He was stripped of his titles, ordered out of Royal Lodge and is now under police investigation for misconduct in public office and alleged sexual offences. But according to insiders close to the Palace, the decisive push to finally cut Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor loose didn't come from King Charles alone — it came, quietly and firmly, from the women beside the throne.
'Their voices carried a lot of weight'
Sources speaking to RadarOnline have claimed that both the Princess of Wales and Queen Camilla were central figures in convincing Charles to act decisively against Andrew — and that neither woman was prepared to accept half-measures.
'Inside the palace, nobody pretends this was just Charles waking up one morning and acting alone. There was a long period of discussion, and throughout that time Kate and Camilla were consistently making the case that the monarchy could not carry Andrew as a working royal any longer. They were not shouting, but their voices carried a lot of weight.'
The source added that what followed was, in their words, a 'female touch' — 'applied rather brutally' in Andrew's case. The message from both women was reportedly unambiguous: remove the titles, remove the honours, remove the lodge. Do it properly or don't do it at all.
Camilla, who has lived through the era when royal reputations were 'shredded by scandal', was said to understand better than most that partial action would only delay the inevitable. Kate, meanwhile, was described as acutely aware of the long-term damage Andrew's presence could pose to William's future reign. William himself was reportedly 'very clear he did not want to spend the next 20 years dealing with the headache of his uncle's scandals.'
Andrew remains eighth in line to the throne, though any return to public duties is considered virtually inconceivable. You can follow the latest on the royals as this story continues to develop.
Survivors push for public inquiry
The pressure on the Palace and on government is now intensifying from another direction. Members of the UK Epstein Survivors Campaign — representing nearly a dozen survivors, including prominent campaigner Lisa Phillips — are set to meet Prime Minister Andy Burnham in the coming months, calling on him to launch a full public inquiry into Epstein's links to the British establishment.
The group says that the Epstein files released by the US justice department have raised questions that 'cannot simply be ignored', pointing specifically to records involving Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Lord Peter Mandelson.
'Records and correspondence concerning Jeffrey Epstein, Peter Mandelson and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor — including reported discussions involving money, finances and their relationships with Epstein — demonstrate precisely why the public deserves complete transparency.'
Both men were arrested in February on suspicion of misconduct in public office following allegations they leaked sensitive information to Epstein and others. Both denied the claims and were released under investigation. Andrew has always denied wrongdoing in relation to Epstein. Lord Mandelson has admitted they continued to associate for 'far too long', but has said he never saw any evidence of criminality.
Police investigations and the Giuffre settlement
Thames Valley Police have indicated they may widen their investigation into Andrew to include allegations of sexual misconduct, should individuals come forward. Detectives have also contacted the Metropolitan Police to obtain files relating to Virginia Giuffre, who accused Epstein of trafficking her for sexual exploitation and who took her own life last year.
The survivors' campaign is also urging officials to answer lingering questions over the exact funding details of an eight-figure settlement paid by the Royal Family to Ms Giuffre after she accused Andrew of sexual abuse when she was 17 — claims he has always denied. Buckingham Palace is believed to have paid Ms Giuffre a £12 million settlement in 2022 to end a New York federal lawsuit, though the precise financial terms were never publicly disclosed.
Police are also understood to be pushing US officials to hand over unredacted Epstein material to support ongoing investigations, though those efforts are reported to have reached an impasse. Reports had suggested Burnham was set to approve a British inquiry, though No 10 subsequently denied this. Sources indicate the Prime Minister remains more engaged on the issue than his predecessor, and has expanded victims minister Alex Davies-Jones's role to carry a global remit. Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin has also agreed to meet with Epstein survivors.
For more on the wider fallout from the Epstein files, visit our celebrity section.
