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The release of the famed Epstein files in 2025 hit the British royal family like a tidal wave. These documents — which were collected as a part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein — confirmed several of the biggest rumors surrounding Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. Emails between Andrew and Epstein seemed to confirm the veracity of a photograph featuring the disgraced former prince hugging the late human-trafficking victim Virginia Giuffre. What’s more, they proved that Andrew and Epstein were in contact long after the then-prince’s public disavowal of his long-time buddy.
Following the scandal, King Charles III stripped Andrew of his princely titles. Many royal fans viewed this measure as a rather light punishment. Andrew had, after all, sullied the image of his country by cultivating a friendship with a pedophile.
However, within the palace walls, several members of the royal family reportedly questioned the necessity of punishing Andrew. In the eyes of some royals, he will always be blue-blooded regardless of his deplorable behavior. Indeed, while Charles and Prince William are understood to be quite zealous in their desire to bring Andrew down, other royals are reportedly worried about punishing the prince too harshly. This has caused massive royal arguments, in which different members of the firm have taken very different stances on Andrew’s future.
King Charles reportedly wishes to exclude Andrew from the line of succession
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King Charles III has a responsibility to protect the monarchy from any sort of threat, even if that threat is his brother, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. According to royal experts, the former Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson could bring down the monarchy due to their friendship with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Charles reportedly understands this. After stripping Andrew and Ferguson of their titles in 2025, the king is believed to have considered removing them from royal life altogether. In Andrew’s case, this could mean removing him from the line of succession — a move that would reassure the British people that the wayward former prince could never become their king.
Unfortunately for Charles, it seems that this move is easier said than done. There are several legal hurdles that could prevent the king from achieving this goal. In effect, to remove Andrew from the line of succession, every single one of the 56 Commonwealth countries would have to vote in favor of this major change. While necessary for the removal to take place, these procedures could take years to come to fruition. As one insider told Ok!, “There is a palpable sense William and Charles are seething and frustrated behind the scenes over the labyrinthine complications stopping Andrew being axed from the line of succession.” The situation shows just how limited Charles’ power truly is, even in family matters.
Princess Anne allegedly thinks King Charles has been too hard on Andrew
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The truth about Princess Anne’s relationship with Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is complicated. King Charles III has done his best to create distance between the monarchy and Andrew, but apparently, Anne doesn’t agree with his strategy. According to some reports, the Princess Royal has grown concerned that the king has treated Andrew too callously and that her younger brother has been treated as though he is absolutely guilty of wrongdoing, even though he has yet to defend himself in court.
One royal insider told the Daily Mail, “Anne has been vocal with both the King and William about Andrew’s treatment.” The same source later added, “There are several arguments going on between Andrew and the king and between the king and the wider family — some of whom are convinced the king has treated his brother too harshly.”
Although Andrew has yet to be found guilty of any specific crime, many royal watchers hope that the former prince will appear in court to address the charges made against him. On February 19, 2026, Andrew was arrested so that police could investigate him for misconduct in public office. Although Andrew was not charged with a crime immediately thereafter, royal fans hope that investigations will be thorough. Speaking to the Daily Mail, monarchy expert, Richard Eden, noted that a failure to study the Andrew situation properly would be detrimental to British society as a whole. “That is how justice fails, and perpetrators walk free to abuse again,” Eden explained.
Prince Edward is said to believe that the royals should provide emotional support to Andrew
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Princess Anne is not the only royal who has reportedly harbored concerns about King Charles III’s stance on Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. Per the Mirror, Prince Edward agrees with Anne on several points, with a well-placed source stating, “Edward is backing her to some extent.” That said, it seems that Edward has been much less focused on punishing Andrew than on helping him deal with his massive fall from grace.
As reported by the Daily Mail, Edward visited his disgraced brother on Easter 2026 out of concern for his mental health. Accompanied by his wife, Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, Edward tried to provide Andrew with emotional support. An insider told the publication, “Edward and Sophie had dinner with Andrew one night over the weekend, and they talked things through … They do feel for him, but of course that doesn’t excuse his behavior.”
