Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor reportedly feels like his nephew Prince Harry is being treated more “leniently” than he is, a source has claimed. The former Duke of York, who had his royal titles stripped from him last year after years of public fury surrounding his friendship with the late convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, has essentially disappeared from any public aspect of royal life. Andrew has repeatedly and vehemently denied any wrongdoing regarding his friendship with Epstein.
Andrew's Current Circumstances
Since earlier this year, the former prince has lived at a small home on the Sandringham Estate. Andrew was arrested earlier this year on suspicion of misconduct in public office. He has been under investigation since he was released from custody on the same day as his arrest. Andrew has always denied any wrongdoing and the accusations against him.
While it is believed King Charles would like his brother to keep a low profile, this has not been the case. Instead, Andrew has recently put himself back in the headlines after he won a High Court battle over police raids on his two homes earlier this year.
High Court Battle and Ongoing Investigation
Thames Valley Police accepted the search warrants it used were unlawful and they have been quashed, the High Court was told. Despite this, the criminal investigation against Andrew remains ongoing, and it is being determined whether police can keep the potential evidence they took from Andrew’s homes.
While Andrew has not commented much on his circumstances over the last year, except to deny wrongdoing and accusations, it is believed he feels that he has been treated unfairly compared to his nephew, Prince Harry, who quit royal life and publicly criticised members of the Royal Family. This, Andrew apparently feels, is something that should see Harry get the same treatment from his royal relatives as Andrew has got.
Royal Source's Claim
Although Harry’s relationship with some of his royal relatives has been negatively impacted by his public criticisms of the monarchy, including with his brother Prince William, Andrew reportedly feels like his nephew is still being treated well by the royals overall compared to the way he himself has been treated.
A royal source, according to the Daily Mail, said: "He always has felt that his nephew has been treated leniently compared to himself, especially as Andrew has remained loyal to the throne and would never do anything that would cause trouble. That's very unlike Harry and Meg's stone-throwing and tittle-tattling across the Pond. The wider family feels he deserves credit for not rocking the royal boat."
Impact on the Monarchy
Andrew and Harry have both brought drama to the doorstep of the monarchy this year. This has been a lot for King Charles, who has had to continue with royal duty regardless of the actions of his brother and son. While it is believed the King still speaks to both Andrew and Harry, the monarch has not been publicly seen with either of them for some time. Instead, all his interactions with them have been kept private.
Both Andrew and Harry also do not appear at big royal events. The last royal event Harry attended was the King’s Coronation in 2023. Andrew, on the other hand, was last spotted out with the Royal Family when he attended the Duchess of Kent’s funeral over a year ago. This was before the release of the Epstein Files, in which he is mentioned. Being mentioned in the Epstein Files does not imply any wrongdoing. Neither Andrew nor Harry is expected to join the Royal Family for Christmas this year.
