Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor will likely remember 2025 as his annus horribilis, the year his past behaviour finally caught up with him.
The fallout from his association with Jeffrey Epstein ramped up, with emails between the two, published by UK media, proving the pair were still in touch months after Andrew claimed he’d severed contact with his pal. In one, he said, “Keep in close touch and we’ll play again soon.”
Titles stripped, doors closed
Public pressure mounted on the King to censure his brother. Andrew, 65, attempted to do damage control in October, just days before Virginia Giuffre’s memoir Nobody’s Girl was published, by giving up his Duke of York title. But that wasn’t enough and within weeks, he’d also lost the title of Prince ‒ which he’d had since birth ‒ and his home, Royal Lodge.
The huge demotion was a shock to Andrew, and his daughters Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie are said to be deeply concerned about his mental health. According to some reports, Andrew is “broken and withdrawn”, and feels he’s lost everything.
The Yorks’ uncertain future
Also left reeling from her change of fortune is Andrew’s ex Sarah Ferguson, 66, who lost her title of Duchess of York. Because she lived at Royal Lodge with Andrew, she will be homeless and is said to be considering moving into either Beatrice’s home in the Cotswolds or Eugenie’s house in Portugal.
Fergie’s emails spark fallout
Emails Fergie had sent also came back to bite her, including one to Epstein in which she called him her “supreme friend” and apologised for criticising him in an interview. The email revelations led to seven charities immediately dropping her as their patron or ambassador.
Meanwhile, their daughters face a very difficult position. Devastated by what’s happened to their parents, they’ve kept their titles but may find themselves excluded from many family events or forced to stay away to avoid public criticism. Beatrice, 37, who welcomed her second daughter, Athena, prematurely in January, and Eugenie, 35, skipped the Princess of Wales’ Together At Christmas service earlier this month, despite receiving invitations.
Royal experts weigh in
Veteran royal reporter Phil Dampier says, “The time has possibly come for them to distance themselves for a while, at least in public, until all of this dies down. They are happily married mums in their thirties with careers and families of their own to consider.”
He adds that the family will only achieve “some sort of redemption when Andrew and Sarah have lost all their privileges and shown some contrition for their actions.”