King Charles Had No Choice When It Came to Ex-Prince Andrew

King Charles and Prince Andrew wear red military uniforms as they stand on the Buckingham Palace balcony with Queen Elizabeth II

(Image credit: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)

King Charles has been forced to make some tough decisions in recent months. In late 2025, the monarch demoted his brother, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, and evicted him from Royal Lodge in Windsor. Following the release of additional files related to Andrew's friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, The King has allegedly been left with "no choice" but to act swiftly.

Speaking to the Mirror, royal expert Duncan Larcombe explained, "I think The King will pay what needs to be paid and will fund his brother, in a way he's kind of got no choice." Larcombe continued, "Andrew can't end up homeless and on the streets, much as the public might like that to happen."

The royal expert elaborated, "But what can Andrew do? He can't get a job somewhere. He can't deliver parcels to make ends meet. He's sort of stuck so King Charles will still financially support him, but what that will look like, who knows?"

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor standing along a wall at St George's Chapel — "Andrew can't end up homeless and on the streets, much as the public might like that to happen."

Larcombe also suggested that new revelations contained in the latest release from the Epstein files are particularly damning to the ex-Duke of York. "I think with the latest tranche of emails, it definitely just stinks, it's rotten, you know," he told the outlet.

Meanwhile, Epstein's emails also allegedly revealed Queen Elizabeth's undying support of her son, Andrew, in spite of his connection to a convicted sex offender.

As reported by GB News, Andrew's former advisor David Stern told Epstein in an email on March 9, 2011, "PA [Prince Andrew] has full support of his mom, only dealing with you was 'unwise.'"

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor standing next to Queen Elizabeth, wearing a scarf tied around her head — Ex-Prince Andrew allegedly had the "full support" of his mom, Queen Elizabeth II.

It seems as though King Charles's ex-Prince Andrew problem is far from over.

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Amy Mackelden is the weekend editor at Marie Claire, where she covers celebrity and royal family news. She was the weekend editor at Harper’s BAZAAR for three years, where she covered breaking celebrity and entertainment news, royal stories, fashion, beauty, and politics. Prior to that, she spent a year as the joint weekend editor for Marie Claire, ELLE, and Harper's BAZAAR, and two years as an entertainment writer at Bustle. Her additional bylines include Cosmopolitan, People, The Independent, HelloGiggles, Biography, Shondaland, Best Products, New Statesman, Heat, and The Guardian. Her work has been syndicated by publications including Town & Country, Good Housekeeping, Esquire, Delish, Oprah Daily, Country Living, and Women's Health. Her celebrity interviews include Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Chastain, the cast of Selling Sunset, Emma Thompson, Jessica Alba, and Penn Badgley. In 2015, she delivered an academic paper at Kimposium, the world's first Kardashian conference.