The future of the monarchy 'depends' on further action

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor attends Katharine, Duchess of Kent's Requiem Mass service at Westminster Cathedral on September 16, 2025 — (Image credit: Photo by Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)

The King would have been forgiven for thinking he had done everything possible to stem the damage done by Andrew Mountbatten Windsor. He’s been de-princed: his titles removed, evicted from his Royal Lodge home under the cover of darkness and put into internal exile on the private Sandringham estate.

But the latest tranche of Epstein files (3.5million which perhaps explains why documents, emails and pictures keep being discovered in a damaging ‘drip drip drip’ effect) have been devastating. That awful picture of Andrew, seemingly at paedophile Jeffrey Epstein’s New York townhouse, on all fours looming over a young woman.

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and King Charles III attend the Funeral of the Duchess of Kent at Westminster Cathedral

Emails appearing to arrange to meet various young ‘clever, beautiful, trustworthy’ women that Epstein introduced to Andrew - who were admitted into Windsor Castle or Buckingham palace under the code name ‘Mrs Windsor’. Documents seemingly passed to Epstein that were sent to Andrew from government departments in his role as a UK trade ambassador.

The image of the crown that Andrew now represents - a self-important, boorish and pampered prince (not to mention his money-grasping ex-wife) - is deeply detrimental to the core royal values of duty, service and selflessness. Members of the Royal Family are supposed to uphold the strongest morals - not face potential criminal investigation for feathering their own pocket.

But, of course, I must repeat that Andrew denies any wrong-doing. What more can King Charles do?

Andrew attends the traditional Easter Sunday Mattins Service at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle on April 20, 2025

I thought it was significant that both he and the Prince and Princess of Wales issued a statement last week. For William and Catherine, this was the first time they’d ever commented, saying they were ‘deeply concerned’ about the continuing revelations. It was a valiant attempt to try and refocus on William’s work ahead of his three-day visit to Saudi Arabia, but it didn’t work.

Later the same day, the King issued a statement from Buckingham Palace saying that they would assist with any investigation ‘if asked’. Is that good enough though? For too long it has appeared as if it’s one rule for us, hoi polloi, and another for the super rich and powerful. The Royals are the apex of that.

King Charles III attends an Advent Service in 2025

Surely at some point, after the original interview with Virginia Roberts/Giuffre broke in 2011, courtiers within Buckingham Palace conducted their own investigations? At the very least, investigated their email servers (although it’s clear at times Andrew was using a private account to contact Epstein where he called himself the ‘Invisible Man’.)

Demands are now growing for an inquiry into the former Prince’s time as trade envoy - beside Gordon Brown’s calls for Andrew to tell police what he knew about Epstein’s sex trafficking victims arriving into Stansted airport from Latvia, Lithuania and Russia.

Of course the Royal Family don’t want an investigation into Andrew, fearful of what more will be revealed. But ‘never complain, never explain’ is just not going to wash any more.

King Charles III attends the Royal Maundy Service at Durham Cathedral for on April 17, 2025

If the monarchy’s popularity is to endure, it has to show that it takes these allegations seriously. It’s all very well uttering the well-worn ‘our thoughts and sympathies remain with the victims’, but the institution, in my opinion, has to do more.

That means voluntarily helping the authorities with what they knew, when they knew - and even the King making a public address to reiterate how seriously he takes all of this. For, in my opinion, the future of the monarchy depends on it.

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Emily Andrews is a British Journalist, Broadcaster, and Royal Commentator. Emily currently works freelance and her name has appeared in Woman, Woman&Home, Daily Mail, Fabulous, Fox News, The Mail on Sunday, The Sun, and The New York Post.

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