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<\/p>\nReading the latest revelations about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, it is safe to assume that Buckingham Palace will be relieved he is no longer a prince.<\/p>\n
When new claims emerged this year about the former Duke of York\u2019s relationship with the late paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein, royal commentators warned they were \u201cjust the tip of the iceberg\u201d with further stories likely to follow.<\/p>\n
A source close to the King told The Times that Charles was clear that \u201call options were open\u201d when it came to distancing the institution from the scandal, including removing Andrew\u2019s titles. <\/p>\n
Or rather, the firm was more important than one family member.<\/p>\n
On October 17, a personal statement came from Andrew after discussions with his brother, the monarch. <\/p>\n
In it, Andrew said that he would no longer be known as a Knight of the Garter and would cease to be known as the Duke of York.<\/p>\n
But after the torrent of allegations over his friendship with Epstein and the threat of more revelations to come, would it be enough?<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Mountbatten-Windsor\u2019s former wife Sarah Ferguson in a picture released from the Epstein files<\/p>\n
Behind the scenes, friends of the King had realised that a more decisive approach was needed.<\/p>\n
Andrew\u2019s case was not helped by the fact that he had repeatedly refused the King\u2019s previous requests to leave Royal Lodge, his palatial home in Windsor Great Park.<\/p>\n
Then, The Times broke the story that he had paid only a \u201cpeppercorn rent\u201d on the property for the previous two decades.<\/p>\n
With pressure mounting, not only on Andrew but the entire institution, Charles flew to the Vatican for a state visit with the new Pope amid a backdrop of negative headlines.<\/p>\n
Courtiers, meanwhile, were infuriated by Andrew\u2019s previous statement and his refusal to acknowledge the plight of Epstein\u2019s victims.<\/p>\n
To add to Andrew\u2019s woes, the posthumous memoir of Virginia Giuffre was published, in which she claimed that Andrew felt that having sex with her was his \u201cbirthright\u201d.<\/p>\n
While Andrew has always denied the claims, Charles was by now seeking legal advice on how to deliver the final blow of stripping him of his birthright as a prince.<\/p>\n
At the end of October, the King took decisive action, stripping Andrew of his prince title and effectively ordering him to leave his grace-and-favour home, in a move which has proved well-judged.<\/p>\n
In the months since, further details of his association with Epstein<\/a> have emerged in documents released by the US Department of Justice.<\/p>\n On Tuesday, emails revealed that the convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell sought to procure \u201cintelligent, pretty and fun\u201d women \u201cfrom good families\u201d for a friend she referred to as \u201cAndrew\u201d.<\/p>\n The problem is not going away.<\/p>\n The King\u2019s decision to remove Andrew\u2019s prince title and residence in Royal Lodge was said at the time to have been prompted by his brother\u2019s serious lapses in judgment. While Andrew has always denied the claims of wrongdoing, his longstanding association with Epstein, which we now know lasted longer than he had at first claimed, was the \u201ctipping point\u201d for Charles.<\/p>\n The decision is thought to have been delayed by legal and constitutional complexities, but was announced at the time as having the support of the wider royal family, including the Prince of Wales.<\/p>\n A royal source said at the time: \u201cHis Majesty was determined to do the right thing, not the rushed thing.\u201d<\/p>\n The King initiated the process and it is understood that Andrew did not object. Once announced, the decision was said to have the \u201cfull support of government\u201d with palace courtiers having communicated the decision to the prime minister\u2019s office and Cabinet Office.<\/p>\n Sir Keir Starmer issued a statement the following day supporting the decision and writing: \u201cOur hearts go out to the family of Virginia Giuffre and all the victims who suffered from Jeffrey Epstein\u2019s despicable crimes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2022 Messages show Jeffrey Epstein\u2019s depravity: \u2018I have a female for him\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n Even this week, yet more details of Andrew\u2019s association with Epstein and Maxwell emerged with the US files, including a photo of Andrew lying<\/a> across the laps of unidentified women taken at Sandringham.<\/p>\n With further invitations to Balmoral and Ascot, Epstein was invited into the bosom of the royal family.<\/p>\n Now, Charles has finally cut ties with Andrew by finishing a job that the late Queen would not \u2014 or could not \u2014 bring herself to do.<\/p>\n It may well be one of the best decisions of his reign.<\/p>\n