Proof that the Palace protected Andrew while pretending not to

[PumpkinPieAlibi]

The truth is simpler than the Palace spin - Andrew was never truly expelled from the BRF. Despite public condemnation, he remained inside the family's inner circle, protected by silence and proximity, whilst Harry was pushed out entirely for daring to speak out against the system.

The monarchy did not act out of any sort of moral compulsion...it acted late, reluctantly and only when the OPTICS became indefensible, in an act of self-preservation.

Here's a short timeline of the BRF signalling their show of support and 'family unity' as well as examples of how they continued to protect Andrew:

• Aug 2019 – The Queen and Andrew were seen attending church together at Crathie Kirk, Balmoral the day after Epstein’s death. Her decision to sit with Andrew on Sunday was described as a "show of support" by The Daily Telegraph on Sunday, while other British newspapers featured headlines on a similar theme. Robert Jobson, royal editor at the Evening Standard, told INSIDER that the royals used their appearance together to "send a clear message" to the public.

• Nov 2019 – After his disastrous Newsnight interview, the Queen showed her open support for Andrew by being spotted horseback riding together in Windsor two days later .On Friday, the Queen was spotted horse riding with Prince Andrew in the grounds of Windsor in what one royal expert said was an apparent show of support to her second son. (Ingrid Seward, The Guardian)

• Jan 2020 – The Queen and Andrew attended Sunday church service at Sandringham. “He remains a member of the royal family,” a royal source said. “As a royal colonel and a war veteran, you can expect to see him at Remembrance Sunday. You can expect to see him on the balcony at Trooping the Colour too.” (People)

• Mar 2022 – The Queen chose Andrew as her main supporter to attend Phillip’s memorial service. This came just one month after Andrew’s £12 million settlement to Virginia Giuffre. Former BBC royal correspondent Peter Hunt said he was surprised to see the role Andrew was given at the service, noting that it would not have happened “by chance” and risked overshadowing the memorial and generating controversy around the world. “He could have sat in the congregation with others, with his relatives, but they actively decided that he would have this role of supporting her. So she has chosen, in essence, to remind people that he hasn’t admitted any wrongdoing, he’s not guilty of anything, he’s innocent. And she’s very clearly stating that he has a role at family occasions,” he said. (The Guardian)

• Sep 2022 – William, together with the Wessexes and Andrew flew to Scotland together and then drove to Balmoral the day QE died. Reminder that no one waited on Harry to join them. Andrew also held vigil in full military uniform with QE’s other children at Westminster Hall, despite being stripped of his military titles.

• Mar 2023 – A royal source states that the Waleses would prefer Andrew as a neighbor to Harry & Meghan.

• May 2023 - Andrew attended Charles’ coronation on May 6, 2023 at Westminster Abbey wearing formal robes of the Order of the Garter.

• Aug 2023 – William, together with Kate, is seen driving Andrew to church at Balmoral. Prince Andrew has attended church in Balmoral with senior royals in an apparent show of unity which insiders say marks an end to any talk of a “family divided”. (The Telegraph) | Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams told MailOnline the photographs of Prince Andrew travelling to church with the Waleses were 'clearly intended to send a message of family unity\'.\ (Daily Mail)

• Christmas - Dec 2022 & Dec 2023 – Andrew joined the BRF in both 2022 & 2023 at the Christmas church service at Sandringham.

• Easter - Apr 2023, Mar 2024 & Apr 2025 – Andrew joined the Royal family for the Easter Mattins service at Windsor in 2023 – 2025. Re: his 2025 appearance, On this occasion, Royal expert Phil Dampier said it is now “only a matter of time” before he fully welcomed back into the fold. He said Charles still loves his brother “and he doesn’t want him to be completely outcast”. He added: “It was very much a show of family unity”. Mr. Dampier believes Kate and William’s decision to stay away was not linked to Andrew. (The Sun)

• Order of the Garter Ceremony – 2022 – 2025 – Despite not allowed to be part of the public procession, as William and Charles are concerned with the optics of his public attendance, Andrew has been allowed to attend the private lunch and investiture ceremony since 2022, in what has been called a 'compromise' with Charles.

