When the monarch's traditional Christmas address aired at 3 p.m. on Dec. 25, millions tuned in for an expected reflection on a year of profound upheaval for the House of Windsor. What they received instead was a meditation on pilgrimage and spiritual unity — eloquent, certainly, but conspicuously silent on the scandal that has consumed public attention for months: the disgrace of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the king's younger brother stripped of his princely title barely two months earlier.
The omission has provoked sharp criticism from royal observers and palace insiders alike, who argue that King Charles' failure to address the Epstein affair during the monarchy's most significant annual broadcast represents a missed opportunity to demonstrate the transparency his reign has otherwise championed.
A Calculated Silence as Scandal Raged
The context surrounding the king's address could scarcely have been more fraught. In October 2025, Virginia Giuffre's posthumous memoir Nobody's Girl was published, reigniting intense scrutiny of Andrew's relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Just days later, on Oct. 30, Buckingham Palace announced that King Charles had formally initiated proceedings to strip his brother of all royal titles and honours — including the designation 'prince' — and ordered him to vacate Royal Lodge, his Windsor residence of more than two decades.
Andrew, now 65 and known only as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, has been effectively exiled from public life. Yet when the king delivered his Christmas message from Westminster Abbey's Lady Chapel, he made no reference whatsoever to the crisis engulfing his family.
The 'Elephant in the Room' Left Unaddressed
Palace aides have defended the speech as deliberately 'reflective and unifying', but critics contend it sidestepped the issue dominating public discourse. 'There was a clear expectation that the king would at least acknowledge the crisis surrounding Andrew', one senior royal source revealed. 'By saying nothing, he has allowed the silence itself to now become the story'.
The king's address instead invoked lines from T.S. Eliot's Burnt Norton, part of Four Quartets, speaking of finding 'the still point of the turning world' amidst a society that 'seems to spin ever faster'. A palace aide explained the reference as commentary on technology's impact on community cohesion, yet royal commentators found the literary allusion jarring given the 'very real issues' confronting the institution.
One source close to palace operations described the omission as 'deliberate but risky'. 'Charles has taken firm action privately, effectively sidelining Andrew from any public role', the insider said. 'But there was a widespread expectation that he would also demonstrate leadership in public by confronting the issue directly during the most important address of the royal calendar'.
A Jarring Contrast With Earlier Candour
The silence feels particularly glaring in light of the king's earlier openness about his own health struggles. In February 2024, King Charles disclosed his cancer diagnosis, and in December 2025 — just days before his Christmas speech — he announced that his treatment would be scaled back in the New Year, moving into a 'precautionary phase'. His candour about the disease, delivered via the Stand Up To Cancer broadcast, was widely praised for destigmatising illness and promoting early detection.
'After speaking so candidly about his own illness, there was an assumption that the king would bring a similar level of openness to the situation involving his brother', a palace aide acknowledged. The contrast between the monarch's willingness to discuss his cancer and his reticence regarding Andrew has intensified frustration amongst those who believe the royal family must confront uncomfortable truths head-on.
A former royal adviser summed up the prevailing sentiment: 'The king has demonstrated that he can take tough decisions'. 'But leadership also requires confronting uncomfortable truths publicly, and for many observers, that opportunity has now passed'.
Andrew's fall from grace has indeed been precipitous. In 2025, King Charles took the unprecedented step of removing his brother's titles, evicting him from Royal Lodge, and excluding him from all official duties — measures widely praised as necessary to distance the monarchy from the Epstein scandal.
Yet without public acknowledgement in the king's most prominent annual address, observers remain divided on whether decisive private action is sufficient, or whether the institution's credibility demands visible accountability.
