The relationship between King Charles and his siblings has faced a great deal of scrutiny lately, particularly as Prince Andrew has found himself embroiled in scandal after scandal without his brother taking firm action. Now that Andrew has given up his titles and honors—except the moniker of Prince, that is—the question people are asking is why did this wait so long? And how do Princess Anne and Prince Edward feel about it?
King Charles has always reportedly gotten along with all his siblings, though his relationship with his sister, Princess Anne, is reportedly his closest bond—particularly due to their shared interests in gardening and sports. His relationship with Prince Andrew had also reportedly been close until the scandals of the last few years, and the King has seemingly also been close with his younger brother, Edward, despite their 16-year-difference.
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In fact, the King named both Anne and Edward as counselors of state after he became King, which means they can perform constitutional duties on behalf of their brother. That signals to a positive relationship. Since King Charles announced his illness, his sister and brother have also stepped up in the number of royal engagements they take on, with Princess Anne being known as the hardest working royal.
King Charles’ closeness with his brother Andrew is believed to be the reason he waited so long to take any kind of step regarding his titles, despite Andrew’s numerous controversies. But the good will reportedly ends with Charles. A source recently told The Telegraph that William knows “something still needs to be done” with Andrew, and he will not hesitate to strip him of his title when he becomes king.
According to experts, the relationship between William and Andrew has not been good for a while. British royal expert Hilary Fordwich told Fox News earlier this year that the Prince of Wales has had a “grudge against his disgraced uncle” for some time and will take matters into his own hands about it when he’s king.
RadarOnline also recently reported that King Charles wants both Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson removed from Royal Lodge after the Mail on Sunday posted leaked emails showing that Ferguson apologized to Epstein just weeks after publicly disowning him in 2011.
“The king feels deeply that Royal Lodge cannot remain a sanctuary for the Duke and Duchess of York. After everything that has come out, he wants them out. It’s not just about optics anymore – it’s about trying to preserve the integrity of the monarchy,” one insider told the outlet.
Royal Lodge is famously located in Windsor Great Park, which puts Andrew in close proximity to the rest of the British royal family. The location also necessitates security for Andrew, which is also something that has come up after he gave up his titles and honors. So, the King wanting them out of palace grounds makes sense, as that could solve two problems.
What it doesn’t solve is the issue of King Charles’ relationship with his brother, but at this point, that’s a way more complicated issue.