The Grand Old Duke of York is no more.
Prince Andrew’s title is gone and his limpet-like grip on a gilded royal life hangs by a thread as the Epstein scandal rages on.
King Charles had little choice but to strip away his brother’s titles once stories started leaking from “Nobody’s Girl,” the posthumous memoir by Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre. It’s a sad tale of exploitation as the former self-described “sex slave” described, once again, in haunting detail the fiercely denied claims that she had three sexual encounters with the prince.
But is the banishment too little, too late from the palace?
Sadly, for the ailing monarchy, it might be. The already beleaguered institution — mired in poor health and family feuds — is facing irrelevance. And the threat looms of exiled Andrew and Sarah Ferguson going rogue like Prince Harry and spilling family secrets.
The chummy exes have a destructive streak like wildfire. Tackle one blaze and more flames erupt, fanned by their poor judgement and insatiable greed.
Now, the two are surely bitter, brash and with less to lose, meaning the palace may have to brace for salacious family gossip hawked to the highest bidder — potentially the last lucrative way the pair can trade on their royal connections now that the Duke and Duchess of York titles are gone.
Don’t forget that Fergie had to apologize in 2010 after she was busted on video for trying to sell access to her ex-husband, with whom she still lives. “500,000 pounds when you can, to me, open doors,” she told an undercover journalist. Or that she took a loan from Epstein (later calling it an error in judgement).
Even as King Charles and Prince William have frozen them out in recent years, the gruesome twosome have been privy to the inner sanctum of the palace for decades. Whether it’s Megxit, senior royal health woes or Camilla v Diana showdowns, there’s plenty of material that could command a high price.
Ferguson, whose many published books have featured her duchess title on the covers, is probably already dreaming of an emotional interview with Oprah — who first interviewed her in the 1990s, after her divorce — where she can play the misunderstood-victim card?
Whatever storms are ahead, the monarchy has always experienced peaks and troughs in fortune, image, and popularity. But make no mistake, the reputational hits in recent years are unprecedented.
It speaks volumes that the Andrew problem has been a distraction from the war between brothers Harry and William.
Royal duties and service — even King Charles’ meeting with Pope Leo at the Vatican visit this week — have become a sideshow at the very time the institution’s modern relevance is under scrutiny.
Royal tours of the commonwealth, once a staple display of the monarchy’s global soft power, are increasingly controversial. The king, who is famously sensitive to indigenous traditions, was subjected to a sweary tirade from an aboriginal senator during his tour of Australia last year. William and wife Kate Middleton’s Caribbean tour in 2022 was also marred by anti-colonial protests.
Not that all is lost.
President Trump’s unprecedented second UK state visit last month allowed the working royals to showcase the very best of the House of Windsor and was a rare reprieve in the scandal narrative.
It was a reminder of the feel-good diplomatic role the monarchy plays in the special relationship between the US and the UK — which, amid ever rising geopolitical tensions, can never be too tight.
But the monarchy can’t just rely on these occasional peerless displays of the family silver. The meteorite-sized hole left by Queen Elizabeth’s death in 2022 has not been filled despite a committed and dutiful king, 76, who is still undergoing cancer treatment for cancer and often seems in need of extra support.
Prince William seems intent on removing randy Uncle Andy from his and Fergie’s “grace and favor” home — owned by the sovereign — at Royal Lodge in Windsor. But as heir to the throne, William’s sense of public duty has been rightly called into question, as he’s taken five holidays so far this year and missed major events. (Middleton announced in January that she is in remission from cancer.)
This is not the time for part-time royal service. All senior royals must step up in the fight for the crown’s survival — or face a very vulnerable future.