British public’s ‘verdict’ on royal family’s handling of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor scandal

Andrew has been hit with fresh allegations

The British public have issued their verdict on the royal family’s handling of the Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor scandal.

The former Duke of York, 65, has faced intense scrutiny over his association with late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in recent weeks.
Andrew has faced intense scrutiny recently (Credit: Cover Images)

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Jeffrey Epstein scandal

Andrew’s relationship with Epstein, who died in prison in 2019, has faced much scrutiny for years.

The late Virginia Giuffre alleged she was made to have sex with Andrew on three separate occasions when she was 17 after being trafficked by Epstein.

In November last year, Andrew had his royal titles removed and told to leave his Windsor home, Royal Lodge.

On January 30, 2026, the US Department of Justice released more than three million files relating to Epstein and his crimes.

Within these files, images appeared to show Andrew kneeling on all fours over an unidentified, fully clothed woman, lying on the floor. The date and context of the photographs are unknown.

Andrew has always denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein. Additionally, being named or pictured among the Epstein files is not an indication of wrongdoing.

Representatives for Andrew were contacted for comment on the files.
Andrew now lives on the Sandringham Estate (Credit: CoverImages.com)

Brits divided over handling of Andrew situation

In light of all the scandals surrounding Andrew, last October, King Charles stripped him of his royal titles. This essentially placed him in royal exile.

Andrew will now live in a home on the king’s Sandringham Estate. According to reports, the monarch will privately fund this.

Buckingham Palace statement

This week, amid growing scrutiny surrounding Andrew, Buckingham Palace has issued a statement on the scandal.

It read: “The king has made clear, in words and through unprecedented actions, his profound concern at allegations which continue to come to light in respect of Mr Mountbatten-Windsor’s conduct.

“While the specific claims in question are for Mr Mountbatten-Windsor to address, if we are approached by Thames Valley Police we stand ready to support them as you would expect.

“As was previously stated, Their Majesties’ thoughts and sympathies have been, and remain with, the victims of any and all forms of abuse.”

However, a new poll has shown that Brits appear divided over the handling of the Andrew situation.

One survey by YouGov of 7,000 British adults found that 51% of people believe the royal family should have done more to condemn Andrew.

32% of people asked believe that the right approach has been taken by the royal family, however.

Another survey of 2,200 British adults, carried out by YouGov for Sky News, also showed that Brits are divided over the Andrew problem.
Andrew faces scrutiny over his links to Epstein (Credit: SplashNews.com)

New polls spell bad news for royals

When asked, “How well or badly do you think King Charles has responded to allegations about the former Prince Andrew and his connections to Jeffrey Epstein,” 45% in total thought he’d responded well.

Meanwhile, 29% thought he’d responded badly.

Another question in the Sky survey read: “Do you think the king should or should not make an apology to Jeffrey Epstein’s victims on behalf of the royal family?”

35% said he should, whilst 45% said he should not. The rest said they didn’t know.

However, there is a common cause the Brits are behind.

When asked whether the king should encourage Andrew to give evidence to US investigators, 82% answered that he should.

Elsewhere, 62% think the king should stop Andrew from living on the Sandringham Estate.

Only 16% think he should leave Andrew be.