The public has overwhelmingly backed the King’s decision to strip Andrew of his titles but many Brits believe Charles moved too slowly in cutting ties.
Andrew, who was yesterday ranked the most unpopular royal ever, finally lost his titles and home after being punished by his brother.
Buckingham palace said ‘censures are deemed necessary’ as they announced Andrew would be simply known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor and that his lease on Royal Lodge would be slashed.
Charles took the decision, which has been branded the ‘biggest royal fall from grace in recent history’, amid ongoing controversy surrounding Andrew’s relationship with child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and the Virginia Giuffre scandal.
And 79 per cent of Britons said they believed it was the correct move, according to a YouGov poll on Friday.
While 58 per cent said Charles should have taken action earlier, with 21 per cent believing it was taken at the correct speed.
There have calls to strip Andrew of his titles for years after allegations emerged that he sexually abused Ms Giuffre when she was 16 and 17.
The former Duke of York grew increasingly isolated from the monarchy and was shunned from public roles permanently in May 2020.
But it was only on Thursday when he suffered the ultimate humiliation, which will see him banished into private accomodation and lose his birth title of prince.
Most of the public, 53 per cent, believe the King has done all he can to separate the royal family from Andrew.
But 28 per cent think he could do more to distance the Crown from the disgraced former prince.
Conservative voters are most likely to believe the King has done enough to draw a line between the royal family and Andrew, with 76 per cent thinking so.
Labour voters are the least likely, with 53 per cent believing Charles has taken sufficient action.
The poll comes just a day after another survey saw him ranked the most unpopular royal of all time.
The royal is viewed unfavourably by a staggering 91 per cent of the population, an increase from 87 per cent in August.
Two per cent of Brits said they did not have an opinion on the former duke.
‘His Majesty has today initiated a formal process to remove the Style, Titles and Honours of Prince Andrew,’ the palace statement said on Thursday.
‘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.’
Andrew is also facing a private prosecution over allegations of sexual assault and is viewed ‘very negatively’ by 81 per cent, an increase from 69 per cent in August.
He is alleged to have sexually assaulted Ms Giuffre when she was aged 17, and more recently was alleged in 2011 to have pressured one of his royal protection officers to investigate Giuffre, believing she had a criminal record.
Andrew, who had already surrendered the Duke of York title and been all–but–eradicated from royal life, has denied all allegations against him.
It is understood the 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.
Although the former duke has been stripped of all his remaining titles those of his daughters, Princess Beatrice, 37, and Princess Eugenie, 35, will remain.
Amid the controversy it was previously understood that His Majesty Charles was very keen to ‘protect’ his nieces who remain Her Royal Highnesses as granddaughters of Queen Elizabeth.
‘He wouldn’t have wanted to sign off on anything that would impact them,’ a source told the Daily Mail.
It is understood Prince William and the Royal Family fully support the King’s leadership on the recent move.
Meanwhile, William has remained as the most positively viewed member of the Royal Family, according to the new poll.
William was seen in a positive light by 76 per cent of the public compared to 15 per cent seeing him negatively.
His wife Kate was slightly less popular, at 73 per cent, with 13 per cent holding a negative opinion.
These figures are largely the same as last month, as is the 70 per cent with a positive opinion of Princess Anne, the family’s third most popular member.
Meghan Markle follows behind Andrew as the the second most unpopular member of the monarchy.
The Duchess of Sussex, who was accused of making a ‘tone deaf’ appearance at Paris Fashion Week earlier this month, is only viewed in a positive light by 21 per cent of Britons.
While 65 per cent harbour negative perceptions towards the former actress, with 14 per cent saying they did not have an opinion.
Prince Harry is marginally more popular than his wife, polling at 30 per cent, with 59 viewing him in a negative light.
The decision to all but banish Andrew from royal life has prompted the family of Virginia Giuffre, who alleged to have been sexually assaulted by the ex–duke, to ‘come clean’ about his relationship with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Andrew lied in his disastrously 2019 Newsnight interview that he had ceased contact with Epstein in December 2010, but bombshell emails obtained by the Mail revealed that he continued to keep in contact into 2011.
In one email, he even vowed to the convicted child sex offender that ‘we are in this together’ and that they would ‘keep in close touch’ and ‘play some more soon’.
Speaking to Sky News, Ms Giuffre’s sister–in–law Amanda Roberts said she would tell Andrew: ‘Think of your daughters [Beatrice and Eugenie]. They were the same age.
‘Think of what you would do had something like this happened to them. What would you want their perpetrator to do?
”I think it’s far beyond time to come clean. You were best friends with this man [Epstein] and there are so many things that you could help bring to light.
‘Virginia deserves that and every single survivor that has been entrapped in that sex trafficking ring deserves that from you. If you can give an inkling of justice, then it should be on you to do.’
Sky Roberts, Ms Giuffre’s brother, added that he would like to meet the King, and has urged Charles to lean on Donald Trump in order to see the so–called ‘Epstein Files’ released.
‘If the King says he stands with survivors and victims then meet with us and have a conversation with us,’ he added.
Andrew will be banished to a private household on the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, kept by his brother.
As yet, he may be in Royal Lodge for some time to avoid an ‘awkward’ run–in with his relatives at Christmas on the estate, where the royals usually mark the festive period – and could receive a £500,000 payout for the early termination of his ‘iron–clad’ lease.
‘It is a process – notice must be given, then the lease must be surrendered and other formalities completed,’ a source said.
