UK's Prince Andrew under pressure over royal home, titles / Photo: © AFP/File
UK's Prince Andrew under pressure over royal home, titles
Britain's scandal-tarred Prince Andrew faced continued scrutiny Sunday of his contentious living arrangements and titles, amid reports of talks with King Charles III about vacating his 30-room royal residence.
Speculation has been mounting for days that Charles may force his younger brother out of his long-time home on Windsor Castle's sprawling grounds, following fresh outrage at accusations by one of Jeffrey Epstein's main accusers.
One domestic news agency aired live video on the weekend of the entrance to the Windsor estate, west of London, in anticipation of the latest humiliating fallout from the claims against the 65-year-old prince.
Meanwhile, some lawmakers are pushing for the parliamentary motion needed to formally strip Andrew of his Duke of York title, despite the prince recently announcing he will no longer use it.
Even holding a House of Commons debate on the conduct of a royal would be unprecedented in modern times.
When it might take place remains unclear, and any motion is unlikely to be binding. But it would heap further pressure on the king and government to act.
It comes days after the publication of Virginia Giuffre's memoir, in which the victim of US sex offender Epstein reiterated in shocking detail allegations she had sex with Andrew three times, including when she was only 17.
The prince, who denies any wrongdoing, agreed to pay US and Australian citizen Giuffre millions of dollars in 2022 to end her civil sexual assault case against him.
She took her own life in April, aged 41, while Epstein took his own life in 2019 in prison awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges.
- 'Pincer movement' -
Adding to the outcry following the chart-topping book's release, The Times revealed Tuesday the prince had not paid rent for two decades on his Royal Lodge home, where he lives with ex-wife Sarah Ferguson.
The arrangement stems from a seemingly favourable 2003 deal for the mansion owned by the Crown Estate, the royal family's independently run land and property holdings.
British newspapers reported over the weekend that it had prompted ongoing talks between the king and the prince about Andrew vacating Royal Lodge.
The Sunday Times said he faced "a pincer movement from parliament and Buckingham Palace to strip him of his dukedom and banish him" from Windsor.
The newspaper reported he may agree to move out if offered financial compensation and a suitable alternative home.
The Daily Mail said heir-to-the-throne Prince William and his family are set to move into a new residence near Royal Lodge and that he wants his uncle to leave beforehand.
In Westminster, the centrist Liberal Democrat party, which has 72 MPs, is among those demanding the parliamentary debate.
"We need to explore all options... to ensure parliament can scrutinise this properly, from Prince Andrew's residence at Royal Lodge to his dukedom," a party source told AFP.
"It's right that we're led by the king on this, and if parliament does have to act, we hope it can be hand-in-hand with the Palace."
(U.Stolizkaya--DTZ)
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