A royal expert claims King Charles should adopt late Queen Elizabeth’s crisis strategy as police and prosecutors hold talks over allegations his brother Andrew leaked documents to Jeffrey Epstein
Robin Cottle Assistant Editor Trendswatch
14:58, 15 Feb 2026
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has caused an ‘avalanche’ of scandals for King Charles(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
King Charles should consider “playing a card” rarely used by the late Queen in times of crisis, a royal expert has claimed. Police and prosecutors have held talks over allegations that the King’s brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor leaked confidential documents to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Documents in the Epstein files suggest the former Prince and the Duke of York shared government information with Epstein when Andrew was the UK’s trade envoy. It is the latest in a string of allegations against Andrew, who denies any wrongdoing with regards his relationship with Epstein, who killed himself whilst awaiting trial in August 2019.
The Royal Family has remained largely silent on the allegations surrounding Andrew before the King and Prince William released written statements on Monday expressing “profound” and “deep concern” for Epstein’s victims.
But according to the Sunday Times’ Roya Nikkhah, the Royal Family’s long-held mottos of “business as usual” and “never complain, never explain” are outdated. She believes Charles could consider taking a leaf out of his late mother’s book in how to handle a royal crisis.
Andrew has been stripped of his royal titles (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
She wrote: “Their (Charles and William’s) written statements issued within hours of each other on Monday, expressing ‘profound’ and ‘deep concern’ for Epstein’s victims, have not quelled disquiet. Nor has stripping Andrew’s titles and relocating him to Norfolk extinguished public revulsion,” reports the Express.
“Hearing from the monarch in personal, spoken words, rather than Palace statements, would redress that. In times of national crisis, Queen Elizabeth understood speaking to us was a reassuring salve.
“It was a card she rarely played, but after the death of Diana, Princess of Wales in 1997 and as the Covid pandemic struck in in 2020, her televised addresses settled a rattled public.”
Roya believes that a comparable message from Charles, with “input from William”, “would go a long way” towards reassuring the public.
Andrew was stripped of his remaining titles by Charles last year, whilst he was also removed from the expansive Royal Lodge in Windsor, where he’d resided from 2004 until a few weeks ago. He’s now staying at Wood Farm on the Sandringham Estate temporarily whilst his new permanent residence, Marsh Farm, is being refurbished.
A royal expert called on King Charles to speak out on his brother Andrew (Image: POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
The former prince’s association with the sex offender Epstein has sparked controversy since the two were photographed together in New York’s Central Park in 2010.
The photograph was captured after Epstein had been convicted of child prostitution and had completed a 13-month prison term.
Andrew’s notorious Newsnight interview in November 2019 hastened his downfall. The following year it was confirmed that Andrew would step back from his public duties indefinitely.
Last year he was stripped of his honours, styles and royal titles, including his peerage title of Duke of York and his birth title of Prince.