• Armed Protection & Subsequent Financial Support - 2022 – 2024 – Although he officially 'stepped down' from royal duties in November 2019, Andrew was allowed to keep his armed police protection as a member of the RF. It was only in 2022 when Andrew lost his HRH title due to his settlement with Virginia that he lost his taxpayer-funded armed police protection. Following this, Charles personally funded a private security team for his brother at Royal Lodge, a cost estimated to be around £3 million ($4 million) annually.

• Military Titles – 2019 – 2022/ 2025 – Again, despite being persona non grata since late 2019, Andrew was allowed to keep his military titles until they were stripped by QE in January 2022. Even then, he was still allowed to keep his title of Vice Admiral, typically representing the second-highest active rank in the Navy, until December 2025 when he lost the use of his Princely title.

• Housing – Andrew was allowed to keep Royal Lodge despite wave after subsequent wave of accusations against him, and again, in contrast to Harry and Meghan who were forced to give up Frogmore Cottage upon their exit from the RF. Despite reassurances of him vacating the property in 2025, this was only expedited on January 31^(st) 2026 after the most damning evidence to date was published in the most recent release of the Epstein files.

I know everyone loved the Queen but it is shocking how she turned a blind eye to all her favourite son got up to.

Huw Edwards being the one to announce her death may have been her karma.

@PumpkinPieAlibi love your American handle 🤭

Laid out like that op; it really is difficult to dispute that AMW wasn’t protected by the family and the institution.

And someone signed off on a police escort for AMW and SF as late as 16 September 2025 to attend the Duchess of Kent’s funeral, where they both behaved so abysmally.

Thanks for this OP. It’s shocking to see it all written like that. What an appalling bunch they are. How anyone can still support them is beyond me.

They are a disgrace.

whilst Harry was pushed out entirely for daring to speak out against the system.

Well... duh! I can never understand why this is always brought up as a comparison. He didn't just speak out about the system but his own family and if you talk badly about your family it shows how stupid you are if you think they wouldn't turn their backs on you. FAFO springs to mind. For both.

Housing – Andrew was allowed to keep Royal Lodge despite wave after subsequent wave of accusations against him,
He had a lease. A legally binding one. A landlord cannot just evict a tenant without going through the courts. Again, why does this keep coming up?

Thanks for laying that out so clearly, Op.

I have read many times that Andrew was the Queen’s favourite child; I have also read that she forgave him/ turned a blind eye ‘as a mother’.

But what is very clear is that she showed a massive dereliction of the ‘duty’ that was always banged on about when talking about her.

Its easy to talk ill of those no longer around to defend themselves, but ye gods, she had the blinkers on with this one.

Harry chose to move. He bad mouthed his family also and shunned them. Harry is still a member of his family, however.

Andrew will always be a member of his family - though now not a working royal. The Queen treated him like she loved him, not like she loved any evil he had done. Though I sincerely do not think his family knew the extent of his communication with Epstein.
Non of us know the accuracy nor truth of the Epstein files.
They need to be tested etc. in court.
Andrew remains not charged with anything so why would his family (especially his mother) abandon him?

If he is charged and is convicted, Andrew's family is still not responsible for any of his offences nor of his supposed crimes.

He had a lease. A legally binding one. A landlord cannot just evict a tenant without going through the courts

Well, they did didn't they? it really wasn't that hard because he did a midnight flit to Norfolk! When it all became too toxic even for the royals.

Well set out, @PumpkinPieAlibi
The support for Andrew went on and on. No doubt now, the Palace are like headless chickens trying to contain the situation but when you have the prime minister and the world media talking about Andrew and his actions, there is a problem

• *Housing – Andrew was allowed to keep Royal Lodge despite wave after subsequent wave of accusations against him, and again, in contrast to Harry and Meghan who were forced to give up Frogmore Cottage upon their exit from the RF. Despite reassurances of him vacating the property in 2025, this was only expedited on January 31^(st) 2026 after the most damning evidence to date was published in the most recent release of the Epstein files*

“accusations” are not the same as actual convictions. As a PP pointed out, he had a legal right to stay there. H and M had announced their leaving of the RF so why in earth would they stay in a RF property? What you’ve failed to note in your timeline is when the different bits of actual evidence came to light. You also fail to take account of the fact that he has never been charged or convicted of anything yet, and our whole penal code is based on the premise of innocent until proved guilty. I have no doubt that as more actual evidence comes to light, a possible charge may be made against him.

