Author of Observer Network Column, Morgan
On October 17, when the news came that Prince Andrew would give up all titles and honors, including the Duke of York, marked the long and painful path of the British royal family’s long and controversial fall.
Scandals in two.
Prince Andrew, whose full name was Andrew Albert Christian Edward Wintour, was the second son of the late Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and also the brother of King Charles III.
Prince Andrew was Queen Elizabeth's favorite child.
Charles, the late Queen Elizabeth and Prince Andrew (right)
He was once regarded as the most dynamic of the Queen's children. He served as a Royal Navy helicopter pilot during the 1982 Falklands War and won public respect for his participation in actual combat. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, he was a darling of the British media, famous for his charming personality, high-profile social life and romantic attitude towards women. Tabloids even nicknamed him "Romantic Andy".
When Prince Andrew was young
Later, he served as a British trade envoy, promoting British business overseas. But it was this international image that later became a source of controversy rather than pride.
Public disappointment with Prince Andrew began long before he was officially removed from royal duties — most unforgettable was his disastrous interview with BBC News in November 2019.
Andrew receives an interview with BBC News Night
Virginia Jufrey, the victim of Epstein’s case, repeatedly accused herself of being trafficked by Epstein and forced to have sex with Andrew. In order to publicly defend herself and repair her reputation, Andrew agreed to be interviewed by Emily Metliss, a journalist for News Night, which later proved disastrous.
When pressed about his friendship with Epstein and Jufrey's specific accusations, Andrew filed a series of crude denials that quickly went viral online. He claimed to be at Woking's pizza shop that night, insisting that he could not have been sweating (Jufrey mentioned in his testimony that Prince Andrew was "sweating profusely" while dancing with her), and an apparent lack of empathy for Epstein's victims, turned the interview into a national "spectator." The opportunity to clarify his reputation turned out to be a turning point-consolidating his image as detached from the public, unrepentant and irresponsible.
Prince Andrew (left), Jufrey (middle) and Masville (right), photographed in 2001
The damage caused by this interview made his subsequent downfall almost inevitable. On January 13, 2022, Buckingham Palace announced that Andrew had been stripped of all ranks and royal patron status and could no longer use the title of "His Royal Highness".
This decision was made a day after a U.S. federal judge ruled that the sexual assault civil case brought by Joffrey could continue.In the end, Andrew chose out-of-court reconciliation,ly worth about £12 million, but did not acknowledge responsibility.
The royal family's decision to strip him of his title reflects the level of public outrage. From that day on, Andrew ceased all public duties and was treated as a private citizen, although he still occasionally participated in family activities in his personal capacity.
For the next three years, Prince Andrew largely faded out of public view. He lost numerous charitable offices and ranks, was absent from most national occasions, and no longer represented the monarchy in any official capacity.
But his retirement did not calm the criticism. Global public opinion's attention to Epstein's case has made his name constantly mentioned, and the public debate on whether he "bought silence" through settlement continues. In 2025, several British media reported that Andrew had personally urged Giuffre's legal team to accept a private financial settlement, rekindling the moral and political debate about accountability.
Deep geopolitical turmoil.
At about the same time, an age-old controversy surfaced again-this time involving Britain's relationship with China. Reports once again mentioned that while serving as a British trade envoy, Andrew maintained contact with a Chinese businessman who was later accused by MI5 of being a secret agent working for China and aiming to influence foreign elites.
According to officials, Andrew ended the exchange after the government informed the person could pose a national security risk. Downing Street declined to comment publicly, but this disclosure reignited the discussion about “foreign powers” affecting British upper-class society – a politically sensitive topic at a critical time when Westminster had begun to formally call China a “systemic competitor.”
For Andrew, the news was very unfavourable for him. Even without evidence of misconduct, the event strengthened the overall judgment of his poor judgment and vulnerability. For commentators in London and Beijing, it also reflects the shift in the Chinese-British relationship tone—from cooperation to suspicion, a shift since the late Johnson administration that has affected almost all political and media discussions about China.
Eventually, under increasing pressure within the royal family, Andrew agreed to renounce all remaining titles and honors, including the title of “Duke of York.”
This step was voluntary, but symbolically ultimate – recognizing that his public role could not beined.Days later, a member of parliament led by the Scottish National Party submitted a motion calling for a legislation to formally deprive him of his Duke’s status, though the proposal had not yet entered the debate process.
