Prince Charles Ignored a Reporter Who Asked About Prince Andrew

When it comes to questions about his brother Andrew’s legal battle, Prince Charles seems to think silence is the best approach. The future King of England was confronted by reporters on Friday, one day after the Queen officially stripped Prince Andrew of his HRH and military titles, and asked about whether he had a response. 

Prince Andrew has been under fire for several years, after allegations against him by Virginia Giuffre, who accuses Andrew of sexual impropriety on three occasions when she was 17, came to light. The alleged incidents reportedly stem from Prince Andrew’s affiliation with Jeffrey Epstein, though the Prince fully denies the accusations. Nevertheless, the past two years have seen Andrew distanced from royal responsibilities and staying largely out of the spotlight, save for remarks he gave after the death of his father, Prince Philip, last spring. 

However, after the U.S. federal judge presiding over the case denied Andrew’s motion to dismiss the charges last week, the hammer has fallen a lot more quickly. The Queen reportedly had a 30-minute “summit” with Andrew in which she stripped him of his HRH title indefinitely, as well as his numerous military honors. All that remains, then, is his Duke of York title, which must be removed by an act of Parliament—although there are moves to get that underway as well.

Obviously the scandal has put a lot of pressure on the rest of the royals, who not only reportedly feel the need to help Andrew in some way but must surely be concerned about what the outcome of the case will do to the royals’ already enfeebled reputation. (News of Prince Andrew last year even made “Abolish the Monarchy” trend on Twitter.)

But if you were hoping to get insight into how Charles and the other royals were feeling about the issue, you may be out of luck. According to People, Prince Charles stepped out for a walk on Friday in Aberdeenshire and was approached by reporter James Matthews of Sky News. “Your Royal Highness, can I ask your view on your brother's position, Prince Andrew? How do you view it?" 

Rather than respond, Prince Charles acted as though he had not heard the question and proceeded to shake hands with another man in the vicinity. 

And can you really blame him? For a family whose entire lush existence is predicated on being in the public eye, this is a uniquely difficult family matter. However, People reports that the decision to strip Andrew of his ranks was “widely discussed” within the family, and especially among the senior royals—likely the Queen, Prince Charles, and Prince William.

Whether or not a judge finds Prince Andrew liable in the suit brought against him, it seems his time as a public member of the royal family is long over.