2025 was a challenging year for King Charles after his brother, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, faced further accusations regarding his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The King acted swiftly, demoting his brother, removing all of Andrew's royal titles, and evicting him from Royal Lodge in Windsor. But according to a royal expert, there are several reasons why the monarch acted "more brutally than people expected."
Speaking to GB News, royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams said, "I think [The King] is acting in the way that he feels appropriate, which was more brutal than a lot of people expected." The expert continued, "He removed the title of prince. Some people speculated that it wouldn't happen. I think that this was necessary given the circumstances."
Fitzwilliams also suggested that, due to the secretive nature of the Epstein files, King Charles would have been unaware of the severity of allegations about Andrew's behavior. "It appeared belated because [the Epstein files] had gone on for so many years in different ways," the expert shared.
The royal expert elaborated, "It's been very difficult for The King because he does not know what is going to be released." Per Fitzwilliams, "The humiliation is unique, but it really has piled it on."
Royal author Christopher Andersen previously suggested that the release of Epstein and Andrew accuser Virginia Giuffre's memoir, Nobody's Girl, was the "final straw" for King Charles. "You can't escape the feeling that there is more—something even more damaging that would force The King to take such drastic action," Andersen told Us Weekly.
