King Charles’ hidden ‘vulnerability’ in Andrew scandal that threatens whole Royal Family
King Charles has instructed his disgraced brother Andrew to evict his home – but the decision may have opened up a whole new can of worms, according to an expert
King Charles removed all of Andrew’s royal titles in October(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
When King Charles took decisive action against his brother Andrew, stripping him of all his royal titles and stylings, he might have hoped to quell what was fast becoming a major royal crisis. But he might have inadvertently opened the door to further criticism, according to one expert.
Andrew’s public and humiliating fall from grace came after his “serious lapses of judgement” over his long-standing association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and the ongoing controversy and reputational damage it caused the monarchy. Andrew vehemently denies all claims against him.
Charles also ordered Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson to leave Royal Lodge, where they had lived together since 2008. But it then came to light that he had only paid a peppercorn rent for his 30-room mansion on the Windsor Estate – and the public became aware that certain members of the family pay a vastly reduced rate on properties owned by the Crown Estate.
Andrew has proven to be a thorn in his brother’s side (Image: Getty Images)
As a result, the whole fall-out has sparked a conversation about the “wider culture of excess and questionable royal entitlement”, according to royal expert Richard Kay. “When Charles became King three years ago, there was speculation about whether he would crack down on his relatives living in grand addresses for free or just paying modest or peppercorn rent,” he writes in the Daily Mail.
“That has not happened. Instead, the scandal over Andrew has triggered a full-scale housing crisis for the royals.” He also suggested that within the royal family there is a level of ‘discomfort’ over the fact that their property arrangements are coming under so much scrutiny.
Furthermore, Kay warned that the saga as a whole could be used against the royal family by their critics. “Seeing what the King can do with a swish of his famously ill-functioning pen has emboldened critics who would like to shake up the whole royal system. They sense vulnerability,” one of King Charles’s former aides is said to have told him.
Andrew and Sarah have both been told to leave the dilapidated Royal Lodge(Image: Getty Images)
It follows reports that disgraced Andrew could face another major setback when he does finally vacate Royal Lodge. The former prince and his ex-wife Sarah are expected to leave the expansive 30-room royal property next year. Andrew could have been in line to pocket nearly £500,000 for having his lease terminated early – but it’s now been suggested that the dilapidated state of the property could prevent him from getting the windfall.
Royal expert Rebecca English said: “The suggestion is that the entire half a million pounds that he could have got back for having to leave his lease early could be swallowed up by the repairs. The truth is we don’t entirely know yet because he’s still living there and they’re trying to assess it while he’s there.
“They almost probably need him to move out before the surveyors can go around and have a proper look. If it was to be swallowed up it would be quite a happy solution because no one, not the King, not the crown, not the state or anyone wants to see public money being paid to Andrew because that would not be a good look.”
