King Charles Should Cut Ties With Prince Andrew After Brother Named 69 Times In Epstein Docs: Expert
Prince Andrew's recent controversy could affect King Charles' reign, so one royal expert advised the latter to keep his distance from his younger brother.
The 63-year-old royal plunged the royal family into another round of scandal after the newly released dossier claimed Prince Andrew took part in an "underage orgy" and allegedly groped a woman's breast. The Duke of York was mentioned 69 times in new U.S. court papers naming late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein's associates.
The damaging allegations against Prince Andrew could be the worst start of the year for the King, who is still on vacation with Queen Camilla in the Scottish Highlands.
Award-winning royal correspondent Robert Jobson, a British journalist, writer and broadcaster, weighed in on how Prince Andrew's scandal could affect his older brother's reign. King Charles' biographer advised the monarch to cut ties with his younger sibling.
"The King would be wise to cut ties completely with his brother," the "King Charles" author said, per The Sun. "Andrew is a liability, and this scandal is not going way."
King Charles has seemingly welcomed Prince Andrew back into the royal fold despite being involved in a string of controversies in the past. He and his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, joined the royal family for their traditional Christmas walk.
There were hopes that the Duke of York might eventually return to his royal duties, but royal experts now believe it's no longer possible after the recent scandal.
Charlotte Griffiths, Mail on Sunday's Editor at Large, appeared on GB News and claimed the King would keep his brother "at arm's length."
"What is different is that there was some inkling of hope that Charles would bring Andrew back into the fold," Griffiths said. "That isn't going to happen anymore. The fact he walked with the Royal Family at Sandringham on Christmas Day indicated that maybe Charles hoped he might be able to have his brother back in the Royal Family somehow."
She continued, "This is the first time since Charles became King, [he] has realized, 'This is never going to happen, I am going to have to be tough on my brother.' He will have to be kept at arm's length forever more."
Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams, a British public relations consultant and film critic, also believed that it was "unlikely" for Prince Andrew to return to the royal fold, stressing that the royal's friendship with Epstein was an "absolute catastrophe" that "cost him his job as special trade envoy and his patronages."
"We have constant reports that he has hopes of some form of rehabilitation. When it comes to the court of public opinion, his ratings hardly exist," Fitzwilliams told GB News about Prince Andrew trying to redeem his reputation.
"So it's more or less an impossible task for him at the moment when it comes to anything future as a member of the Royal Family when it comes to anything official."
