Why Charles Finally Acted

Andrew, formerly known as Prince, thought very highly of himself for years, but from now on his life has totally changed as should his behaviour. Although King Charles should have dealt with him earlier he had had enough of the scandals enveloping his brother and, supported by the heir to the throne Prince William, stripped him of all his titles. From now on, the name he will use is Andrew Mountbatten Windsor

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He felt that his finest hour was as a Royal Navy helicopter pilot on active duty in the Falklands War of 1982. But he was equally proud of attracting women and of his various nicknames: ‘Randy Andy’, ‘Royal Hottie’, ‘Sexy Andy’, ‘Playboy Prince’ and ‘Party Prince’. It’s alleged that he slept with more than a dozen women just in the first year of his marriage to Sarah Ferguson.

Despite being almost ten years younger than his brother Charles, Andrew felt he should be heir to the throne rather than his serious sensitive, rather awkward brother who loved classical music, painting and plants.

Andrew kept nagging his mother, Queen Elizabeth, that he would be a much better king than Charles. Although the Queen had a soft spot for Andrew, who seemed to have a way of persuading her to do what he wanted, he didn’t always win.

When he lost, he became extremely unpleasant to the Queen. He also tried to persuade her to block Charles from marrying Camilla Parker Bowles, claiming, among other things, that she was insufficiently aristocratic and not to be trusted. When the Queen didn’t agree with him, he again became very angry.

He continued to lobby hard in the hope that Charles would not become king and that William would take the crown. Andrew was furious that he couldn’t have more of a say in the running of the country and also remained hostile to Camilla.

Andrew pushed his arrogance too far. When the King asked him to change homes in Windsor from Royal Lodge with its 30 rooms and move to a more suitable home for him and his ex-wife Sarah, he refused. When Royal Lodge needed urgent repairs he took no notice.

When he was accused of sexually abusing a 17-year-old girl called Virginia Giuffre, he denied he’d heard of her, despite a photograph showing them together, and wanted everyone to believe that he did nothing wrong. Virginia Giuffre had been one of the “sex slaves” working for financier Jeffrey Epstein and co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell, who is now in a US prison.

Aged 41, Virginia committed suicide but left behind a memoir Nobody’s Girl that covers the tragic details about how she was treated. In it she writes: “I was habitually and humiliated - and in some instances, choked, beaten, and bloodied.” She accused Andrew of being “entitled – as if he believed having sex with me was his birthright”. She claims that Epstein gave her to Andrew and that he abused her three time. He denies it but is believed to have instruct his Metropolitan Police protection officer to investigate Virginia using her date of birth and her Social Security number in an alleged attempt to find “dirt” on her?

Camilla is involved in several charities that try to help people who have been raped or assaulted. She read Virginia’s book and felt she couldn’t continue her work when her husband’s brother was being accused of such behaviour.

Charles and Camilla made it distinct in two sentences: “Their Majesties wish to make clear that their thoughts and upmost sympathies have been and will remain with, the victims and survivors of any and all forms of abuse.” There was no mention of Andrew. I must have been a stressful and hard thing for the king . who is still undergoing weekly cancer treatment, to do. Something powerful had to happen and it did.

Andrew could live on the Sandringham Estate where there are several properties the King owns. But there are rumours he will vanish from public life and live in 6-bed Abu Dhabi palace with Fort Knox-like security Sarah, however doesn’t want to be with him. Their daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, have been shocked but can keep their titles, being the granddaughters of the late Queen Elizabeth. It’s not known what Andrew will do there. He has never looked after himself or even made himself a meal. Some people think he will go abroad, even though he is in a very vulnerable state.

The King had to take the action he did because there were growing concerns that the scandal could undermine the monarchy itself. Constitutional monarchs can only survive with the support of the public and that can easily be lost, as ex-King Juan Carlos of Spain found out to his cost. Due to public pressure he abdicated in 2014 and has written a memoir, Reconciliations: Memoirs of Juan Carlos I of Spain, which will be published in France this week.

Now 87 years old, Juan Carlos was known for his numerous extramarital affairs throughout his marriage to Queen Sofía. It was one reason for his loss of public support and now he wants people to know the details of his reign and his relationships.

It all looked very different when in 1975 the monarchy, which had been in abeyance since 1931, was restored and he took over the throne after the death of the dictator General Francisco Franco. In the following years he played a crucial role as democracy returned to Spain and started to take root. For much of his reign, he was widely popular and respected. But his later years were marked by financial and personal scandals. In 2012 he was on an elephant-hunting trip to Botswana with one of his women friends and broke his hip.

The Spanish public were furious when the news broke as it had taken place during a severe economic crisis in Spain. This led to Juan Carlos’s abdication in favour of his son Felipe in 2014

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One mystery in his memoir is about his relationship with the late Diana, Princess of Wales. There was a lot of speculation about them in the early 1990s. But very few individuals would ever describe Diana, as he does in his new book, as “cold, taciturn, distant, except in the presence of the paparazzi.” Perhaps he was trying to cover up her lack of interest in him. Diana told friends after a visit to Majorca: “I felt uncomfortable being left alone with him in a room, although I can assure you that nothing happened.”

Felipe married Letizia Ortiz, a television journalist and divorcee, in 2004. They have two daughters, Princess Leonor, 20, the heir to the throne, and Infanta Sofia, 18. Understanding the damage his father’s fall from grace was doing to the monarchy, Felipe has been ruthless in ostracising him and other members of the family who have been caught up in scandal. King Charles may be wishing he had acted as decisively with Andrew, and sooner.

Juan Carlos is still married to his wife, Queen Sofia. However, the couple lead completely separate lives, with Juan Carlos living in self-imposed exile in the United Arab Emirates and Queen Sofia continuing to live at the Zarzuela Palace in Madrid. The two are rumoured not to have shared a bed for over 40 years

Norway has another troubled monarchy. Marius Borg Høiby, 28, is the stepson of Crown Prince Kaakon and son of Norway’s Crown Princess Mette-Marit from a previous relationship. He has been charged with 32 criminal offences in total, including four counts of rape, domestic violence, making threats, filming women without their consent, and drug use.

He denies the most serious accusations, including rape and domestic violence, but plans to plead guilty to some lesser charges.

The trial is scheduled to take place in Oslo early next year. If convicted of the most serious charges, he could face up to10 years in prison.

The Royal Palace has stated that it is a matter for the courts to decide and has no further comment, adding that Høiby’s status should not affect the judicial process. No other members of the Norwegian royal family have been charged in this case or are expected to appear as witnesses.

Høiby does not hold a royal title or perform official royal duties but the charges against him are a huge embarrassment to the Royal Family. It remains to be seen what long-term damage the affair will do their reputation or if it will even affect even their very survival.

The roots of the monarchy are deeper in Britain than in Spain and Norway but the scandals that have hit the three ruling families show that the public’s tolerance is not unlimited.

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