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Royal prerogative: King Charles III banishes Andrew to buttress the House of Windsor's foundations

Activity: Talk, presentation or media contributionNewspaper or magazine

Description

Quotation: “The monarchy needed to draw the thickest line they could between Andrew and the rest of the royal family,’’ said Craig Prescott, an expert on constitutional law and the monarchy at Royal Holloway, University of London. “And he’s precisely done that.”

Quotation: Prescott, the constitutional expert, said Andrew’s banishment should be seen as part of a transition in the monarchy that began after Elizabeth’s death in 2022.

As long as the queen was alive, people were reluctant to criticize the monarchy because it was seen as personally criticizing the queen, who became a revered figure during her 70-year reign.

Charles has never had that same status and he recognizes that the crown has to be accountable to the people and their representatives in Parliament, Prescott said.

“This is part of the transition of the monarchy becoming more like a typical public institution, capable of being scrutinized by Parliament in one way or another,” he said.

“There was public demand and parliamentary demand for the king to do something,'' Prescott added. "And he’s done it.”
Period31 Oct 2025
Held atThe Independent (newspaper), United Kingdom