With the Andrew formerly known as a prince divested of his title, ejected from Royal Lodge and banished to his Norfolk estate, now is a moment of seismic change for the Royals.
The tone was set back in February by the release of a stark statement by the King, following his brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest, pledging full co-operation with the police. It appeared to finally signal an acknowledgement by the royals that character matters as much as status.
Even more interesting is the suggestion that driving this shift behind the scenes are not the Windsors themselves but the women who married into the family: Queen Camilla and Princess Kate. Over the past six months, these matriarchs have been portrayed in various media outlets, some more gossipy than others, as the quiet architects of Andrew’s downfall.
Katie Nicholl, co-host of the Royals Uncensored podcast, believes the two women played a key role in the royals’ handling of Mountbatten-Windsor. “It’s very likely that Kate and Camilla wielded a quiet but incredibly powerful influence over both the King and Prince of Wales when it came to their response,” Nicholl says. “Some describe them as the real power behind the throne.”