Apparently, Edward and Sophie have tried to play a peacemaking role on the issue of Andrew. Reports indicate they don’t want the former prince to feel overly isolated; however, they also hint at the couple’s distaste for Andrew’s scandals. As the previously mentioned source revealed in the same interview, “They are worried about his fragile state of mind.” Nonetheless, they also reportedly told Andrew that he will never resume his royal duties. “It’s a difficult balancing act supporting him while not condoning what he has got involved with,” the source observed.
Experts say Prince William wants King Charles to banish Andrew for good
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If some royals allegedly think King Charles III has been too harsh on Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, Prince William is certainly not among them. An overwhelming number of reports has shown that William considers his disgraced uncle a major threat to the monarchy. Some palace insiders have even claimed the Prince of Wales would like the king to take a harder stance on the Andrew issue. As royal expert Richard Kay wrote for the Daily Mail, “Differences between monarch and heir do remain, especially when it comes to the Prince Andrew scandal. William … feels that his father has been too soft on him.”
In many ways, William’s sense of urgency is not unsurprising. As the presumed future King of England, William knows his future lies within the monarchy. The way that Charles handles Andrew could very much define William’s role within the institution moving forward. “William wants it all cleaned out before he gets [on the throne],” royal expert Andrew Lownie told People. “He wants it dealt with now.” Another source apparently agreed with that assessment, telling Russell Myers for the book “William and Catherine: The Monarchy’s New Era: The Inside Story” that William is desperate for Andrew to be out of the picture. “Once you understand the fact that everything that happens in the here and now, affects everything in the future, William’s future, it is very easy to put yourself in his shoes,” the insider said.
Princess Eugenie has seemingly supported the view that Andrew should be cut off
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Princess Eugenie may be Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s youngest daughter, but that doesn’t mean she is interested in supporting him amid his scandals. According to some reports, Eugenie has favored the idea of cutting Andrew out of the royal fold. In 2025, Eugenie was happy to attend the royal family’s annual Christmas celebration at Sandringham, despite the king’s choice to ban her father from the event. What’s more, sources close to the princess say she has severed ties with Andrew, with one insider even telling the Daily Mail, “Eugenie isn’t trying to walk that line [of appeasing both Andrew and the royal family]. She’s not speaking to him.”
Of course, there are many reasons why Eugenie has seemingly taken an anti-Andrew stance. Speaking to Cosmopolitan U.K., royal expert Andrew Lownie noted that Eugenie and her older sister, Princess Beatrice, benefit considerably from their royal connections, even if their relationship to Andrew has become a liability. “Beatrice and Eugenie’s business careers have predicated on their remaining princesses and remaining in the royal fold. So we will see them want to maintain that,” Lownie explained. The journalist also noted that the two York girls “know where their bread is buttered.” This may also be the explanation as to why Eugenie reportedly did not ask her mother, Sarah Ferguson, to live with her in the aftermath of the scandal.
Princess Beatrice has allegedly remained loyal to her father
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Just because Princess Eugenie has taken a step back from her father, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, does not mean that her sister is willing to follow suit. Several inside sources have told numerous publications that Princess Beatrice has remained firmly in Andrew’s corner, despite proof of his enduring friendship with the convicted pedophile, Jeffrey Epstein. One source told the Daily Mail, “Beatrice is trying to walk the fine line of not cutting her father off and yet remaining close with the royal family.” This strategy, however, may turn out to be a losing game for the princess.
According to a separate report in the Daily Mail, Beatrice and Edo Mapelli Mozzi’s marriage might be suffering as a result of the Andrew fallout. Apparently, Mapelli Mozzi wishes to break off contact with Andrew in order to protect his business interests. Beatrice, however, is said to disagree with Mapelli Mozzi’s view, prioritizing loyalty over everything else. As an insider revealed, “Behind the scenes, Edo has been working hard on keeping Bea distant from her parents. He is convinced she needs to make her own life. He has also been trying to keep her from the royal family more generally.” The same source, however, said that Beatrice could not get behind Mapelli Mozzi’s suggestions. Apparently, her belief in her father — and his royal bloodline — is so firm that she can’t even imagine walking away from it all.
Queen Camilla would reportedly like to separate her image from Andrew’s
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When King Charles III stripped Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor of his titles, he reportedly did so with the full support of Queen Camilla. Shortly after the palace announced Andrew’s change of status, a source told People that Camilla may have even encouraged Charles to make the move. “I would think the Queen had a hand in that,” the insider dished. “There would have been a push from Camilla and Catherine, and there was pressure from William, who would not want to inherit the headache.”
