Disgraced Andrew ‘left to fend for himself’ as Anne and Edward’s ‘struggle laid bare’ | Royal | News

King Charles has taken action against his brother, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, but it’s not so simple for his other siblings, a royal expert has revealed. Princess Anne and Prince Edward will also be struggling with Andrew’s departure from the Royal Family and his arrest.

The king has made his stance clear: that no one, not even a member of the Royal Family, is above the law. The former prince was arrested on his 66th birthday on suspicion of misconduct in public office, amid allegations he shared confidential information with billionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein during his role as trade envoy to the UK. He was released in the evening.

King Charles has dodged questions about his younger brother during royal outings, his other siblings, Princess Anne and Prince Edward, are also coping with Andrew’s exit from the Royal Family.

Two weeks before the former prince was arrested and taken into custody at a Norfolk police station, his younger brother Edward spoke out on the mounting pressure on the Royal Family amid the Andrew scandal.

The Duke of Edinburgh appeared at the World Governments Summit in Dubai in early February, where he was asked “how are you coping?” amid the release of the Epstein files that implicated his brother.

And Edward said: “Well, with the best will in the world, I’m not sure this is the audience that is probably the least bit interested in that.

“They all came here to listen to education, solving the future, but no, I think it’s all really important to always remember the victims and who are the victims in all this? A lot of victims in this.”

While Princess Anne has not spoken publicly about her brother, it emerged last week that the Princess Royal reportedly called Andrew on Christmas Day, while she was with the Royal Family in Sandringham and the former prince remained in Windsor.

With Edward being one of the only members of the Firm to speak out on the scandal, former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond told the Mirror all of the late Queen Elizabeth’s children would be struggling.

She said: “This must be an incredibly difficult situation for all of Andrew’s siblings. The King has made his position clear: no-one is above the law and it must be allowed to take its course.

“He has also taken brutal action against his brother, stripping him of his titles, his position and his house. As monarch, duty had to come before family.”

While Charles took firm action against his brother in the wake of the scandal, Jennie said Anne and Edward may have been more lenient, despite the slew of allegations.

“For Anne and Edward, it may not seem quite so clear cut,” Jennie explained. « We have to presume that Andrew has protested his innocence not only publicly, but privately to his family.

“And it must be tough to look your brother in the eye and tell him that you don’t believe him,” she adds.

Jennie said that Anne and Edward may have been feeling more empathic towards Andrew as the scandal started last year, but since his arrest and further revelations from newly released Epstein files, they may have had a change of heart.

“Now, I don’t know what, if any, discussions have gone on between Anne, Edward and Andrew,” Jennie said.

“But the constant stream of allegations against him – not only about alleged sexual abuse, but about alleged misconduct in his work as a trade envoy – must surely have shaken any trust they had in their brother.”

Despite Anne and Edward’s supposed disappointment in Andrew, Jennie said they would still likely be concerned about his mental health during his royal exile, coupled with an active investigation, as she said: “I’m sure, on a human level, they must be concerned about Andrew’s well-being and mental health.

“But I have absolutely no doubt that their priority is their loyalty to their eldest brother, the King, and to the institution of monarchy.

“And if that means leaving Andrew largely to fend for himself, then I think that is what they will do.”