LONDON: Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, the disgraced younger brother of King Charles III, is going into internal exile that will see him further hidden from view from a clearly angry British public.
His ejection from the 30-room Royal Lodge on the grounds of Windsor Castle to one of the properties on the king’s private estate at Sandringham in the east of England will symbolize the downfall of the one-time prince and duke.
Though he’s lost his perks of title and status, Andrew, 65, will not be slumming it.
But it is a banishment nonetheless that leaves Andrew increasingly exposed to scrutiny both in the UK and the US over his friendship with the deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Andrew denies allegations of improper behavior during his long friendship with Epstein, including from Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who claimed she had sex with the ex-prince when she was 17.
Following years of scandals related to Andrew, Charles arguably took the biggest step of his reign Thursday by seeking to insulate the monarchy from any exposure emanating from Andrew’s connections with Epstein, who took his own life in prison in August 2019 while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges, more than a decade after his initial conviction.
