Prince Edward has taken over a key position in the British royal family previously associated with his older brother Prince Andrew, as Andrew remains sidelined from public duties following his connections to Jeffrey Epstein and the fallout that followed, according to reports.
The reshuffling comes amid renewed debate about Andrew’s standing inside the House of Windsor and long-running claims that Queen Elizabeth II protected him because he was her “favorite” child. Dickie Arbiter, a former press secretary to the late queen, disputed that characterization in comments made on the Royal Exclusive podcast, saying Andrew “was never the favourite.”
Arbiter described Andrew—formally known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and previously the Duke of York—as “bombastic,” adding that he often put himself first “to the detriment of everybody else.” “Andrew was always up front, he was always the noisy one and he was always the noisy one as an adult until he was put back in his box,” Arbiter said, according to the podcast discussion referenced in reports.
In Arbiter’s account, the queen’s true favorite was Edward, her youngest son. That claim has also been advanced by royal biographer Matthew Dennison in his book “The Queen,” the reports said.
The latest commentary arrives as Andrew continues to be treated as a non-working royal. He stepped back from public duties in 2019 after a widely criticized BBC interview about Epstein and his relationship with Ghislaine Maxwell. In 2022, Buckingham Palace announced that Andrew would no longer use the style “His Royal Highness” in an official capacity, and that his military affiliations and royal patronages were returned to the queen—moves widely seen as formalizing his removal from frontline royal work.
King Charles III has signaled a preference for a slimmer working monarchy since taking the throne, relying on a smaller group of senior royals for public engagements and ceremonial responsibilities. Edward and his wife, Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, have increasingly represented the Crown at events in the U.K. and abroad, a trend that has continued as the royal family manages fewer working members and ongoing public scrutiny.
The reports also linked the new claims about Andrew’s personality and family dynamics to an “ongoing investigation” by police into allegations said to have emerged from Epstein-related files, including claims of misconduct in public office and sex offenses against minors. No additional details about the jurisdiction or the status of any potential action were provided in the account.
Why this matters
The royal family’s internal assignments carry public significance because they shape who represents the monarchy—and, by extension, how it is perceived—during a period of heightened scrutiny. For U.S. audiences, Andrew’s continued association with the Epstein scandal has been a major reputational issue for the Crown, and any move to elevate other royals into more visible roles signals how the institution is trying to contain long-term damage. Edward’s expanded presence also reflects King Charles’ broader effort to stabilize the monarchy with a tighter, more disciplined group of working royals.
As the palace continues to navigate the aftershocks of the Andrew controversy, the shift toward Prince Edward underscores a clear message: Andrew’s return to prominent royal responsibilities remains unlikely.