Think they will try to protect the institution if they can. Andrew will be hung out to dry. And no one’s fault but his own and that of his wife’s.

However, if Lownie, is right and Andrew was abused at a young age, then wonder if any defence may try to use that & if it would be allowed?

The “love” for the queen has always been pretty divisive from where I’m from in Scotland. We were never particularly fond, to be honest.

It is interesting to read the defense from you.

I have seen this over the last few days, the message from royalists seems to be the royal family knew nothing.
Well they did!
As did parliament and civil servants
And trying to make out the Palace have nothing to do with what he was up to is quite honestly ridiculous and insulting

Non of us know the accuracy nor truth of the Epstein files
Are you saying all the survivors are lying? Every single one of them? Even all those who have testified?
I will treat your statement with the disdain it deserves.

The Andrew minimisers and excusers have arrived I see. 🧐

Non of us know the accuracy nor truth of the Epstein files

But we do know Andrew paid a multi million pound settlement to Virginia….

Harry and Meghan also had a lease. They weren’t “leaving the royal family” they were giving up the working royal roles, and Andrew stopped being a working royal but was allowed to keep Royal Lodge until very recently. (I remember there was something of a fuss as Harry and Meghan had already advance paid their rent and someone asked the Palace about if they’d be getting a refund!)

I do think bad mouthing the family was terrible, but really not anywhere near as damaging as being outed as an abuser of trafficked women and girls. The choice to protect Andrew was possibly the most stupid decision the royal family could make.

They can’t hide behind “family loves each other no matter what they’ve done” because they’ve shown by Harry’s treatment that it’s true. Harry’s treatment - while deserved - has shown there are limits to what behaviour the family will accept, Harry went too far but crucially, Andrew’s behaviour wasn’t considered “too far”.

I think you need to go back further.

The queen was not a well person in 2019. Andrew should not have been given the trade envoy role back in the early 2000s when he left the Navy. Reports at the time said Charles was agaist the trade apoitment but was not listened to by Tony Blairs government and possibly the late Queen. Should add Peter Mandelson appeared quite keen for Andrew to have the role! Other's in government at the time were agaist the idea.

Who knew what and when may come out, but like most abusers, charm and manipulation of those around you is what they do.

I think the Harry situation is very different.

As a PP pointed out, he had a legal right to stay there
As long as he maintained the property. As it turns out, the place is in a state of disrepair. So another public body that is meant to be looking after our best interests turns a blind eye to the RF. And who was paying for all his servants? The King had a lot of levers to pull. I do feel sorry for him because, by all accounts he consistently objected to AMW's TE role, which has now got him arrested but was ignored by TLQ and now he has to deal with the shitshow he was trying to avoid.

Reports at the time said Charles was agaist the trade apoitment but was not listened to by Tony Blairs government and possibly the late Queen
So you think Tony Blair would have overruled The Queen, forced her to pay his salary for 10 years and forced her to keep him in the role whenvallbthe complaints came in? She was the one who wanted him there. Blair absolutely should have said no, but as with subsequent PM's they forelock tugged their way into this situation.

Well said @PumpkinPieAlibi . The whole lot of them and their enablers need exposing.

I think its quite well docummented that QE11 and Tony Blair were not too keen on each other, especially in Tony Blairs early years. TB decommissioned/didnt replace Brittannia, not very forelock tugging behaviour.

The sit on thrones and expect people to curtsy to them. They can bloody well accept responsibility. Funny how saville was a good friend of the royals too. It’s almost like the cesspit is in that very elite club.

Epstein and Saville. Strange

I have zero sympathy for Andrew. But have always thought the supporting his mother at PP’s memorial service was understandable. He was the only single sibling and PP was his father. Can’t forgive anything else.

I think the dislike came from TLQ towards Blair. He tried to ingratiate himself to her by giving AMW the TE job. She paid his salary and refused to listen to numerous concerns about his activities in the role, not only from Charles but from Intelligence officers. According to Andrew Lownie, anyone who dared to complain about AMW was swiftly demoted.

Of course they fully supported him. I remember this cover. The headlines stating that William and Kate would rather live near Andrew than Harry and Meghan. Taking Andrew on that flight to Balmoral and driving up with him while Harry flew commercial. They were fully with him.