Scandal! King Charles III is increasingly in distress

It is his younger brother who is involved in the abuse scandal involving US businessman Jeffrey Epstein, who died in 2019. Nevertheless, it is now King Charles III who is being harshly criticized by several royal experts and a British politician.

This week, a US court published the names of around 170 people who had previously been treated mostly anonymously. This also includes Prince Andrew, who has already been mentioned several times in this context. The plaintiff Virginia Giuffre filed a lawsuit against him for sexual abuse in 2021. In 2022, the two parties reached an out-of-court agreement. But with the publication of the list, new allegations surfaced against him: Among other things, Andrew is said to have taken part in an “orgy with minors”, as you can read again here. In total, Prince Andrew is mentioned 69 times in the over 900-page document.

“Andrew is a burden”

Andrew has always denied any allegations. But since then he has rarely appeared in public, had to give up honorary military titles and no longer takes on any functions in the royal family. At Christmas, Prince Andrew appeared with the Royal Family on the way to the service in Sandringham, laughing and chatting with his relatives. For Charles biographer Robert Jobson it is now finally clear: “The king would be well advised to end his relationship with his brother completely,” as he writes for “The Sun”. He continues: “Andrew is a liability and this scandal is not going to go away.”

Royal commentator Phil Dampier sees the latest revelations as the “final nail in the coffin”. He points out in The Sun: “If Andrew gave even a thought to the idea that he might come back at some point, it has dashed those hopes.” He seems to have partially managed to “sneak” his way back into royal life, as the Christmas walk just showed.

Former Liberal Democrat home secretary Norman Baker also states: “This matter must be resolved once and for all and this ulcer must be removed.”

For critics, this also includes Andrew’s move out of the Royal Lodge, his 31-room property on the grounds of Windsor Castle – where the king apparently gave him another “grace” last year, according to Jobson. Commentators are also calling for royal titles to be withdrawn. The fact that none of this has happened yet is “not a good sign,” says Jobson.

The biographer sums up: “Prince Andrew denies everything, he no longer has any official duties, so why should he be allowed to stay in this lavish royal estate if he contributes nothing to it?”