The headline on this week’s Royals Extra comes from a news analysis I wrote for The Wall Street Journal about the King’s response to the crisis created by his brother Andrew’s association with the late convicted pedophile, Jeffrey Epstein. I spent the past ten days talking to people I have known for years, all of them knowledgeable about the royal family generally and King Charles specifically, and pulling together an assessment that reflects their thinking as well as my own.
Here is the link:
https://www.wsj.com/world/uk/prince-andrew-king-charles-epstein-approval-rating-3ddf8c28?st=XZy7mF&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink
In my article I discuss the approach taken by Queen Elizabeth II toward the problems created by Andrew, and the more severe stance of King Charles. In her later years, the Queen may understandably but perhaps unwisely have been protecting her second son, wearing her mother’s hat rather than the monarch’s crown. This was especially true when at age 95 and leaning on her advisers, she agreed to fund Andrew’s multi-million-dollar settlement with Virginia Giuffre, who accused him of sexual assault when she was a minor. Giuffre died by suicide in April 2025.
The Royal Family at Windsor Castle in April 1965 left to right, Prince Andrew, Princess Anne, the Queen holding Prince Edward, next to Prince Charles and Prince Philip
I also refer to polling numbers showing a decline in support for King Charles since the initial release of the Epstein documents by the U.S. Department of Justice last autumn, and the more aggressive posture taken by the antimonarchist group Republic, which was basically invisible throughout Elizabeth II’s 70-year reign.
There is peril in these trends, but likewise an awareness that King Charles must stay ahead of developments. I outline the assertive steps he has taken to protect the monarchy as news about Andrew has emerged. I cite one well-informed source on what further measures he may initiate to respond to calls for more transparency in the monarchy’s financial arrangements. I also quote a longtime advisor on the role of Queen Camilla as an advocate over many years for victims of sexual abuse.
To counteract the Andrew distractions, Charles and other members of the royal family remain focused on showing what the monarchy does best. To that end there will be a commemoration of what would have been Queen Elizabeth II’s 100th birthday next month. King Charles and Queen Camilla will also be traveling to the United States at the end of April for a State Visit. Shortly afterward, in mid-May, the 50th anniversary of The King’s Trust will be celebrated with a gala at the Royal Albert Hall. I describe how the emphasis will be on the extensive work Charles has done to help educate 1.3 million young people and assist them in finding jobs.
With support for the monarchy among Gen Z waning, this could be a good reminder that the monarchy provides services to the British people that an elected president could never replicate. I point out that Charles’s duty is to serve for his lifetime as his mother did, and I quote him on his commitment to making the world a better place.