The accusations against Prince Andrew surrounding his previous relationship with the late convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein forced the prince to give up his royal titles earlier this week. Now, an insider reveals King Charles gave his brother a warning just hours before, which left Andrew “shocked.”

Prince Andrew has been in hot water for many years. The prince has been accused of having a close relationship with the late convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, and more accusations are on their way.

He has been under growing pressure over his links with Epstein. On Friday, he released a statement in which he announced he was giving up his royal titles.

Andrew stated that the accusations against him are a “distraction” for the Royal Family’s work. At the same time, he is denying all accusations.

“In discussion with The King, and my immediate and wider family, we have concluded the continued accusations about me distract from the work of His Majesty and the Royal Family. I have decided, as I always have, to put my duty to my family and country first. I stand by my decision five years ago to stand back from public life,” Andrew wrote in the statement.

“With His Majesty’s agreement, we feel I must now go a step further. I will therefore no longer use my title or the honours which have been conferred upon me. As I have said previously, I vigorously deny the accusations against me.”

King Charles issued Andrew with “warning” hours before statement; source

The Royal Family has been growing their distance from Andrew in recent years as the accusations against him have piled up. According to the Daily Mail, the last scandal – the emergence of an email that Andrew allegedly sent to Epstein in 2011, months after the date he himself claimed contact with the late sex offender stopped – was the last straw for King Charles.

Just hours before the statement was released Friday, the monarch reportedly warned Andrew that if he didn’t give up the right to use his titles on his own, the Palace would take action. The Daily Mail further reported that Charles made it clear that it would be done even if it required him to go through Parliament.

The paper reported that Andrew was “shocked” by his brother’s warning. A source told the Daily Mail that King Charles found the situation “intolerable.”

Speaking to Fox News, royal expert and author Richard Fitzwilliams said that it was crucial that the Royal Family made the decision to act.

“It was essential that this happened. It would have soon got to the point where anything the monarchy did would have been overshadowed by sleaze. When the email which proved he lied about the timeline of his links with Epstein went public, this was inevitable in some form,” Fitzwilliams said.

Royal expert claims Andrew was “forced out.”

The royal expert continued by saying he believes that Andrew was “forced out.”

“I think he was forced out, he and Sarah Ferguson face much more scandal. They, to coin a phrase from his email to Epstein that will haunt Andrew, ‘are in it together.’ The posthumous memoir out next week shows that Virginia Giuffre achieved in death what she could not in life,” Fitzwilliams concluded.

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