Queen Camilla 'at heart of decision' to strip Andrew's titles, claims expert

Queen Camilla was at the heart of the decision to strip disgraced Andrew of his titles and home, according to a leading royal expert. Camilla, 77, who has devoted years to supporting victims who suffer abuse, coercive control and sexual violence, was left "greatly embarrassed" by the former Prince's links to paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

Putting her name to the statement alongside King Charles, 76, showed they were standing "shoulder to shoulder" on the issue, according to former BBC royal correspondent, Jennie Bond.

She said, "I think this was a highly significant part of the statement. Camilla was specifically included in keeping the focus sharply on the victims and survivors of abuse. In fact, she wasn't just included, she was figuratively standing shoulder to shoulder with the King, determined to show that it is the young women and children who were trafficked by Jeffrey Epstein who matter most."

She continued: It's extremely unusual for a statement of such constitutional gravity to be issued in the name of both King and Queen. But this is a matter which strikes at the very heart of some of Camilla's most important work. Quietly, sensitively and without fuss, she has been supporting victims of abuse for many years. The inclusion of that last sentence also emphasises the stark lack of any such sentiment or apology from Andrew."

The final line of the statement read, "Their Majesties wish to make clear that their thoughts and utmost sympathies have been, and will remain with, the victims and survivors of any and all forms of abuse."

While royal sources were quick to confirm that the decision was made entirely by the King, and without any added pressure from the senior members of the Royal Family, Ms Bond said, "I hear Camilla's voice in that sentence very clearly. She must have been appalled by his previous statements, including the one where he relinquished his Dukedom but once again omitted to utter a word of remorse or contrition."

The Palace's message also resonated with domestic abuse charity Refuge, which the Queen has supported for over a decade.

The charity's CEO, Gemma Sherrington, told the Express: "It's incredibly powerful to see survivors recognised so directly in a statement from the Palace. When leaders show empathy and make clear that their thoughts are with victims and survivors, it helps to challenge the silence and stigma that too often surround abuse. Refuge welcomes this acknowledgement from Her Majesty The Queen, which sends an important message: that survivors matter, that their experiences are believed, and that they deserve to be at the heart of national conversations about abuse."

Through her support of organisations such as Women's Aid, Refuge and Safelives, and by backing initiatives like the Wash Bags Project, which distributes bags containing essential toiletries to Sexual Assault Referral Centres, it is clear that the Queen is thoroughly aware and in touch with public feeling.

"It must have been galling for Camilla to visit refuges and talk to women who have been abused when her own brother-in-law had knowingly continued a friendship with a convicted paedophile," Ms Bond says. "However much he protests his innocence, the very fact that Andrew had such a long association with Epstein makes him toxic. It must have been a great embarrassment for the Queen as she continued her work, offering gentle conversation, thoughtful gifts, and, more than anything, a sympathetic ear."

Her work has also extended to seeing her take part in the 2024 ITV documentary, Her Majesty The Queen: Behind Closed Doors. In it, Camilla spoke in depth about how she came to work with domestic violence charities.

"By scratching the surface, you get a terrible shock. It's a heinous crime. If we could just get more people discussing it, talking about it, people are so shocked by what they hear that, rather like me, they want to say 'oh, hang on a minute' perhaps there's something we can do to put an end to it."

Her Majesty's drive to use her platform in this way has often been the source of admiration. "The Queen is pushing the door wider and wider", Jess Phillips MP previously said during a reception at Buckingham Palace, "having someone in the Queen's position talking about rape is unimaginable."

Despite the obvious parallels, the success of bringing about Andrew's downfall is the King's and the King's alone.

"We know that Camilla has always been interested in her husband's work and words. Sometimes he has used her as a sounding board, reading his speeches to her before an event. And it's highly likely that she was involved in the sentiment behind of this statement. However, palace sources are keen to emphasise that the decision to strip Andrew of his titles and force him out of Royal Lodge came from the King himself," Ms Bond says.

"He had been working through the complexities of his decision for some time before the announcement. Camilla, William and, no doubt, the Princess Royal and the Duke of Edinburgh, were all consulted and kept informed. But, in the end, it was the King who wielded the sword and cut his brother loose once and for all."

Just hours after the statement was released, King Charles was pictured behind the wheel driving on the Sandringham Estate. While the palace is yet to confirm which Norfolk home will be given to Andrew, it will reportedly not be Wood Farm, the secluded farmhouse loved by the late Queen Elizabeth II and where Prince Philip spent much of his time after his retirement in 2017.

Another swift blow followed when Andrew's name and former Duke of York title were officially removed from the Roll of the Peerage - the public record of peers and peerages of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the UK.

The 185-page list includes hereditary peers, members of the House of Lords and members of the Royal Family; however, Andrew's name no longer appears on the list after it was swiftly amended.

It was a move supported by Sir Keir Starmer as a No10 spokesperson said: "We fully support the decision taken yesterday by the Palace. Our hearts go out to the family of Virginia Giuffre and all the victims who suffered from Jeffrey Epstein's despicable crimes."