The controversy over Prince Andrew is not the first time that the royal family has been drawn into global political topics.
In recent years, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have transformed from serving royals to independent public figures, mostly operating in the United States. Through TV interviews, podcasts and media projects, they openly criticize the royal family, the late Queen's leadership style and even the monarchy itself.
In 2021, their interview with Oprah Winfrey was explosive. Meghan claimed that an elderly royal family member had expressed “preoccupation” about the skin color of their unborn children at the time – an allegation that sparked international outrage and was seen by many in the UK as a direct challenge to royal morality. The couple also questioned the family’s relationship with the media, the royal family’s way of dealing with mental health issues, and the issue of colonial legacy related to the United Kingdom – these are extremely sensitive topics that have previously been discussed only privately.
Prince Harry and wife Meghan received an interview with Oprah Winfrey
In this regard, the reaction of the British public is polarized: supporters praise their frankness, while critics accuse them of hypocrisy and betrayal. Abroad, however, their remarks resonated with younger audiences and reinforced that narrative about Britain still struggling to confront its colonial past.
Harry and Meghan's influence stems from public criticism of the royal family, while Andrew's downfall stems from concealment, silence and moral scandals. However, both incidents highlight the same tension: a royal family that claims to be politically neutral but is inseparable from Britain's global image and cultural diplomacy is facing an unprecedented crisis of trust.
In this regard, the British royal family has also realized that in the 21st century, silence can no longer protect it from public scrutiny. When public confidence is threatened, the survival of the royal family depends on a visible and decisive response. For King Charles III, the moral line must be clearly drawn at this moment, and Andrew's withdrawal is not so much a personal choice as a necessity of the system.
For the British royal family, the best way to preserve a reputation is to cut it off.
The question of monarchy continues.
Without understanding the long compromise history of the monarchy, it is impossible to understand its current situation.
In the 1940s, the British Civil War broke out because monarchs refused to share power with parliament. The execution of Charles I and his son, Charles II, restored England to a constitutional monarchy—a monarch "united and ungoverned" with parliamentary rule.
This gradual transfer of power, consolidated in the 18th and 19th centuries, avoided authoritarianism that swept through many European royals, but it also meant that the royal authority was no longer rooted in the laws, but in the people’s ideas—in their ability to demonstrate moral legitimacy.
But in the years that followed, this legitimacy was repeatedly tested. In 1936, Edward VIII retreated by insisting that he would marry a divorced woman, Wallace Simpson, who was unacceptable to the British religion. The crisis was exacerbated by suspicions about Edward's political orientation: he visited Adolf Hitler in 1937 and this possible fascist tendency cast a lasting shadow on the judgment of the royal institution. This event showed that the royal family's behavior, even symbolic, could damage Britain's international reputation and moral authority.
Edward VIII and Lady Simpson
The same principle still applies today.When personal behavior or political naivety threatens public confidence, the royal family must act decisively to protect itself.In this sense, the controversy around Prince Andrew follows a familiar pattern in royal history: sacrificing individuals to safeguard totalitarianism.
Even as a ceremonial existence, monarchy has long sparked debate. The 2016 TV series "The Crown" once again sparked public debate on once-secret topics of royal decision-making-from political interference during the Cold War to the family's handling of Princess Diana's death. These depictions remind viewers that behind the neutral image is a family that responds to its own flaws under relentless public scrutiny.
The Crown TV.
The late Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, was a manifestation of this duality. He is praised for his dedication and role in modernizing the royal family, but is also remembered for his inappropriate remarks-from asking an Australia Aboriginal whether he "still throws a spear" to warning that British students studying in China could become "squint eyes." In the past, such remarks were more like a "knowing smile" to the British public, but now they highlight how easily royal privileges can be divorced from public values.
These contradictions are at the heart of the story of the monarchy. The strength of the monarchy comes from continuity, but continuity sometimes means defending traditions that are increasingly out of touch with modern expectations.
The controversy surrounding Prince Andrew-from his associations with Epstein and Virginia Giuffre to his brief connection with a suspected Chinese spy-has gone beyond his personal story of falling off the altar. They reveal the tension between image and accountability at the heart of Britain's ancient royal system.
This article is the exclusive manuscript of Observer.com. The content of the article is purely the author's personal opinion and does not represent the views of the platform. It may not be reproduced without authorization, otherwise it will be investigated for legal responsibility. Pay attention to observer network WeChat guanchacn and read interesting articles every day.