King Charles III has approved a plan to provide his younger brother, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, with a £100,000 annual allowance and a relocation payment as part of an agreement to settle his transition out of royal life, according to sources familiar with the discussions. The decision follows the King's move to formally strip Andrew-formerly the Duke of York-of his titles, honors, and public roles amid renewed scrutiny of his ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Palace insiders told The Guardian that the settlement is intended as a "once and for all" resolution to the ongoing question of Andrew's status within the royal family. The arrangement, they said, will include a one-time relocation payment "in the low six figures" to facilitate his move from Royal Lodge in Windsor to a private residence on the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, where he will live as a private citizen.
The relocation comes just days after Andrew's removal from the peerage roll was finalized. A royal warrant and letters patent are expected to follow, formally recognizing his new status outside the monarchy. The King's advisers have described the stipend-funded entirely from the sovereign's private income-as a pragmatic measure to prevent further public controversy over Andrew's finances. The annual sum of £100,000 ($130,000) is several times larger than his former £20,000 naval pension.
Sources close to Buckingham Palace said the King wants the arrangement concluded "before the end of the year." The palace has not commented publicly, but the plan marks one of the most definitive steps yet in distancing the monarchy from the scandals surrounding Andrew's association with Epstein.
British political leaders expressed broad support for the King's decision. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said it was "a necessary act of accountability," while a Downing Street spokesperson added that the government's thoughts were with the family of the late Virginia Giuffre and "all the victims who suffered from Jeffrey Epstein's despicable crimes."
Giuffre's brother, Sky Roberts, welcomed the announcement, calling it a form of moral recognition from the monarchy. "I think the King is speaking very clearly when he says he stands with survivors," Roberts told reporters.
Still, the arrangement has drawn criticism from members of the public and anti-monarchist groups who question whether so-called "private funds" are truly separate from assets maintained through public privilege. Many Britons voiced anger online, saying the move reinforces a pattern of "royal protectionism" and financial comfort for a man whose reputation remains deeply tarnished.
Social media users expressed frustration over what they described as a double standard-ordinary families facing record inflation and energy costs while a disgraced royal receives financial support "quietly handed from one brother to another."
Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Police confirmed they are reviewing new claims tied to Andrew's relationship with Epstein. Two ongoing inquiries are reportedly examining allegations raised in Virginia Giuffre's posthumously published memoir Nobody's Girl and separate claims that the former prince pressured a police protection officer to obtain compromising material about Giuffre.
