King Charles’s Damage Control On Ex-prince Andrew Could Not Be More Obvious

In the past 24 hours, I’ve lost count of how many British articles have been written with similar quotes and the exact same talking points: Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly Prince Andrew, was absolutely stupid to traipse around Windsor earlier this week following the latest document dumps from the Epstein Files. Andrew was dumb as hell and it’s all on him alone, and that’s why King Charles’s wise advisors ordered Andrew to move immediately to Wood Farm on the Sandringham estate. Charles is wise, Charles’s advisors are brilliant, and Andrew is a big dummy. Just keep repeating that until people actually believe it. You’re not supposed to ask “but when did Charles know the depth of Andrew’s relationship to Epstein?” You’re not supposed to ask why Charles dithered for years over Andrew, nor why Charles was determined to bring Andrew in from the cold up until last year. You’re not supposed to ask why Charles and QEII signed off on giving Andrew millions of dollars to settle out of court with Virginia Giuffre in 2022. Some highlights from Becky English’s piece in the Mail:

Andrew being widely seen in Windsor earlier this week: ‘Even to the end, he just didn’t get it,’ one royal insider sighed wearily yesterday. Whether it be his ‘block-headed’ refusal to lie low for his last few weeks at Royal Lodge or his utter intransigence about even acknowledging the many victims of his good friend, Jeffrey Epstein, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s behaviour has been a masterclass in how not to play out a public scandal.

The Windsors are aghast: Courtiers, and indeed members of his own family, have watched aghast in recent days at the torrent of revelations emanating from the latest dump of Epstein Files out of the US. This has been exacerbated by Andrew’s pig-headed determination to keep to his daily routine (following a brief but ineffective ban from the royal stables at Windsor), preferring to stubbornly clip-clop past the ever-present photographers on his regular rides in the Berkshire countryside. He has even been seen gurning and waving brazenly from his car to passers-by, in what was described to me as one of those moments ‘you just want to whack your head on the desk’. ‘Appalling optics,’ another in royal circles remarked.

Andrew running off to Sandringham under cover of darkness: Even the numbskull that remains our eighth in line to the throne (and, yes, he still retains this position as it would require parliamentary action both in the UK and the realms to change it) realised that his time was up, preferring to beat a retreat under cover of darkness to avoid the humiliation of being effectively frogmarched out of the gates in front of the world’s media. ‘He was encouraged to think that it would be a good time to move on,’ another source adds, with Mafioso-like menace.

After all that, Andrew will still pop in to Royal Lodge: In fact, while now officially a resident of Norfolk, we may well still see him pop back up at Windsor from time to time as his move, I am told, is not entirely complete and he may need to stay at Royal Lodge to tie up ‘loose ends’ over the next few weeks. He is currently in temporary residence at Prince Philip’s old home, Wood Farm, until his new, relatively modest abode, Marsh Farm, is ready. It is hoped this will be complete by early April.

Demands for Andrew to answer for his crimes: Requests for comment on the continuing slew of revelations to his private secretary, who retains a Buckingham Palace email for security purposes, go unanswered. It is surely a position he cannot maintain. Even his ‘friends’ who have spoken out in his defence to more Andrew-friendly media than the Daily Mail over the years have gone quiet.

The wise & dithering king: The King has ploughed quite a lonely furrow in recent years in trying to persuade his brother to see sense by handing back his titles, downsizing his living arrangements and showing some humility over this self-imposed mess. Some family members believe he has gone too far and owes his brother a duty of care. The latter point, though, is not lost on the monarch. It’s why although the King strongly believes Andrew deserves sanction for a lifetime of appalling judgment (indeed, he and the Queen were the first to publicly offer their sympathies to all victims of abuse, including Epstein’s), Charles is now paying privately for his new living and security arrangements.

What’s going on with Sarah Ferguson: As for his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, who while not accused of complicity in criminality has emerged from the Epstein email dump with barely a shred of her reputation intact, there is also a deafening silence. Earlier this week, sources told me that a move abroad was ‘imminent’ – on a temporary basis – in order for Ferguson to take stock of her life and future plans. While no one is saying where she is going, a trip to Australia to visit her sister, Jane, where she has often gone to ‘lick her wounds’, may be a safe bet. She does, however, apparently plan to return to the UK and intends to rent or buy a home in the Windsor area, where she retains friends. Whether that actually happens remains to be seen.

Business as usual: For the rest of the wider Royal Family, the only option is business as usual. I have been told that it has been ‘upsetting’ to see their daily good works overshadowed by the scandal, although they clearly all acknowledge the level of public interest and anger. Sources have told me pointedly that ‘providing testimony is now a matter for Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and his conscience’. Remarkably, they have been learning the full gruesome details of Andrew’s behaviour in recent months in ‘real time’ along with the rest of the British public.

[From The Daily Mail]

Becky and the palace are trying to do too much all at once. Blame Andrew for everything, facilitate the Windsors’ abdication of responsibility for Andrew, and maintain that even though the Windsors are not responsible for Andrew’s crimes, Charles is still going to finance Andrew’s lavish/comfortable lifestyle because of the “duty of care.” And repeatedly position Charles as wise, decisive and bold, when he’s been anything but. Oh, and the reminder to the British press that now they need to move on from this story because the other royals are busy, pay attention to them, please clap, but don’t ask them about Andrew or what they knew and when!

This just happened today – Charles was asked about Epstein on a rope line. He didn’t respond.

BREAKING: King Charles asked about Epstein while shaking hands with the public.

The person asking is believed to be a journalisthttps://t.co/PAiZ4D1jU3

Sky 501, Virgin 602, Freeview 233 and YouTube pic.twitter.com/Io42kpqrPB

— Sky News (@SkyNews) February 5, 2026

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.