Emily Maitlis, who conducted the infamous BBC interview with Prince Andrew in 2019, said the King may want to keep a close eye on his brother by privately funding his accommodation
King Charles will privately fund Andrew’s new accommodation(Image: Getty Images)
King Charles might be worried that his brother, Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, could follow in Prince Harry’s footsteps and write a book or sell his story to TV, Emily Maitlis has suggested.
The journalist, who interviewed Andrew for BBC Newsnight back in 2019, said on The News Agents podcast – which she has been presenting daily since 2022 – that the fact the monarch will continue funding his brother privately might be a way for Charles to keep an eye on Andrew and ensure that “no craziness” happens.
After being stripped of his Prince and Duke of York titles, as well as the honours he has held for most of his life, Andrew was also ordered to leave Royal Lodge in Windsor and will move into an undisclosed private residence on the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk as soon as practicable.
Charles will privately fund Andrew’s new accommodation while also making private financial provisions for his brother. Commenting on what Andrew may do next now he is no longer a prince, Emily said: “I would also say that you have to think of the cottage in Sandringham and the stipend that comes from The King as being, if you like, the Royal equivalent of an NDA.
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Andrew has been told to leave the Royal Lodge(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
“The last thing that Charles wants right now is to see Andrew write a book like [Harry’s] Spare or sell his story to an American TV station, or go off and get himself into a role that allows him to exploit other members of the Royal Family and what he knows about them. And so, my sense is that there is just the long arm of this private payment being made to Andrew to sort of say, I’ve got you, but you are in my sights.
“There can be no book. There can be no craziness. I mean, it’s a very good question of, is he meant to earn his own money? Is he meant to go out and get a job and the sense I’m getting is they’d sort of prefer him not to, at least nothing public, because that then does create a real problem.”
Emily also revealed on the podcast that she has spoken to sources “very close” to The King and Queen and understood that Prince William was not a driving force behind the decision to remove Andrew’s style, titles and honours. “I was told last night that it is Prince William who’s most concerned about the state of his uncle’s mental health,” the journalist told her The News Agents co-hosts Jon Sopel and Lewis Goodall.
Prince Andrew spoke to Emily Maitlis in 2019 (Image: PA Media)
She also shared: “There was a bit of nervousness from the siblings, from Prince Edward, from Princess Anne, who didn’t want their eldest brother to go too hard on their other brother, Andrew, but it was The King himself who had nerves of steel.” Buckingham Palace said in a statement last night: “His Majesty has today initiated a formal process to remove the style, titles and honours of Prince Andrew.
“Prince Andrew will now be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor. His lease on Royal Lodge has, to date, provided him with legal protection to continue in residence. Formal notice has now been served to surrender the lease and he will move to alternative private accommodation.
Andrew talked about his association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein(Image: BBC)
“These censures are deemed necessary, notwithstanding the fact that he continues to deny the allegations against him. 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.”
Andrew was stripped of his Prince and Duke of York titles after the continued public outcry over his connections with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and sexual assault claims, which he denies. He has also been ordered to give up Royal Lodge after it emerged he was paying a “peppercorn” rent for his 30-room mansion.
