The One Card King Charles Has Left to Play in Andrew Scandal

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - SEPTEMBER 16: (EMBARGOED FOR PUBLICATION IN UK NEWSPAPERS UNTIL 24 HOURS AFTER CREATE DATE AND TIME) Prince Andrew, Duke of York and King Charles III attend Katharine, Duchess of Kent's Requiem Mass service at Westminster Cathedral on September 16, 2025 in London, England. Katharine, Duchess of Kent was married to Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, a first cousin of Queen Elizabeth II. She died on September 4 at the age of 92 at Kensington Palace surrounded by her family. Having converted to Catholicism in 1994, her funeral takes place at Westminster Cathedral and is the first Catholic funeral to be held for a member of the royal family in modern British history. Her Royal Highness will be laid to rest at the Royal Burial Ground at Frogmore, Windsor. (Photo by Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images) — (Image credit: Getty Images)

2025 proved to be a challenging year for King Charles—as well as handling his ongoing cancer treatment, the monarch was forced to demote his brother, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. Renewed interest in the disgraced former Duke of York's association with Jeffrey Epstein—a convicted sex offender—led to The King removing Andrew's royal titles and evicting him from Royal Lodge. According to one royal expert, there's still one "card" King Charles could play in the Andrew scandal.

Writing for the Sunday Times, royal editor Roya Nikkhah shared, "Questions keep coming on who knew what about this sordid saga. Those close to Charles insist father and son [Prince William] 'remain in active and consistent dialogue on all matters.' But their written statements...expressing 'profound' and 'deep concern' for Epstein's victims, have not quelled disquiet."

As a result, Nikkhah believes it's time for King Charles to speak publicly about Andrew's friendship with Epstein. "Hearing from the monarch in personal, spoken words, rather than palace statements, would redress that," Nikkhah wrote.

King Charles, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Andrew on the balcony during Trooping the Colour 2019 — "It was a card she rarely played," one royal expert noted.

The royal expert also noted that whenever Queen Elizabeth spoke directly to the general public, it "was a reassuring salve." Nikkhah elaborated, "It was a card she rarely played, but...her televised addresses settled a rattled public. A similar message from Charles, with input from William, acknowledging what has happened, addressing the challenges facing the monarchy, telling us the Royal Family understands the gravity of the situation, would go a long way."

Prince William walking behind King Charles, both wearing black suits — "Hearing from the monarch in personal, spoken words, rather than palace statements, would redress that."

For now, at least, Charles and William's plans regarding Andrew remain unclear. However, it seems as though many royal fans are eager to receive some reassurance from the Royal Family about Andrew's ongoing Epstein scandal and the troubling allegations against him.

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Amy Mackelden is the weekend editor at Marie Claire, where she covers celebrity and royal family news. She was the weekend editor at Harper’s BAZAAR for three years, where she covered breaking celebrity and entertainment news, royal stories, fashion, beauty, and politics. Prior to that, she spent a year as the joint weekend editor for Marie Claire, ELLE, and Harper's BAZAAR, and two years as an entertainment writer at Bustle. Her additional bylines include Cosmopolitan, People, The Independent, HelloGiggles, Biography, Shondaland, Best Products, New Statesman, Heat, and The Guardian. Her work has been syndicated by publications including Town Country, Good Housekeeping, Esquire, Delish, Oprah Daily, Country Living, and Women's Health. Her celebrity interviews include Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Chastain, the cast of Selling Sunset, Emma Thompson, Jessica Alba, and Penn Badgley. In 2015, she delivered an academic paper at Kimposium, the world's first Kardashian conference.