Cancer-stricken King Charles is determined to fix his ailing House of Windsor, royal insiders believe, starting by cutting off his scandal-tainted sibling Prince Andrew.
In an explosive reckoning months in the making, the dying monarch has started cutting the 64-year-old Duke of York's $1.29 million annual allowance and his seven-figure security detail, a new report claimed.
An anonymous source indicated that King Charles had extensively tried to persuade Andrew to reduce his expenditures and cease his ostentatious public lifestyle. However, Prince Andrew is stubborn and asserts he is entitled to retain every penny.
The same source indicated that this had placed King Charles in an untenable situation with limited viable solutions. The monarch has ultimately exercised the nuclear option by terminating Andrew's stipend, compelling him to be self-sufficient. From his viewpoint, he possessed no alternative.
The insider stated that King Charles is aware of the limited duration of his reign and is determined to address the Prince Andrew issue before it becomes too late.
The spy added that the monarch desires his removal from the Royal Lodge and the public sphere at any cost. It is acceptable if Prince Andrew solicits assistance from his affluent acquaintances. King Charles asserts that his obligation to the crown supersedes any loyalty to his relatives from the House of Windsor.
According to the GLOBE Magazine, Prince Andrew has been shunned since Virginia Giuffre, Jeffrey Epstein's sex slave, sued him in August 2021, claiming she was pimped out to 41-year-old Andrew when she was 17.
Prince Andrew allegedly sexually abused the 41-year-old sex victim three times when she was under 18, starting in 2001 when Epstein and his convicted Madam Butterfly Ghislaine Maxwell took her to a London nightclub with the prince, BBC reported.
Prince Andrew has vehemently denied her charges - as well as having any knowledge of Epstein's global sex trafficking ring. Prince Andrew purportedly contends that relinquishing his royal privileges would acknowledge his guilt for the egregious offenses implied by his association with Epstein during his years of revelry.
In February 2022, one month after his mother, Queen Elizabeth, deprived him of royal duties and military decorations, the "pervy" prince paid Giuffre $16 million to abandon her lawsuit and stop her from testifying, PEOPLE Magazine reported.
Since then, an insider said, Prince Andrew and his immediate family, including ex-wife Sarah "Fergie" Ferguson and princesses Beatrice, 36, and Eugenie, 34, have lived lavishly in the $38 million, 31-room Royal Lodge on the Windsor Estate, home to Windsor Castle.
King Charles has long pleaded with his disgraced baby sibling "to do the right thing" and move to the more petite Frogmore Cottage on the Windsor Estate, which Prince Harry and his fame-seeking B-actress bride Meghan abandoned in June 2023.
Prince Andrew has refused to leave his luxurious property, insisting that the 75-year lease he signed on Royal Lodge in 2003 with Queen Elizabeth's consent allows him to wallow in luxury.
An informant reported that King Charles was exceedingly enraged. He is aware that the public observes in horror as Andrew occupies his time with equestrian activities in the park, golfing, and socializing with his children and grandchildren, all while residing in this immense residence.
It presents a detrimental image, considering the severity of the allegations against him and its negative impact on the House of Windsor.
Business Times has reached out to King Charles and Prince Andrew for comments.
