Why Queen Elizabeth "Shielded" Her Son Ex-Prince Andrew and Believed "Her Duty as a Mother" Was "Fully Aligned" With Her Royal Role

Following additional revelations regarding his association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor relinquished his royal titles. He was also forced to move out of Royal Lodge in Windsor for a more secluded home on the Sandringham estate. Now, onlookers are wondering why Queen Elizabeth II protected Andrew throughout her life, despite the many allegations being made against him.

As reported by People, "Andrew was buffered by the system, his missteps managed quietly or overlooked entirely. Even after concerns began circulating about his association with Epstein, Queen Elizabeth continued to grant him honors and public visibility."

Catherine Mayer, the author of Divide and Rule, told the publication, "She saw no gap between the monarchy and shielding her son." Mayer continued, "One thing was her duty as monarch, and one was her duty as a mother—and she felt that those things were fully aligned."

Mayer isn't the first person to reference Elizabeth's seemingly unflinching protection of Andrew. Following the former duke's arrest, crisis expert David E. Johnson told Us Weekly, "A lot of people will be saying, 'Why didn't [Queen Elizabeth] do more?'" He continued, "This has been going on for a long time. She looked the other way."

However, royal historian David Cannadine suggested in his book, Queen Elizabeth II: A Concise Biography of an Exceptional Sovereign, that the monarch had little control over Andrew's behavior. "There was nothing The Queen could do…to persuade Prince Andrew to be more discreet," he wrote.

It seems as though Queen Elizabeth was committed to protecting her son, the former Prince Andrew, throughout his many alleged scandals, until her death in September 2022.