wants to be seen as having cut Andrew off. But he hasn’t cut him off.”
“He’s giving him somewhere to live and he is paying for security, as far as we can tell,” added the former Lib Dem minister. “He’s making sure Andrew has a reasonably comfortable lifestyle – far more comfortable that most of the country.”
Baker said the Royal Family appeared to want Andrew’s new life at Marsh Farm to be a “permanent arrangement”.
Palace still ‘hoping the problem will go away’
Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested by Thames Valley Police earlier this year over allegations he passed sensitive information to Epstein while serving as UK trade envoy. He was released under investigation and denied wrongdoing.
Thames Valley Police is assessing allegations that Epstein procured a woman to travel to Windsor for “sexual purposes” involving Mountbatten-Windsor in 2010. Andrew has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.
Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams thinks arrangements at Marsh Farm were as “as good as can be managed”. The royals will hope Mountbatten-Windsor stays quiet and doesn’t give the impression he leads a “cushy lifestyle” there, he said.
“Nobody will want to change things,” Fitzwilliams added. “It will depend on whether any new information [about Andrew] comes out in the coming months.”
Andrew has kept a low profile since Epstein emails were published last year (Photo: Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP)
Andrew Lownie, author of Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York, said the King will want to keep protecting his brother at Sandringham for as long as possible.
“They want to keep it as business as usual,” said the biographer. Lownie called it “the worst royal crisis in 500 years”, but said the Palace was still “hoping the problem will go away”.
In keeping with the questions surrounding Mountbatten-Windsor, Charles, on his way to the State Opening was confronted by protesters with placards asking: “What did you know?”
Public opinion
Andrew’s approval ratings have been dire since the Epstein connection came to light.
Some 90 per cent of the British public have an unfavourable view of him, a February YouGov survey found.
Yet the King appears to have avoided any knock-on damage, so far. Some 38 per cent of Britons think the Royal Family have handled the Andrew “situation” well, with only 26 per cent saying it had been badly handled, according to a Ipsos poll in February.
It remains to be seen if further damage could be done to the royals if further allegations arise relating to Andrew.
Although polling has remained steady overall, in terms of younger Britons, only 37 per cent of 18-24-year-olds have a positive of Charles.
It is with the younger generation where Prince William, the heir to the throne, has looked to present the monarch in a more modern light. It is widely viewed that William would have gone further in the separation from Andrew.
Fitzwilliams thinks William would have liked to have “gone further, faster” when it came to stripping Andrew’s titles and views “the whole York brand as bad news”.
But is unclear whether he would want to remove Beatrice and Eugenie’s titles. “What happens to them and their titles when William ascends the throne is another issue,” said the commentator.
Why Beatrice and Eugenie ‘have one foot in the family’
There are also questions about how long the King can maintain an uneasy distance when it comes to Andrew’s daughters – who have kept their royal titles and privileges.
Emails released by the US Department of Justice indicate Sarah Ferguson took her daughters to visit Epstein in Florida in July 2009, shortly after his conviction for soliciting a minor for prostitution.
The non-attendance of Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie at this year’s Royal Ascot was viewed as part of the process of distancing from the House of York.
Yet Charles also offered his congratulations to Eugenie on her pregnancy, with the announcement that she is expecting her third child coming from the Palace.
The non-attendance at Ascot of Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie is viewed as part of a distancing from the House of York (Photo: David M Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images)
Dr Craig Prescott, a constitutional expert at Royal Holloway, University of London and author of Modern Monarchy, said it was “as a sign of support” that “they still have one foot in the Royal Family”.
The Charity Commission revealed earlier this week it is investigating spending at a charity co-founded by Eugenie in 2017, the Anti-Slavery Collective. It is understood the move does not represent a statutory inquiry or that the commission has made any conclusions.
MPs on the public accounts committee are set to probe arrangements at Crown Estate residences leased to royals – including Beatrice and Eugenie’s homes at St James’ Palace and Kensington Palace.
Charles will be reluctant to cut Beatrice and Eugenie off
It follows outrage after it emerged Andrew had paid only a “peppercorn rent” for the Royal Lodge mansion for more than 20 years.
Despite all the scrutiny ahead, the King will be reluctant to cut the princesses off, Dr Prescott added. “It would be very hard for them to lose the connection with the Royal Family.”
Dickie Arbiter, who served as royal press secretary under Queen Elizabeth between 1988 and 2000, said it would be unfair to judge the princesses based on Andrew and Sarah’s ties to Epstein.
“They remain royals, even if they are not working royals,” he said. “I don’t see that changing. They don’t appear to have done anything wrong.”
“We don’t know whether they are paying for accommodation [at St James’ Palace and Kensington Palace]. They might well be paying for it,” Arbiter added.
Many believe that William had wanted to go further in the expulsion of Andrew from the Firm (Photo by Samir Hussein/WireImage)
Fitzwilliams also said they would remain “in the fold” of the Royal Family. “If you want to remove them you would have to have very good reasons.”
“It would be very unpleasant and awkward,” added the royal commentator. “There is still a feeling that the sins of the parents shouldn’t be visited upon them.”
Baker is in favour of removing Beatrice and Eugenie’s titles and residences – but not because their parents are “discredited”. It is time for a smaller monarchy, said the ex-minister.
“Charles supposedly wants a slimmed-down monarchy, but he just wants fewer people standing on the balcony,” said the author. “He doesn’t actually want to slim down costs.”
Buckingham Palace declined to comment. Andrew, Beatrice and Eugenie’s offices were contacted for comment. The Anti-Slavery Collective has also been approached for comment.