King Charles is understood to be considering removing Prince Andrew’s royal dukedom title as he continues to be embroiled in scandals. The most prominent scandal for the 65-year-old, who forcefully stepped down from royal duties in 2019, is his friendship with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Reports have recently mounted that Prince Andrew lied about when he cut contact with Epstein, with the King, 76, now reportedly “considering all options” with how he can respond. The late Virginia Giuffre is releasing her memoir on October 21 – with the penned read set to cause more unrest for the disgraced royal.
Here, the Express looks at three options that King Charles may consider when it comes to his younger brother:
The King could seek to get Parliamentary backing to remove Andrew of his Duke of York title, The Times reports.
A royal source told the publication: “It feels like we are reaching a tipping point.”
Although it will not be a straightforward or simple process, as Parliament are the only ones with with power to remove it, it is likely to have public support.
A recent YouGov poll showed that 67 percent of Britons backed removing his remaining titles.
The King could also consider removing Andrew from the Order of the Garter, an ancient order of chivalry that he has been a part of since 2006.
Andrew has remained a Knight of the Garter, a high chivalric honour, despite no longer being a working member of the Royal Family.
He doesn’t take part in the annual public procession in Windsor, at present, and is only confined to take part in the private parts of the annual ceremony.
The Order of the Garter, which was founded by Edward III in 1348, is Britain’s most senior order of chivalry.
The King may also consider removing Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, who still lives with the Duke of York, from Royal Lodge.
The former couple currently reside at the 30-room home, despite officially divorcing in 1996.
Last year, King Charles reportedly axed an annual £2.9m payment Andrew used to pay his security guards at Royal Lodge.
It was previously reported that Andrew was refusing to leave the home he has lived in since the early 2000s, with one expert previously suggesting that this was likely due to him fearing that it would appear as an admission of guilt.