The Queen’s concern for sex abuse victims helped inform Buckingham Palace’s decision to strip Andrew Mountbatten Windsor of his titles, it has been reported.
It is understood Camilla expressed concerns that the King’s brother’s association with Jeffrey Epstein was getting in the way of her work supporting sex abuse victims, the Telegraph said.
Having spent decades helping rape and sex abuse survivors she was appalled at Andrew’s association with the convicted sex offender and increasingly felt it was compromising her work, the newspaper reported.
It is understood her concerns fed into the decision-making process that led to him losing all of his titles and his Royal Lodge home.
Charles stripped his younger sibling of his Prince and Duke of York titles after the continued public outcry over his connections with convicted sex offender Epstein and sexual assault claims, made against him by Virgina Giuffre.
In its statement on the decision, Buckingham Palace said: “Their Majesties wish to make clear that their thoughts and utmost sympathies have been, and will remain with, the victims and survivors of any and all forms of abuse.”
The claim was among a series of developments on Friday following the King’s historic decision to strip his brother of his royal titles on Thursday.
In other developments:
• Andrew will not move from his Windsor mansion Royal Lodge to Sandringham until after Christmas, because of the lengthy process of giving up his home.
•The government said it has no plans to pass a law to formally remove Andrew from the line of succession.
•Andrew was facing mounting calls to answer questions in the United States about his relationship with sex trafficker Epstein.
•The brother of Virginia Giuffre called for an investigation into Andrew
•He also said he would love to meet the King as he urged Charles to tell US President Donald Trump to "put your big boy pants on" and release the Epstein files.
•Andrew told Epstein it would be "good to catch up in person" months after the paedophile was released from prison for prostituting minors, court documents showed.
•Buckingham Palace said Andrew has been struck from the official roll of the peerage.
•Calls to change "Prince Andrew" place names and street signs intensified.
After the King's dramatic decision to take action against his brother the disgraced former duke is said to be "sanguine" about events, according to the Telegraph.
It emerged Andrew will move to his new home on the Sandringham estate early in the new year because the relocation process will be “protracted”, sources said.
Sandringham in Norfolk is the venue for the traditional Christmas gathering for members of the royal family and the delay will mean any potential encounter with Andrew over the festive period is avoided.
Andrew was accused by Virginia Giuffre of sexually assaulting her when she was a teenager and claims she was trafficked by Epstein to have sex with the royal. Andrew has strenuously denied the allegations.
When interviewed on Sky News, her brother Sky Roberts called for Andrew to be "investigated" and said about the King's decision to remove his titles: "But it's still, it's not enough in the sense that he's still walking around a free man.
"I mean, let's not be naive, that he's not going to be living on the side of the road here, he's still in a very, let's say, cushy spot... He should be investigated, let's put it that way."
He also called on the King to tell US President Donald Trump to "put your big boy pants on" and release the Epstein files.
Charles's actions are already bearing fruit as Andrew's name has been struck from the official roll of the peerage which means his Duke of York title will no longer be used officially.
In the next few days the King is expected to send to the Lord Chancellor David Lammy the royal warrant, affecting the dukedom, and letters patent which will formally remove Andrew's entitlement to use the title prince and HRH style.
Andrew stepped down from public duties in 2019 after his disastrous Newsnight interview about his friendship with Epstein and as a non-working royal does not serve as a counsellor of state, who can deputise for the monarch if he is overseas on an official trip or ill.
He remains eighth in line to the throne but in the highly unlikely scenario Andrew was on the verge of becoming monarch it is likely public pressure would intervene.
But there have been calls to bring in legislation to stop any chance, however remote, of him becoming King.
Downing Street said there were no plans for legislative changes, when asked about potentially making it easier to strip peerages in the future or remove Andrew from the line of succession.
"From the Government's perspective, there are no plans to make legislative changes," the Prime Minister's spokesman said.
He added: "The Government is focused on using parliamentary time to improve the lives of working people."
