King Charles has faced growing calls to cut all ties with his disgraced brother Prince Andrew after his name was included in newly unsealed court documents, detailing the people linked to late paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
The 75-year-old is under mounting pressure to ban Prince Andrew from all future royal gatherings as the court documents, released on Wednesday, sparked anger among the royal fans.
Some royal commentators have urged the King to kick the disgraced royal out of the Royal Lodge to save the monarchy from fresh backlash.
A, royal insider, has claimed: “Andrew, who’s alleged to grope two women in new released documents, has put the King in painful situation as he seems in trouble.”
The source added: “The documents have also damaged Andrew’s hope to rebuild his reputation as he was in high spirit after joining the royal family along with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson at annual Christmas walk.”
A separate source told the Daily Mirror that there is “no way back” for Andrew.
“The King has no option but to completely cut ties with Andrew. He will forever be tainted by his association with Epstein and despite his denials of wrongdoing, the constant drip of information about Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell is a stain on the Royal Family,” the source added.
“There is no way back for him. Andrew should have no place in public alongside the King or any other member of the Royal Family,” they concluded.
Andrew was named alongside many other high-profile figures, including Bill Clinton, Michael Jackson and Leonardo DiCaprio. The people listed were those named as associates of Epstein and there is no suggestion those named either knew about his crimes or participated in any criminal behaviour.
The move to ban Andrew would mark a U-turn for Charles, who had decided to order his family to welcome his brother back into the fold – much to Prince William’s anger.
Andrew had previously withdrew from public life amid the furore over his friendship with Epstein and paid millions to settle a US civil sexual assault case to Virginia Giuffre.