King Charles has relocated his brother, Prince Andrew, to the Sandringham estate in Norfolk in an effort to “contain” him, according to sources close to the royal family. The move comes after the release of further documents related to Jeffrey Epstein, which have placed Andrew at the centre of renewed controversy.
Andrew moved out of Royal Lodge in Windsor on Monday while his permanent property undergoes renovation. A source told The Times: “The King feels he has no other option than to provide for his brother, who will be privately funded on a private estate. Every time he’s tried to support himself by independent means, it has led to greater trouble. Containing him is the hope.”
The latest Epstein files reportedly include an email in which Andrew appears to invite Epstein to Buckingham Palace for dinner and “lots of privacy” years after Epstein’s conviction for sex offences. Epstein responded: “Already in london [sic]. what time woudl [sic] you like me and we will also need/ have private time.” It is not clear if the meeting took place. The files also contain a photo showing Andrew on all fours over a woman on the floor, though the woman’s face is hidden and the context is unclear.
Royal sources have described Andrew as “unstable”, and the revelations are said to have been “shocking and distressing”. The King has pledged to fund Andrew indefinitely using private funds, and his security is also paid for by Charles. A friend of the King said: “The King feels that keeping his brother out of the public gaze and away from any kind of public expense, is the right thing to do. Andrew is no longer a burden on the public purse and the King has done all he can to remove him from the public gaze, but the reality is he can’t remove him from the public consciousness.”
The King is said to be “acutely aware of the public feeling” after he and Queen Camilla were heckled about Andrew during a high-street outing. A man shouted: “Charles, Charles, have you pressurised the police to start investigating Andrew?” A friend of the King noted: “He doesn’t need to be heckled to understand the mood of the nation. Accelerating him out of Royal Lodge last was another nod to show he gets it. A plan made is not the same as a plan enacted, and the King wanted that plan enacted asap.”
There is no suggestion that appearing in the files implies wrongdoing, and individuals who have appeared in previous releases have denied any illicit behaviour related to Epstein.
