It never seemed that destiny intended for King Charles III and the former Prince Andrew to stand side by side in supporting the monarchy.
On Oct. 30, the monarch officially removed all royal titles, including Prince, from his younger sibling. Buckingham Palace announced that the 65-year-old, who is no longer a prince or the Duke of York, will now be referred to as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor.
“His Majesty has today initiated a formal process to remove the Style, Titles and Honours of Prince Andrew,” the palace said in the statement.
KING CHARLES STRIPS PRINCE ANDREW OF ALL ROYAL TITLES AND HONORS AMID ONGOING SCANDALS
Andrew also lost his living arrangements at the 30-room Royal Lodge. The BBC reported he will move to a property on the private Sandringham estate in Norfolk. It will be privately funded by the king, 76.
“His lease on Royal Lodge has, to date, provided him with legal protection to continue in residence,” the palace statement read. “Formal notice has now been served to surrender the lease, and he will move to alternative private accommodation. These censures are deemed necessary, notwithstanding the fact that he continues to deny the allegations against him.”
“Their Majesties wish to make clear that their thoughts and utmost sympathies have been, and will remain with, the victims and survivors of any and all forms of abuse,” the statement concluded.
Multiple royal experts told Fox News Digital that this is just the latest chapter in an ongoing saga between the brothers, who have had a strained relationship over the years. British broadcaster and photographer Helena Chard told Fox News Digital that Charles has been “thoroughly fed up” with his scandal-scarred sibling.
“King Charles is, in fact, furious with his brother,” said Chard. “He can barely tolerate him due to his inappropriate behavior and fall from grace.”
“They are different characters; in fact, they are like chalk and cheese,” she said. “‘Randy Andy the playboy prince,’ as he was widely known, was acerbic, good-looking and not the brightest button. King Charles was a kind, sensitive, slightly goofy soul and a bright workaholic.”
Tensions between the battling brothers, who share an 11-year age gap, stem from childhood. Charles was four years old when his mother was crowned queen at age 25, forcing him to share the matriarch with the world. His siblings, Andrew and Edward, arrived a decade later when she was already established on the throne.
“By the time the queen had what is referred to as her ‘second family’ with Andrew and Edward, it was a different situation,” Joe Little, managing editor of Majesty magazine, told Town & Country. “She had her feet under the table as monarch and was able to devote more time to them.”
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The outlet reported that Andrew was referred to as the queen’s “favorite son,” one who was indulged in ways that Charles never experienced.
“As a child, then-Prince Charles openly cried for his parents as they traveled the Commonwealth for months on end,” Chard explained. “In fact, they banned him from seeing them off in public as he wore his heart on his sleeve. His mother, who unexpectedly became queen, had very little free family time during his formative years.”
“Prince Andrew, on the other hand, was the pampered prince,” she continued. “He received doting love from his mother, who enjoyed spending time with her child. She lavished Prince Andrew with love and gave him suitable time. I imagine Prince Andrew was thoroughly spoiled, truly mollycoddled.”
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“The age gap between King Charles and his younger brother understandably meant he didn’t have much contact with his brother Andrew, although he loved him dearly as a baby.”
While Charles was often away at boarding school, there were moments when the siblings appeared to grow closer. Town & Country pointed out that when Andrew turned 16, he was invited aboard his older brother’s Royal Navy ship when it was moored off the coast of Scotland. It’s believed this may have inspired his own naval career.
The outlet also noted that Andrew, along with younger brother Prince Edward, served as the joint best men when Charles married Princess Diana in 1981. The favor was not returned when Andrew married Sarah Ferguson in 1986, with the honor going to Edward. Still, Diana and “Fergie” were great friends, which eased tensions between the brothers.
“King Charles has always tried to be benevolent to his younger brother,” royal expert Ian Pelham Turner told Fox News Digital. “In his heyday, Andrew was the dashing and handsome pilot who flew with distinction during the Falklands War and came back as a hero.”
“King Charles completely understood why his mother carried a photo of then-Prince Andrew in her purse,” chimed Chard. “Charles’ destiny was set in stone. He continued his work with passion and purpose. Boorish Andrew didn’t have his brother’s work ethic, focus and drive. Instead, Andrew enjoyed jollies around the world.”
According to the outlet, it was during the 1990s that Andrew was moving in circles that led him to “a friend of a friend,” known as Jeffrey Epstein. At the time, Charles was grappling with the breakdown of his marriage to Diana and her sudden death in 1997.
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Andrew and Epstein’s mutual friend was British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, who is now serving a prison sentence for helping Epstein traffic young girls.
As the queen slowed down, Charles increasingly took on royal duties. He supported the monarch as the palace was rocked by scandal.
In 2019, Andrew gave a disastrous interview to the BBC’s “Newsnight,” where he attempted to explain his friendship with Epstein, a convicted sex offender who died that year behind bars.
In that same interview, Andrew said he didn’t recall meeting Virginia Roberts Giuffre, an American woman who alleged she was trafficked by Epstein and had sex with Andrew when she was 17.
Shortly afterward, Andrew stepped down from public life over his association with Epstein, despite his denials of wrongdoing. In 2021, Giuffre sued Andrew, and the case was settled in 2022 for an undisclosed sum.
According to court documents, the prince acknowledged that Giuffre was “an established victim of abuse.” Several reports suggested that the queen helped fund the settlement in hopes of resolving the matter quickly and quietly.
England’s longest-reigning monarch died in 2022. She was 96. Charles ascended to the throne.
“Tensions increased between the brothers,” said Chard. “Despite their differences, Charles promised his mother in her final days that he would look out for Andrew — there is nothing like a mother’s love for her children.”
British royals expert Hilary Fordwich agreed.
“King Charles has always felt duty-bound to look after his younger brother,” Fordwich told Fox News Digital. “He was asked by the queen to watch over her younger son, as she always sensed his personal and financial vulnerabilities. Charles tries to balance his own personal exasperation with this huge sense of royal obligation and family unity versus the scandalous behavior of his brother.”
“Their relationship is fraught at best,” Fordwich added.
Last year, the Mail on Sunday’s editor-at-large, Charlotte Griffiths, claimed that Charles was the secret source who paid Andrew’s rent, allowing him to stay at Royal Lodge. Ingrid Seward, editor-in-chief of Majesty magazine and author of “My Mother and I,” agreed with Griffiths’ scoop. Buckingham Palace didn’t immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment at the time.
“[The queen] would’ve made a provision for him, and maybe that provision came through his elder brother as monarch,” Seward told Fox News Digital at the time. “When the king dies or the queen dies, the money goes to the next monarch. Everything goes to the next monarch. So, she either would have made provisions for Andrew before she died or she would’ve made provisions through Charles.”
The Guardian reported that after 2019, it appeared the queen — and later Charles — provided Andrew with an annual allowance from the Windsors’ private wealth, which reportedly stopped last year.
According to royal experts, Charles previously urged Andrew to downsize and move to the smaller Frogmore Cottage, the former U.K. home of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. But Andrew refused, citing his lengthy lease.
On Oct. 17, Andrew announced he was relinquishing his Duke of York title and other honors after renewed scrutiny over his friendship with Epstein. In a statement released by Buckingham Palace, the monarch’s younger brother said, “The continued accusations about me distract from the work of His Majesty and the royal family.”
“With His Majesty’s agreement, we feel I must now go a step further. I will therefore no longer use my title or the honours which have been conferred upon me. As I have said previously, I vigorously deny the accusations against me.”
The announcement came days before the posthumous memoir by Giuffre was published on Oct. 21. The 41-year-old died in April.
