It has been suggested that Princess Anne and Prince Edward have stepped up amid concern over the well-being of their brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, and one expert has revealed why it is those two who have been in contact with him
Since Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s move to Sandringham, public sightings of him have been few and far between.
He’s cut a lonely figure since being booted out of Royal Lodge, holing himself up at Wood Farm, and only being seen on the occasional drive or dog walk since his arrest on suspicion of misconduct in a public office in February. He has been stripped by the King of his right to be a prince and his title as Duke of York over his association with notorious paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein. Andrew denies any wrongdoing.
And while he is not believed to have seen his older brother the King or nephew, Prince William, since his arrest, it’s been suggest he has been in contact with his other siblings, Princess Anne and Prince Edward.
Edward and his wife Sophie are said to have visited him at Wood Farm over the Easter break for dinner in what has been described as a “brotherly welfare check”.
While it is also understood that Anne, who has faced protesters at events shouting about her brother and his connections to Epstein, has been in phone contact with him, with it reported she even suggested he could move to her Gatcombe Park estate in Gloucestershire.
And former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond believes there is a reason why it is the former Duke of York’s older sister and younger brother stepping up for him.
She told the Mirror: “I think this is an illustration of the separation of the institution of monarchy and the royal family. The King and his heir, William, have a vested interest in protecting the monarchy – and feel they have a duty to do so.
“Andrew poses a threat to the good name of the monarchy, and so both Charles and William are keeping their distance. I’m sure Anne and Edward feel the same loyalty to the Crown, but they are also slightly more at liberty to keep in contact with their brother, Andrew. And it seems they are doing so.”
Earlier this month, it is believed that Edward and Sophie had to change their Easter plans and stay in a separate property rather than Wood Farm, their usual accommodation around this time of year, as Mountbatten-Windsor was still living there. He has since moved to Marsh Farm.
Edward became the first member of the Royal Family to publicly speak out on the Epstein scandal, saying it’s “really important always to remember the victims”. He made the remarks back in February when he was asked about it during an appearance on a panel at a conference in Dubai.
At the summit, he was asked “how are you coping” amid the release of the new files. And Edward said: “Well, with the best will in the world, I’m not sure this is the audience that is probably the least bit interested in that.
“They all came here to listen to education, solving the future, but no, I think it’s all really important always to remember the victims and who are the victims in all this? A lot of victims in this.”
And Jennie added: “No one has any idea what Edward and Sophie discussed with Andrew. Personally, I doubt it was anything to do with the move to Marsh Farm. It’s reported that they stayed for dinner, so I think this was much more a chance for Edward to check up on his brother’s mental and physical well-being. Some reports say Andrew is as pompous as ever, but others suggest that he is profoundly depressed.
“Was it a heart to heart? Who knows? Sometimes, families in trouble find it easier just to share memories of happier times rather than tackle the elephant in the room.
“In the end I suppose it shows us that ,while there is no way back for Andrew and it will probably be a very long time before we see him with other members of the family in public, Edward — and it’s believed Anne — are privately keeping communication channels open. And they undoubtedly keep the King in the picture too.
“But I guess Edward’s visit suggests that behind the stoic face of the royal family there lies a beating heart. We can only hope that one of them exerts some pressure on their brother to do the decent thing and tell the US authorities what he knows about Epstein.”
