Aaand, In Other News...

[Alan]

Was the logic that the daughter was safe now she’s turned 18?

[Hatredsheart]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cnveqgj957dt

The paedo formerly known as Prince.

[Wrathbone]

It's understood that Prince Andrew will move to a property on the private Sandringham estate in Norfolk.

It will be privately funded by the King.

What a hardship to endure. I note that ultimately we the public are still funding his residence.

[Raid]

Part of me wonders whether they're still expecting more to come out about Andrew, because removing his "Prince" title seems like a surprisingly strong step for the Royals. The statement the palace issued is pretty strongly worded for an institution that tends to look after its own. I don't feel like they'd have stuck that line in about sympathies being for the victims if they didn't honestly believe it were all true:

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. 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.

Of course, with the King apparently still funding Andrew's tenancy, regardless of it now being a much smaller house, the public are still ultimately funding his lifestyle. Given the common belief is that Charles hates Andrew, and there being precedence for exiling members of the family who've caused great upset (see the Duke of Windsor, Edward VIII after his abdication), this still doesn't feel even remotely far enough. But then I suppose the burden of proof is on the accuser's side and Andrew has never actually been convicted.

[Wrathbone]

Given the common belief is that Charles hates Andrew

I don't think that's necessarily true - if anything, Charles has consistently had Andrew's back his entire life, bailing him out of whatever trouble he gets into. He probably resents him for many, many reasons, but I suspect Charles still feels like he needs to look out for his younger brother. If not, he would have been entirely justified in not just stripping him of his titles and styles and booting him out of Windsor, but also telling him he has to make his own way and that he's cut off from any further royal support. The public response would have been much more positive, I imagine.

He could have also done the right thing in the public interest, which would be to provide any and all evidence of his alleged wrongdoings to the police. I wonder how much Charles actually knows rather than simply suspects.

[Mantis]

I don't feel like they'd have stuck that line in about sympathies being for the victims if they didn't honestly believe it were all true:

I'm not sure that's true from how I'm interpreting the press release. Given how long it has taken for them to take any action over this and the fact that Andrew keeps appearing in the papers over it, it feels to me that this is just further damage control and that they've been kind of pushed into it. The statement about having sympathies says for any and all forms of abuse reads to me like more of a tokenistic gesture because they know they can't just handwave that part away and not comment at all.

The upper echelons of society always try to protect each other over these things of issues but I think they've realised that this Andrew thing just isn't going to go away. And so it shouldn't.

[eny]

I think William and Kate have had a big influence on proceedings, tbh.