The late Queen Elizabeth II reportedly held deep sorrow regarding the situation surrounding her son, Andrew Mountbatten Windsor. Royal expert Phil Dampier described the events as a "Greek tragedy" in an article published Tuesday, November 4, in Hello! Magazine. He stated Andrew has been "stripped of everything and humiliated."
Dampier, who has covered the royal family for over two decades, believes the late Queen would have been "absolutely heartbroken" to witness what transpired for the son often referred to as her favorite. He expressed "total surprise" when news broke of Andrew’s princely title removal.
"It is a very extreme measure," Dampier added. He called the situation "unprecedented," marking an extraordinary fall from grace for someone born second in line to the throne and a Falklands War hero.
King Charles III announced on Thursday, October 30, that he initiated the formal process to strip his brother Andrew of his title. Andrew was also evicted from his residence at Royal Lodge in Windsor.
A Buckingham Palace statement at the time confirmed Prince Andrew would be referred to as "Andrew Mountbatten Windsor." It noted his Royal Lodge lease previously provided legal protection to reside there.
A "formal notification" was presented to Andrew, who will relocate to "alternative private accommodation." It is understood he will move to Charles’s Sandringham estate.
The statement clarified these censures were deemed necessary, despite Andrew continuing to deny allegations against him. Their Majesties emphasized their thoughts and deepest condolences remained with victims and survivors of abuse.
Charles’s decision followed Andrew’s continued headlines regarding his association with the late billionaire and sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. In 2019, the late Virginia Giuffre claimed a sexual encounter with Andrew in 2001 when she was underage. Giuffre stated she and Andrew met through Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell.
Andrew consistently denied Giuffre’s allegations. She sued him for sexual abuse in 2021, and they reached an out-of-court settlement the following year. Giuffre died by suicide this past April at age 41. Her posthumous memoir, Nobody’s Girl, published last month, details further accusations against Andrew and Epstein.
Dampier’s recent comments echo those of fellow royal author Christopher Andersen, who spoke to Us. Andersen affirmed Andrew was the late Queen’s "favorite son" until the very end of her life. He added that "she did what she could to protect him."
Andersen shared last week that this "must have been a painful decision for the King," given Andrew is his brother. He concluded that Charles would know how much expelling Andrew from the royal family would have hurt his mother, the late Queen, and that he cannot imagine Elizabeth II would "ever have gone this far."