As news broke that her husband’s uncle had lost his prince title yesterday evening, Meghan Markle shared a photograph on Instagram bearing a wide smile, only to quickly delete it.
Montecito-based Meghan may have opted to scrap the image, which was shared on her As Ever handle and showed the duchess beaming towards the camera as she tended to a vase of flowers, as it overlapped with the breaking news regarding Prince Harry’s uncle, Prince Andrew.
Yesterday evening, Buckingham Palace confirmed that Andrew will no longer be known as a prince, and, from now on, will simply be called Andrew Mountbatten Windsor.
A statement from the Palace said ‘censures are deemed necessary’ amid the ongoing scandal over Jeffrey Epstein, whom Andrew lied about cutting ties with, and revealed he will leave the Royal Lodge in Windsor after 20 years.
Meghan’s fans have since suggested online that the post was originally ‘scheduled’ for last night, but it was quickly scrapped when Buckingham Palace released the update so as not to be seen as inappropriate.
Historian Andrew Lownie previously reported tensions between Andrew, his nephew, and his wife, claiming that he told Harry that his marriage wouldn’t last longer than a month, before accusing him of going ‘bonkers’ and not doing any due diligence into Meghan’s past.
Andrew is also said to have branded Meghan as an ‘opportunist’ and claimed she, at three years senior to her husband, was too old for Harry.
While Andrew grapples with his changed status, the duchess will likely have a busy social media output plan in the upcoming weeks following the release of her brand’s first-ever Christmas collection, which was released earlier this week.
And though the image of Meghan is said to have been removed, the brand has continued to promote the new range by reposting fans showcasing their As Ever products.
Meghan’s festive collection includes new products, such as two candles inspired by her wedding date and her August 4 birthday and a 2021 Vintage Napa Valley Brut, costing $89.
Signature Candle No. 519, scented with Moroccan mint, cardamom, and tea leaves apparently ‘evokes the freshness of a day in the English countryside’, according to a gushing description on her website.
It’s said to capture ‘cherished memories’ of the ‘ease and joy’ of Meghan’s wedding day on May 19, 2018, with no mention of rows over bridesmaids’ dresses or the last-minute drama of her father not attending.
Fans wishing to make their home smell just like the Sussexes’ Montecito mansion can also splash out on the Signature Candle No. 084, which is named after Meghan’s August 4 birth date.
Scented with water lotus, sandalwood and California poppy, Meghan promises the smell that ‘warms her family home’ will ‘feel like a hug’ – at the cost of $64.
Meanwhile, a 2021 Vintage Napa Valley Brut crafted from pinot noir and chardonnay grapes is a new addition to her range of wines. Costing $89 a bottle, shoppers must purchase more than 12 bottles to avoid a $20 shipping fee.
But while Meghan is busy promoting her brand Stateside, her husband’s family in the UK are dealing with a far more serious matter.
The bombshell statement from the Palace on Thursday night read: ‘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.’
It is understood that King Charles III is in the process of sending royal warrants to the Lord Chancellor to remove his brother’s titles and honours. Andrew is said to have not objected.
It’s also understood that Prince William and the Royal Family fully support the King’s leadership on the recent move.
The move was entirely down to the King and his advisers, without pressure from the government or other family members, such as Prince William, sources told the Daily Mail.
‘The process has been under way for some while but there was a need to get it right in the face of some very big challenges,’ an insider said.
Notice was not served on Prince Andrew to move. It was his lease, so it was up to the former Duke of York to serve notice himself, suggesting that he is not fighting the process.
The former duke has lived at the Grade II-listed mansion on the grounds of Windsor Castle for over two decades with Fergie, despite their divorce in 1996.
Last week, the row over the Royal Lodge continued to grow amid damning revelations in a posthumous memoir from Andrew’s sex abuse accuser Virginia Giuffre, who took her own life this year, aged 41.
Nobody’s Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice was released in this month, with the manuscript having been completed before she died.
The explosive book revolves around her years spent as a sex slave to Epstein and his British madam Ghislaine Maxwell.
Extracts published by The Guardian show Ms Giuffre, who said she was trafficked by Epstein three times for sex with Andrew, called the ex-duke ‘entitled’ and viewing sex as his ‘birthright’.
Within the 400-page autobiography, she also alleged the ex-duke said ‘thank you’ in a ‘clipped British accent’ after their alleged first encounter when she was 17.
She also recalled how Ghislaine Maxwell praised her following the encounter, saying, ‘You did well, the prince had fun’.
Andrew denied having sex with Ms Giuffre, but forked out millions in an out-of-court settlement in February 2022.
In the wake of the Giuffre scandal, Andrew is facing a private prosecution over allegations of sexual assault, corruption and misconduct in public office.
It comes just weeks after Andrew was forced to relinquish his royal titles, including the Duke of York and stepping down from membership of the Order of the Garter.
His wife Sarah, formerly the Duchess of York, will now be known as plain Sarah Ferguson.
