Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson could face a further blow as the British public have been said to back King Charles further punishing them by a veteran royal commentator.
The monarch has been grappling with how to handle his younger brother and former sister-in-law as their past relationship to the late Jeffrey Epstein continues to draw public scrutiny.
Renewed attention was drawn to the Yorks last month after emails the duchess had sent to Epstein in 2011 surfaced.
In the communications, Fergie was seen to profusely apologise to the late convicted sex offender for publicly disowning him just weeks earlier and referred to him as her “supreme friend”.
The damaging disclosures led to seven charities cutting ties with the Duchess of York and speculation of further exile from the Firm for her and her ex-husband.
Royal commentator Jennie Bond declared that the latest revelations now “make it impossible for her (Fergie) to be part of the inner family circle again”.
The commentator explained that the controversies connected to the Yorks “undo the good work that the rest of the family regularly carry out” and “tarnishes the reputation of the monarchy”.
“That has to be stopped,” Ms Bond stressed.
Royal expert Jennie Bond believes there is a public appetite for Prince Andrew and Sarah Fergsuon to face further punishment from King Charles
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To that end, the former BBC royal correspondent believed there was sufficient public appetite for King Charles to further penalise the duke and duchess.
“I think the public would welcome some gesture of punishment, such as stripping Andrew of his place as a Knight of the Garter and also as a Counsellor of State,” she told The Mirror.
Since Andrew’s disastrous Newsnight interview in 2019, he has been deprived of his military ranks, his HRH title and has been frozen out of almost all public engagements.
While she felt there was public hunger for action, Ms Bond acknowledged: “It’s another very tricky domestic situation for Charles. He is a sensitive man, and family is important to him. Nothing can change the fact that Andrew is his brother.”
The King is facing a ‘tricky domestic situation’ over how to handle his younger brother and former sister-in-law
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Regarding further punishment for the Yorks, fellow royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams warned the King about making a drastic move like revoking Andrew’s membership of the Order of the Garter.
He told GB News that the magnitude of such a punishment could “risk bringing the Royal Family into disrepute”.
Mr Fitzwilliams explained that revocations of the Garter, as the most prestigious chivalric orders in Britain, have only occurred “in extremis” – usually in times of war.
The last Garter Knight to be removed from the order was the Japanese Emperor Hirohito during the Second World War, before being readmitted in 1971.
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One such punishment Ms Bond suggested was revoking Andrew’s membership of the Order of the Garter
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Mr Fitzwilliams argued that the historic decision to remove Andrew would therefore naturally draw further attention to his position within the Firm – scrutiny the King would not wish to foster.
Contrary to Ms Bond, he also told The People’s Channel that the move “wouldn’t resonate necessarily with the public”.
The Duke of York currently maintains his rank within the order but has been banned from attending its annual costumed processions through Windsor.
However, he is permitted to attend the luncheon afterwards but would no longer be able to join, nor hold his rank of Royal Knight Companion, if his membership of the order were made null.