King Charles is reportedly considering stripping Prince Andrew of his title as the Duke of York after the palace reached a “tipping point” with him over a string of scandals.
The King is “considering all options”, a royal source said, with one option being to remove Andrew from dukedom.
The move would require an act of parliament but would likely receive government and public support if it had the King’s backing, according to the newspaper, but it is hoped that Andrew would voluntarily give up the title before being forced.
The royal household’s “concern” and “anxiety” around the duke stem from recent revelations around his connections to the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and to a senior Chinese Communist Party official at the heart of the China spy case scandal.
An extract from the posthumous memoir of Virginia Giuffre, published on Wednesday by The Guardian, alleged that she had three separate encounters with the prince. Ms. Giuffre settled a sexual assault lawsuit against the Duke of York, who has always vehemently denied any wrongdoing, in February 2022. Ms. Giuffre died earlier this year.
On Monday the King was urged to take tougher steps against Prince Andrew after a fresh controversy that has reportedly left the duke’s position “untenable.”
While the King has already cut off Andrew’s public funding, insiders told Radar Online that he is now considering tougher steps to fully distance the monarchy from his younger brother.
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Andrew could find himself in a position where his remaining royal privileges would be removed and he will be barred from royal properties like Windsor and Sandringham.
It could lead to the beginning of the rare legal process of stripping him of his Duke of York title.
This comes after it was revealed that the “disgraced” Duke stayed in touch with Jeffrey Epstein even after saying their relationship had ended.
The message, reportedly sent in February 2011, shows Andrew telling the convicted sex offender, “We are in this together.”
“This latest revelation has made Andrew’s position utterly untenable,” the source told the publication.
They continued, “The King is under immense pressure from advisers and senior courtiers to act decisively.
“There’s a feeling that if he doesn’t, the scandal will keep bleeding into the public domain and tarnish everything the monarchy is trying to rebuild.”
The insider further noted that the monarch “has already stopped Andrew’s public funding, but that hasn’t been enough. He’s now looking at every possible lever he can pull.
“It could mean taking away access to royal homes like Windsor or Sandringham and ensuring he’s excluded from all family gatherings except the most private ones.
“The phrase being used behind closed doors is ‘clip his wings completely.'”
Independent/Geo News
