‘Real reason’ Queen has not stripped ‘toxic’ Prince Andrew of HRH status explained

When the Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped down as senior royals, they declared they would work to become financially independent and were informed that they should not use their HRH titles. Meanwhile, the Duke of York, who stepped back from public life in the wake of the Jeffrey Epstein scandal, has not lost his HRH title or money from the privy purse. A royal expert explained that this is because Andrew is now “toxic” and so would struggle to make any of his own money.

Andrew has been shunned due to his friendship with the late Epstein, a convicted paedophile due to stand trial for sex trafficking.

The Duke has also been accused of having sex with Virginia Roberts Giuffre when she was a trafficking victim of Epstein’s.

The prince denies any wrongdoing and underwent a now infamous interview with Emily Maitlis on BBC Newsnight to defend himself, but it was dubbed a car crash and only added to the outrage.

Pod Save the Queen is hosted by Ann Gripper and features Daily Mirror royal editor Russell Myers.

READ MORE: Prince Andrew’s biographer picks apart Duke’s FBI cooperation claims

In an episode earlier this month, Ms Gripper interviewed Andrew’s biographer Nigel Cawthorne, who authored the recently released ‘Prince Andrew: Epstein and the Palace’.

Mr Cawthorne questioned whether the Queen may deprive her second son of his title and money if he does not return to royal duties.

He said: “The Queen and Prince Philip and Charles, they are aware of the responsibility they have and obviously modify their behaviour, they can’t behave like he does.

“He doesn't have any responsibilities, he just gets money for nothing.

“And I wonder whether that’s going to continue, because when the Sussexes quit royal duties they lost their HRHs and no longer took money from the privy purse.

“Now he’s retired from public duties, is he going to get rid of the title and not take the money?

“Or the money wont be given to him? Let's see how that plays out.”

However, Ms Gripper pointed out that the major difference between the Sussexes and Andrew is that Harry and Meghan will be overwhelmed with opportunities to make large amounts of money to pay for their security and way of life, whereas Andrew is unlikely to have any decent offers.

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She said: “I think the difference is that Harry and Meghan have some good pulling power and credibility and everybody will be clamouring to sign them up and use them for forces for good.

“Whereas Andrew is now a toxic prospect until and unless he can deal with these allegations and clear his name and put them behind him.”

This could mean the Queen is reluctant to strip her son of his titles and cut off his funds, as she might not be safe in the knowledge he could cope by himself.

Meanwhile, Meghan and Harry have already signed up to the Harry Walker Agency, a public speaking agency whose other clients include the Obamas and the Clintons.

They are likely to be paid in the hundreds of thousands for each speech.

What’s more, Meghan has already done a voiceover for Disney+ documentary ‘Elephant’, which could be a signifier of more work along those lines in the future.

They are also in the process of setting up their own non-profit organisation, Archewell.

The Duke and Duchess will need to earn a fortune if they are to pay for their own security, estimated to cost around £20 million per year.

They will also be looking to find a more permanent residence, as they are reportedly currently staying at Tyler Perry’s £15million mansion in Beverly Hills.

They are currently being funded by the Duchy of Cornwall, controlled by Harry’s father Prince Charles, but this is intended to be temporary.

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