Why not promote Beatrice and Eugenie to the front line of the royal family, asks RICHARD EDEN? They have never put a step wrong! But it’s time to remove troubled Prince Andrew and Prince Harry from the line of succession – for the sake of the monarchy…
- ‘Charles must distance himself from his younger brother’
- Prince Andrew Harry is Councilor of State – an ‘incredible’ situation
Prince Andrew and Prince Harry should be removed from the line of succession, says Richard Eden.
They should also be stripped of their role as state advisors – senior royals who can intervene if the Monarch is seriously ill.
But in the latest edition of his Palace Confidential newsletter, Eden says King Charles could soften the pill by giving a more prominent role to Andrew’s daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie – who have never put a foot wrong.
“It’s been a difficult week for the royal family, with accusations about Prince Andrew’s shady past casting a shadow on his brother’s reign,” Eden writes, “just as it did in the final years of their mother’s .
Prince Andrew and older brother Charles appear locked in argument as they attend a Thanksgiving service celebrating Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012
The Prince of Wales and his youngest son pictured at a celebration of Charles’ 70th birthday at Buckingham Palace, shortly after Harry and Meghan’s wedding in 2018
Prince Andrew and Prince Harry attend the Committal Service for Queen Elizabeth II at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle on September 19, 2022. Neither wore military uniforms
King Charles and Queen Camilla led the way for Easter Sunday Mattins at St George’s Chapel, Windsor, last year. Princess Anne and Prince Andrew follow close behind
‘The revelations from court papers released in America may already be largely known, but they nonetheless starkly highlight the Duke of York’s ill-advised friendships with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and jailed child sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell.
‘For the good of the monarchy, King Charles must distance himself from his brother.
‘I can’t believe Andrew is still a State Advisor, just like his cousin Prince Harry.
“This means that one of them, at least in theory, could be required to stand in for the king and perform important duties in his absence.
“The fact that this is even possible brings the monarchy into disrepute.
The king should immediately ask parliament to approve the removal of Andrew and Harry as state advisers.
‘They should also lose their places – eighth and fifth respectively – in the order of succession.
Andrew’s daughters, Princess Eugenie, left, and Princess Beatrice could have a more prominent role, says Richard Eden
Princess Beatrice and Prince Andrew appear in good spirits at Prince Harry’s wedding to Meghan Markle at St George’s Chapel in 2018
Prince Andrew and Prince Harry at the service of Queen Elizabeth II in Windsor, 2022
“Andrew is a notoriously proud man, and there is one olive branch the king could offer him that might soften the blow of his humiliation.
‘His daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, could have a more prominent role in the royal family.
‘They have a great sense of duty and have never put a foot wrong, so I’m sure they would be happy to perform more royal duties for the King.
“Andrew could be proud that the next generation was taking on his cherished former role as a working royal.”
- Click here to read more of Richard’s expert Royal commentary