Prince Andrew has reportedly been asked by his brother, King Charles, to vacate his current residence, Royal Lodge, and one monarchy expert is explaining why the Duke of York should do as he's told.
According to the Daily Mail's Angela Mollard, the embattled royal should relocate to Frogmore Cottage for the sake of his daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie.
"The 65-year-old Duke will never restore his reputation—he's old, soiled, damaged goods and no amount of charitable work or outings at church with more upright members of the family are going to change that," Mollard writes in her most recent column.
"But Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie are young women with royal-adjacent lives ahead of them," she adds. "For their sake, and in honor of their hard work and discretion, their father needs to do the right thing and hightail it to Frogmore Cottage pronto."
Prince Andrew fell from proverbial grace after his ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who died inside a Manhattan jail in August 2019, were uncovered and he was later accused of sexually assaulting a minor, Virginia Guiffre, when she was 17.
Prince Andrew has repeatedly denied Giuffre's allegations, and in 2022 the royal settled with Giuffree out of court, paying an undisclosed financial settlement and officially ending the civil case levied against him.
As a result, Queen Elizabeth stripped Prince Andrew of his military titles and patronages and the Duke of York ultimately stepped away from public life as a royal.
"For all their flaws and failings, one thing the Duke and Duchess of York have done commendably is raise strong, loyal and respectful children. Beatrice, 36, and Eugenie, 34, are exemplary daughters and cousins," Mollard writes, adding that the pair have managed to navigate "the horror of their father's downfall with aplomb" and despite the "deep pain and embarrassment he must have caused."
Prince Andrew shares his daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie with his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson. The Duchess of York has battled two recent cancer diagnoses—breast cancer and skin cancer.
"Likewise, they have upheld their mother at every turn," she continued. "Supporting her through cancer and managing their own fears for her health straight on the back of their father's disgrace must have tested their grit and resilience."
Mollard argues that the longer the Duke of York "clings to the 30-room Royal Lodge instead of moving to the more modest five-bed Frogmore Cottage, the more likely it is that his daughters will be to some extent dragged down with him."
"Beatrice and Eugenie's chances of having more significant roles in the Royal Family might be under threat. It was understandable that the King didn't put pressure on his brother while Sarah Ferguson battled cancer but now it's time," she added, before going on to point out that "next month the monarch will stop funding his brother's security detail."
"If Andrew has any shred of sense, not to mention compassion, his legacy should be gifting his daughters a future free from the scandal and indulgent behavior that has characterized his later years."
