Prince Andrew will allegedly no longer have access to an apartment and offices at Buckingham Palace per orders of King Charles III.
The 62-year-old royal was apparently turned out by his older brother Charles following the death of their mother, Queen Elizabeth II. Andrew had already been stripped of his official duties in the wake of a scandal in 2019, but up until now had retained access to the palace. Now, reports say he’s been kicked out of the royal enclave, too.
The Duke of York made headlines several years ago following the revelation of his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Andrew was also accused of engaging in sexual activities with a then-17-year-old girl named Virginia Giuffre. The royal settled a civil suit out of court.
Though he denied wrongdoing, Andrew resigned from public roles in May 2020. The former working royal also had his honorary military affiliations and royal charitable patronages stripped by Queen Elizabeth II in January 2022.
Prince Andrew’s eviction is notable, but Entertainment Tonight pointed out that the royal had not been using the apartment as his primary residence for some time. Instead, he’s been living with ex-wife Sarah “Fergie” Ferguson at the Royal Lodge at Windsor. For now, he still appears to have access to that property.
Queen Elizabeth was known for despising scandal and royal family drama. However, she always had a soft spot for Andrew, and royal insiders were surprised at how close the two remained even after the sex scandal plagued the British royal.
“[The queen] saw Andrew very, very regularly right up until her death,” Vanity Fair’s royal correspondent Katie Nicholl told Fox News Digital shortly after Elizabeth’s death in September 2022. “They remained incredibly close, and she was very protective of him.”
Nicholl went on to explain how she delved into claims that Andrew was the queen’s “favorite son” while researching for a book about the royals.
“She asked him about the Epstein allegations and about his relationship with Virginia Giuffre. They had a very honest conversation, and Andrew assured her that he was innocent of those allegations. She believed him. This was her son after all. And she didn’t just believe him. She stood by him,” Nicholl said.
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