The Queen Reportedly Did Not Act Alone In Her Public Rebuke Of Prince Andrew

Queen Elizabeth II slapped Prince Andrew with severe consequences on January 13. After Andrew's civil case with Virginia Giuffre took a serious turn for the worse, Queen Elizabeth officially stripped Andrew of all military titles and royal patronages. The official statement from Buckingham Palace read: "With The Queen's approval and agreement, The Duke of York's military affiliations and Royal patronages have been returned to The Queen. The Duke of York will continue not to undertake any public duties and is defending this case as a private citizen."

Per The New York Times, the queen's decision to strip her son of his military titles and HRH status puts Andrew on the same level as his nephew. Prince Harry had his HRH title removed and gave up military titles and royal patronages after stepping away from his royal duties in 2020. An international law expert at Howard Kennedy in London, Mark Stephens, told the AP that Andrew's trial could undermine the royal family's authority. "But now the issue is that he can make it much worse for the royal family when he has to get into the detail of what he was alleged to have done with a 17-year-old girl, which the public, whether it was lawful or not, are going to think was morally reprehensible," Stephens said.

The news about the public rebuke of Andrew was followed by many reports that Elizabeth did not act alone in her decision.

Prince Andrew has been out of the spotlight since his horrible 2019 BBC interview. Still, Queen Elizabeth II's second son enjoyed many of the perks of being a royal family member. But after attempts to get the U.S. civil lawsuit against him dropped failed, Andrew now faces the case alone. 

Prince Charles and Prince William were supposedly "instrumental" in the queen's decision to force Andrew out, per the Daily Mail. A senior palace source told the outlet, "This is about the survival of the institution at all costs. Always has been and always will be." The Mail reported a second "well-placed palace source" said, "It was a ruthless and swift decision which will have been recommended by the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Cambridge and sanctioned by the Queen."

Prince William has reportedly been growing anxious about the Andrew scandal for some time. The Mirror reported a royal source claiming William and Prince Charles were "increasingly concerned about the effect all of this turmoil could have on the Queen." Royal expert Angela Levin claims William and Charles are "incredibly angry" that Andrew has let the court case come to the trial stage. A friend of the Duke of Cambridge told The Sunday Times (via Insider) that William is not a fan of Andrew and considers his uncle to be "a risk" and a "threat to the family." The friend of William said Andrew's "ungracious and ungrateful" attitude towards his royal position upsets the future king.