The King should be praised for doing the right thing by stripping his brother of his titles and evicting him from Royal Lodge at Windsor. It was a strong decision, and a serious one, which is why it was not rushed.
It had to be considered carefully, not least because Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, the former prince, has not been convicted of an offence. He says he is innocent, and it is one of the most important principles of British law that he is accepted as such – unless and until he is proven otherwise.
But the King was right to conclude: “These censures are deemed necessary, notwithstanding the fact that he continues to deny the allegations against him.”
Mr Mountbatten Windsor is guilty of errors of judgement in associating with Jeffrey Epstein, the American financier who was found dead in his cell in 2019 after being charged with conspiracy to traffic minors for sex.
The former prince is further guilty of continuing his relationship with Epstein after he was convicted of the lesser offence of procuring a child for prostitution, as part of a plea bargain in 2008. Finally, Andrew also claimed that he ceased being in touch with Epstein earlier than was the case.
It may be too late for Andrew to redeem himself, but he should now be as helpful as he can in bringing to justice other associates of Epstein who are guilty of serious crimes.
So far, only Epstein himself and Ghislaine Maxwell have been charged and convicted in relation to crimes that, by definition, involved many other people.
The House oversight committee that is investigating Epstein’s crimes has offered to take evidence from Andrew remotely, in the presence of a lawyer, and even to do so in private, so there can be no practical objection to his cooperation.
Suhas Subramanyam, a congressman from Virginia, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “He clearly has knowledge of what happened and we just want him to come forward and tell us what he knows.”
And he added, rightly: “If he wants to do right by the victims, he will come forward.”
Andrew has brought disgrace on himself and on the royal family, not just by his association with Epstein, but by his apparent unwillingness to be straight with people about how long that association was maintained after it became impossible to deny Epstein’s crimes.
The former prince did not help himself with his statement eight days ago, when the King allowed him to pretend that it was his own decision to give up his titles. Andrew made no apology for his behaviour, showed no awareness of the suffering of Epstein’s victims, and expressed no humility.
Hence, King Charles’s more forceful announcement on Thursday. He has done what he had to do to try to insulate the monarchy from the moral failings of his brother. The King presumably acted with the agreement and possibly the encouragement of Prince William. Father and son seem to recognise that, while royal titles cannot be decided by opinion polls, the family’s standing and its constitutional role, rightly limited as it is, rests upon popular consent.
Now it is up to Andrew to step up. He needs to suppress his great weakness, his sense of entitlement and his assumption that everyone else shares his self-assessment, which he shared with Emily Maitlis in that foolish interview, as being “too honourable”.
It is time for him to put Epstein’s victims first, recognise where his duty really lies, and say what he knows.
