King Charles
With this decision he “surprised” Prince Andrew
Prince Andrew and King Charles
© Samir Hussein/WireImage / Getty Images
Prince Andrew has fallen out of favor with his people and family for his involvement in the Epstein scandal. A tense meeting with King Charles is said to have knocked the rug out from under him shortly before Queen Elizabeth’s death.
Queen Elizabeth, † 96, has been lenient with her son Prince Andrew, 62, even after he faced a civil sex abuse lawsuit over his involvement in the Epstein scandal. His brother, on the other hand, shows less mercy. King Charles, 73, is said to have “taken by surprise” and “almost made me cry” by his decision to never let him return to public life.
King Charles makes a clear decision
He must accept that he will never return to royal service, the monarch is said to have told him at an “emotional and tense” meeting at his Birkhall estate in Scotland just days before the Queen’s death. The Duke of York is said to have been so shocked by his older brother’s decision that those around him were concerned about his well-being, an insider told the Daily Mail. He is said to have been “speechless” and “close to tears”.
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Despite his connections to convicted and late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, † 66, Andrew is said to have believed he “still has value” as a member of the royal family and has campaigned vehemently to resume his former duties. Charles is said to have nipped these hopes in the bud during the private conversation. “Andrew was taken completely by surprise,” the insider said. “He is deeply shaken. He always believed there was a way back.”
No going back for Prince Andrew
That there is no turning back for Andrew will probably also be shown next Sunday when the British royals will lay their wreaths at the cenotaph for Remembrance Sunday, but he will stay away from the celebrations.
With the death of his mother, the Duke of York’s status in the royal family has apparently worsened. “Andrew was very close to the Queen and has made several attempts to discuss his return to public life,” the palace source said. “On some occasions she would say something conciliatory, but more often than not she would immediately change the subject so as not to talk about it.”
While matters seemed settled for the other working and senior members of the royal family, Andrew is said to have continued to hope for a second chance back into the public eye. “As naïve as it sounds, he always had hopes of regaining his position as senior royal,” the insider says. “At the meeting, Charles told him that he could go and have a good life, a nice life, but that his public life as royal was over.”
Prince Andrew was shaken after the meeting and is said to still be in shock. “He is completely lost and very depressed,” it says.
Sources used: dailymail.co.uk