By Kate Holton
LONDON (Reuters) -British politicians, papers and the public welcomed King Charles’ banishment of Andrew from public life on Friday, after the monarch moved to protect the institution from his younger brother’s ties to the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Charles stripped Andrew of his title of prince and evicted him from his mansion in the grounds of Windsor Castle on Thursday, responding to the outrage that had built around the royal over years of damaging headlines about his behaviour.
The decision by the king, who is still undergoing regular treatment for cancer, marks one of the most dramatic moves against a member of the royal family in modern British history, and reflects a desire to protect the monarchy as it loses support among younger Britons.
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The palace said the censures were needed even though Andrew continued to deny the allegations made 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 said.
In 2022, Andrew settled a lawsuit brought by Virginia Giuffre, who died in April by suicide, which accused him of sexually abusing her when she was a teenager after being introduced by Epstein. Andrew had in a BBC interview in 2019 denied ever meeting her. Her account, which he still denies, returned to prominence with the publication of her memoir this month.
British newspapers, which have splashed details of Andrew’s links with Epstein and his financial affairs on their front pages for weeks, welcomed the palace’s move, with the Daily Mail saying simply “Banished” and the Daily Mirror saying “Finally”.
The leaders of the Conservative and Liberal Democrats political parties welcomed the announcement and Labour minister Chris Bryant said the government backed the king’s decision following the “abuse of trust”.
When the BBC interrupted a political panel show to announce the news, the audience broke out in applause.
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Andrew’s image as a dashing naval officer was burnished by his service during the Falklands War with Argentina in the early 1980s.
But he was forced to step down from a roving UK trade ambassador role in 2011, quit all royal duties in 2019 and was stripped of his military links and royal patronages in 2022 amid the allegations of sexual misconduct that he has always denied.
The British tabloids this month published an email from 2011 in which Andrew had told Epstein they should “keep in close touch” and would “play some more soon”.
The newspapers had also focused on Andrew’s financial affairs after The Times revealed he had not paid rent on a 30-room mansion in Windsor for two decades, after initially paying for renovations.
In a very rare political intervention into the workings of the royal family, a British parliamentary committee had on Wednesday questioned whether Andrew should still be living in the house.
With polls showing that younger people do not support the royal family, experts said that Charles, 76, had sought to protect the ancient institution, defenestrating his younger brother who had long been accused of displaying a sense of entitlement.
By early Friday, teams of reporters and television crews from Britain and Australia, where Charles is also head of state, had gathered outside the Windsor Estate, hoping to catch any sign of Andrew before he moves to alternative private accommodation on the Sandringham estate in eastern England.
A palace source said while Andrew continued to deny the accusations against him, it was clear that there had been serious lapses of judgment. The source said the decision had been taken by Charles but that the monarch had the support of the wider family, including heir-to-the-throne Prince William.
(Reporting by Kate Holton, editing by Elizabeth Piper and Philippa Fletcher)
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