Since becoming the Queen of England, Camilla has become a champion of women’s rights. She has fought to change perceptions of sexual assault and domestic violence, even opening up about the time she was violently attacked as a teenager while using public transit. Andrew’s association with a convicted sex offender like Jeffrey Epstein threatens the monarchy, and all of the good work that Camilla has done since taking the throne.
In that sense, when Camilla spoke publicly about the issue of sexual assault on International Women’s Day, royal watchers interpreted her words as an indication of where she stands. “I am wearing another badge next to my WOW one. You might not be close enough to read the message, but it says, simply, ‘Shame Must Change Sides,'” Camilla told the crowd. These words reaffirmed her commitment to the survivors of assault, and her belief that the guilty should be held accountable.
Princess Catherine is thought to avoid Andrew at all costs
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It is understood that Princess Catherine and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor have never had a close relationship. During his heyday as a bona fide prince, Andrew was famously status-obsessed, so much so that he was said to have rejected the idea of a middle-class girl like Catherine wearing the crown. Royal expert Andrew Lownie told People, that the late queen’s second son “wasn’t nice when Kate came into the family. He thought she wasn’t posh enough.”
Beyond the times Catherine, Princess of Wales, experienced classism, however, it seems that the future queen does not want to waste her time on Andrew. Princess Catherine was never the same following her cancer diagnosis and made the decision to distance herself from royal persona non grata, like Andrew and Prince Harry. “An excellent source told me she is living in the moment and has no time for drama … or difficult family members,” royal expert Neil Sean divulged in a conversation with Fox News Digital.
Of course, that doesn’t mean Catherine wants to ignore the Andrew problem. On the contrary, she reportedly wants to push him as far away from the crown as possible. Writing in the book, “William and Catherine: The Intimate Inside Story,” author Russell Myers explained, “William and Catherine’s personal view has been that their best option is to keep their distance from the source of the problem.” Apparently, the Waleses have never doubted that Andrew was a problem.
According to insiders, Sarah Ferguson hopes the Andrew situation is resolved in a way that doesn’t affect her
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Previously styled the Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson remained close to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor for years after their separation in 1992. They lived together at Royal Lodge in Windsor, threw their daughters’ birthday parties together, and even co-owned a luxurious chalet in Switzerland. When Andrew lost his titles during the fall of 2025, Ferguson did, too. When King Charles III booted Andrew from his home, Ferguson found herself with nowhere to go. Because of this, it’s understood that Ferguson would hope that future policies toward Andrew would not affect her as much.
That said, if Andrew were to fall back into favor, Ferguson might change her tune. Labeled by many royal watchers as a self-interested grifter, Ferguson does have a tendency to gravitate toward those in power. With this in mind, it’s perhaps unsurprising that Ferguson has taken a step back from her friendship with Andrew without closing the door on the relationship entirely. “She and Andrew are on speaking terms but not talking that much. It is almost as if they have run away from each other. She is bobbing around with friends,” a source told the Daily Mail. Rumor has it that Ferguson hopes the Andrew problem is solved in a way that benefits her.
Sources say King Charles doesn’t want to stop taking Andrew’s calls
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In spite of everything King Charles III and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor have been through together, the king might not want to sever contact with his disgraced younger brother. While Andrew has undoubtedly brought a great degree of disgrace to the Windsor name, Charles cannot seem to walk away from the relationship completely, at least, that’s according to insiders. One well-placed source told RadarOnline, “Charles is continuing to take what have been described as near-daily, almost pleading calls from Andrew because, in truth, he doesn’t feel he has the freedom to shut that door completely.”
But while that simple fact may lead some royal fans to wonder whether Charles maintains a soft spot for his brother, the aforementioned insider says that’s not the issue. Apparently, the palace is concerned about how Andrew might react to getting the royal boot. “Charles is, in effect, being pressured into keeping that line open because there’s a lingering fear Andrew could go rogue on the royal family if he feels isolated or backed into a corner,” the source spilled.
For the royal family, it would be disastrous if Andrew or his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, were to publish a tell-all memoir. Rumor has it that Ferguson, who has already authored several books, has been tucked away writing at a secret location. It’s very possible that Charles would like to prevent Andrew from doing the same.