Queen ‘saddened’ – but Andrew ran out of road
It was a difficult decision but she agreed with Charles that she had no choice, say royal insiders
The Queen was ‘saddened’ at having to force Prince Andrew out of the Royal Family but backed Prince Charles in saying he had ‘run out of road’, insiders have revealed.
explaining why the monarch forced her son to stop using his hRh title in order to face his sex case in the US civil courts as a ‘private citizen’, a wellplaced source said the decision had been ‘difficult’ but the Queen knew that she had no choice but to act.
Up until now, they said, the hesitation to strip the Duke of York of his remaining military and charitable affiliations – and quash any hope of returning to public life – had been down to a determination not to be seen to ‘pass judgment’ on the claims against him. Andrew has constantly denied the allegations.
But his recent failed attempt to have the lawsuit brought by Virginia Roberts thrown out of court on technical grounds, leaving him facing a jury trial in the autumn, meant that action had to be taken sooner rather than later.
The source said: ‘The hesitation up until now at Buckingham Palace has resulted from their determination not to be seen to pass judgment [on the allegations]. That is not their role and there are court proceedings to determine that.
‘But what has happened this week is that he [Andrew] is now in a world in which his name will never be cleared – whether he wins or loses. having a member of the Royal Family using their title as they go to court to defend themselves against those kind of allegations is obviously unacceptable.’
They added: ‘This week’s judgment meant that Andrew simply ran out of road.’ The source made clear, as the Mail revealed yesterday, that his brother was very much behind the Queen’s decision. Meanwhile, Charles continued his duties yesterday and met those involved in the clear-up after Storm Arwen in ellon, Aberdeenshire. When asked about Andrew he ignored the question.
But the Mail’s insider explained: ‘Charles has only ever had one view on this, which is that it just all needs to be over. he hasn’t won that argument until now.
‘It was a very difficult decision for all concerned, and the Queen is clearly saddened, but it was the right decision.’ Sources said the heir to the throne was ‘100 per cent’ backed by his son, Prince William, but dismissed claims that the Duke of Cambridge had a ‘summit’ with his grandmother on Wednesday.
‘That absolutely did not happen’, they insisted, ‘he went to see her after he had conducted an investiture at Windsor Castle and would have given his support. But there are people whose opinion matters more in this, particularly in the familial sense.
‘Actually the strategy was always to keep the Duke of Cambridge out of it as much as possible. Of course he has an opinion, but [Andrew] is not his son or his brother. he was central to the decision regarding harry because of their relationship, but not here.’
The source added: ‘Ironically, although humiliating it is probably the best one for Andrew. It gives him more leeway to clear his name.’
Another royal insider remarked to the Mail how they had predicted several years ago that the prince would ‘one day break his mother’s heart. And now he has’.
Andrew, 61, remained holed up at Royal Lodge, his Windsor home, yesterday with his ex-wife, Sarah, Duchess of York, as he contemplated the ruins of his royal career and his continuing legal fight.
As he did, some of the last remaining organisations with which he still has links were starting to remove him from their records.
Royal Ascot Golf Club stripped his name from their website within hours of Thursday’s announcement. The Staffordshire Regiment Museum Trust, which works closely with the Friends of Staffordshire Regiment of which Andrew was a patron, said it was ‘waiting on the Government and the Royal Family’ to take the next steps. But Sir Andrew Gregory, of the Royal Artillery Golfing Society, thanked the duke for his time as patron.
Meanwhile, a social media campaign, #NotInYorksName, was started by Labour MP for York Central, Rachael Maskell, for Andrew to lose his Duke of York title.
It came after a senior councillor, Darryl Smalley, called for a crossparty motion asking for the removal to be passed by the entire City of York Council.