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Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is preparing to vacate his 30-room mansion for good, and one royal expert told Fox News Digital that his furious nephew — the future king — is determined to push him as far from the House of Windsor as possible.
“Prince William, in particular, is the strongest proponent of distancing Andrew from the royal family,” British royals expert Hilary Fordwich told Fox News Digital. “He wants his wayward uncle as far away as possible.”
“He doesn’t want his reign overshadowed by such scandals — let alone living in constant fear of another damaging revelation with lurid headlines,” Fordwich claimed.
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“The last thing William wants, while focusing on duty and modernizing the monarchy, is to have the liability of Andrew around,” she shared. “He wants distance in every sense. He’s also in tune with public sentiment, and the issue is trust in the monarchy.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to Kensington Palace for comment. A spokesperson for Buckingham Palace previously said they don’t speak for Andrew, 65, as he is not a working royal.
Fordwich’s comments came after royal biographer Robert Jobson told People magazine that Andrew could face exile abroad.
“The king saw the King of Bahrain the other day,” the author of “Windsor Legacy” pointed out. “One never knows — it could be a place where Andrew gets the recognition of being the second son of Queen Elizabeth, rather than this.”
Jobson noted that Spain’s former King Juan Carlos I has lived in Abu Dhabi since 2020, after stepping back from public life amid financial scandals.
“Other disgraced people have gone to the Middle East,” said Jobson. “Andrew did a lot of business in Bahrain, and he’s still relatively young.”
Royal expert Ian Pelham Turner told Fox News Digital that Andrew has connections in Abu Dhabi, which could make it a desirable destination.
But Turner warned that it wouldn’t necessarily be a scandal-free refuge for the former Duke of York.
“Robert Jobson is saying that this would be a much better solution for the royal family without Andrew being seen in the U.K.,” said Turner.
“However, he is forgetting that the paparazzi would have a field day taking regular photographs of Andrew in a luxury retreat, reminding the British public that the royal family still allegedly look after their own. It would be far safer to keep him cloistered on a farm in Sandringham, where he could not return to his tastes of life with Epstein in the past.”
British photographer and broadcaster Helena Chard told Fox News Digital that Prince William and his father would likely welcome Andrew being kept as far away as possible.
“The monarchy comes first,” Chard said. “It’s far easier for the royals to distance themselves from Andrew and his scandals if he relocates abroad — out of sight, out of mind. We hear King Charles and Prince William plan to travel to the U.S. this year, and they don’t want controversies overshadowing their diplomatic visit.”
On Oct. 30, King Charles stripped his disgraced brother of his princely title and evicted him from Royal Lodge after weeks of pressure to act over his ties to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Andrew is expected to move to a property on the king’s Sandringham estate and receive private financial support from his brother. Multiple reports say he is expected to leave his home by Easter.
“A source confirmed that Abu Dhabi’s royal family holds Andrew in high esteem,” Chard said.
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“Andrew already has an invitation to live a luxurious lifestyle in the UAE if life becomes too challenging in the U.K. You never know — he could set up his own court as King Charles’ brother. I imagine this would appeal to him, helping offset his fall from grace and restoring some of the prestige he craves. He’s also a big fan of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.”
Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams told Fox News Digital that the idea of Andrew going abroad would appeal to the royal family.
“Revelations about his and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson’s links to the deceased pedophile have been extremely damaging to the institution’s image,” he said. “There are reports that Abu Dhabi could give him a home and, undoubtedly, a refuge. The FBI is keen to speak to him about his links to Epstein, and it is unclear what else may surface.”
“Andrew was in Bahrain for investment schemes and networking projects,” Fordwich said. “Qatar and Saudi Arabia are other possibilities.”
Royal biographer Andrew Lownie also told People magazine that a move to the Middle East could be possible for the late queen’s favored son.
“He doesn’t like the sound of being on the Sandringham estate,” the “Entitled” author told the outlet. “I think he wants to go somewhere where he can just get away from everything.”
“I just can’t see him being on an isolated farm in Sandringham,” Jobson added.
Chard previously told Fox News Digital that William and his wife Kate Middleton are quietly enforcing a stricter “zero-tolerance” approach within the monarchy following Andrew’s scandals. Their approach to the monarchy’s future began before Andrew was stripped of his title.
“Prince William, in particular, is not satisfied with how the Andrew situation has been handled,” Chard claimed. “He is looking into the future with a solution-focused lens. He is far more ruthless than his father. He always takes the harder line. He can see reputational damage escalating for the royal family and is reviewing a decisive way forward to combat further scandals.”
“He realizes it’s harder for the king to deal with his brother than it will be for him to deal with his uncle in due course,” said Chard.
“However, he feels his father has teetered too long with the kid gloves approach. Prince William and the whole royal family are fully supportive of King Charles taking a stronger stance against his brother. William would prefer a swift, clean break with Andrew before things decline further. He also hopes to shield the king from the damage.”
“Prince William and Princess Catherine’s zero-tolerance blueprint is already transforming royal family dynamics,” said Fordwich. “They’re proactive behind the scenes to specifically address scandals, enforcing a far better level of discipline, all intended to protect the monarchy’s future by excluding those who threaten its reputation in any way, shape or form.”
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Andrew stepped down from public life in 2019 over his association with Epstein, despite his denials of wrongdoing. Virginia Giuffre, an American woman who died in April, alleged she was trafficked by Epstein and had sex with Andrew when she was 17.
In 2021, Giuffre sued Andrew, who denied her claims and said he didn’t recall meeting her. The case was settled in 2022 for an undisclosed sum. According to court documents, the prince acknowledged that Giuffre was “an established victim of abuse.”
“These censures are deemed necessary, regardless of his continued denial of the allegations,” the palace said when announcing that Andrew had been stripped of his title. “Their Majesties wish to make unequivocally clear that their thoughts and deepest sympathies have been, and will remain, with the victims and survivors of all forms of abuse.”
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