By Molly Claire Goddard
8:34am PST, Jan 2, 2026
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According to royal expert
Phil Dampier, King Charles III and
Prince William are eager to move on after Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was pushed out of the royal family due to his friendship with
Jeffrey Epstein. "Unfortunately, the whole year's been dominated by Andrew," he told
Daily Express. "Both the King and William are desperate to try and draw a line under it."
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King Charles III and the royal household removed Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's titles and evicted him from Royal Lodge following his association with Jeffrey Epstein and claims of misconduct.
"His Majesty has today initiated a formal process to remove the style, titles and honors of Prince Andrew," the
announcement from Buckingham Palace read. "Prince Andrew will now be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor. His lease on Royal Lodge has, to date, provided him with legal protection to continue in residence. Formal notice has now been served to surrender the lease and he will move to alternative private accommodation. These censures are deemed necessary, notwithstanding the fact that he continues to deny the allegations against him. Their Majesties wish to make clear that their thoughts and utmost sympathies have been and will remain with, the victims and survivors of any and all forms of abuse."
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Although Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was effectively removed from the family, royal expert Joe Little believes more challenges lie ahead.
"Andrew will continue to come back and be a nagging pain from time to time. It'll be a long time before it can be put to bed, if ever. It has been tidied up a lot, but it's never going to be totally resolved," he told Daily Express.
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According to
Andrew Lownie, who wrote
Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is concerned about
Prince William eventually becoming king. "He's worried about what's going to happen," the author told
Page Six. "He's going to be no longer protected. William is going to deal with him."
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As
Prince William prepares to lead England one day, he's not putting up with any nonsense from Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. "He wants the stables cleaned … the window dressing is that Andrew will leave [Royal Lodge] by the spring and he's a good boy and he's done what he's been told," Andrew Lownie said.
