Former Prince Andrew feels abandoned by royal family at Balmoral: experts

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor reportedly feels “abandoned” by his family as his royal exile deepens.

British broadcaster and photographer Helena Chard told Fox News Digital that friends are reportedly checking in regularly on the former Duke of York and “he’s certainly not hiding away” from them.

“Rather than spending the summer at Balmoral hidden away with the rest of the family, Andrew seems to be opting for time abroad with friends,” she said. “Allegedly, he feels abandoned by certain family members.”

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British royal expert Hilary Fordwich echoed Chard’s sentiments, citing her sources.

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, attend the funeral of Katharine, Duchess of Kent at Westminster Cathedral on Sept. 16, 2025, in London, England. (Mark Cuthbert/UK Press via Getty Images)

“Andrew isn’t important anymore,” said Fordwich. “No one is very concerned about how he’s feeling. However, it’s important to ensure he doesn’t cause any more damage to the monarchy.”

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A friend of the ex-royal’s told The Sun that “Andrew feels he’s been abandoned” and “he feels like he is no longer part of the family.”

“He was invited but has got no great desire to be at Balmoral as he has nothing to gain and would be treated as an outcast,” the unnamed friend told the outlet. “What’s the point, he feels, of going all the way there for a much-needed holiday and being treated as an elephant in the room?”

The former Prince Andrew is seen attending the traditional Easter Sunday Mattins Service at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle on April 20, 2025, in Windsor, England. (Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)

Andrew stepped away from royal duties in 2019 following a widely criticized BBC “Newsnight” interview in which he attempted to explain his friendship with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

A photo of Prince Andrew and Ghislaine Maxwell found in the Justice Department’s release of Epstein files. (Department of Justice)

In 2022, he was stripped of his military titles and patronages by his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, as he faced Epstein survivor Virginia Giuffre’s sexual assault lawsuit against him. Andrew and Giuffre settled out of court for an undisclosed sum that year.

Giuffre died in April 2025.

Virginia Roberts holds a photo of herself at age 16, when she says Palm Beach multimillionaire Jeffrey Epstein began abusing her sexually. (Emily Michot/Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

In October 2025, King Charles III stripped his younger brother’s royal titles as Andrew faced renewed scrutiny over his ties to Epstein. The scrutiny intensified following the publication of Giuffre’s posthumous memoir and the release of documents detailing Andrew’s relationship with Epstein.

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Then-Prince Andrew, Duke of York attends Katharine, Duchess of Kent’s Requiem Mass service at Westminster Cathedral on Sept. 16, 2025 in London, England. (Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)

Buckingham Palace also served Andrew formal notice to surrender the lease on his longtime residence, Royal Lodge. His ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, was expected to make separate living arrangements.

On Feb. 19, Andrew was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office over an allegation that he shared confidential information with Epstein during his time as a U.K. trade envoy. He was released after being held for 11 hours in police custody. The investigation remains ongoing.

This undated photo shows Prince Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein at Ascot in the U.K. (Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images)

Andrew has repeatedly denied wrongdoing in connection with Epstein and the allegations against him.

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Lord Peter Mandelson are seen wearing bathrobes seated alongside late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, in an undated photograph released by the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., U.S., as part of a trove of documents from its investigations into Epstein. (U.S. Justice Department/Handout)

“Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor obviously is feeling the contempt and distancing from other senior members of the royal family,” royal broadcaster Ian Pelham Turner told Fox News Digital.

“So his mental health will become more prevalent. Some of his favorite activities, like riding and shooting, may have been curtailed. The ongoing police investigation is a continuous worry for him. And still, his soulmate and former wife is being distant.”

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, younger brother of Britain’s King Charles, formerly known as Prince Andrew, leaves Aylsham Police Station in a vehicle on the day he was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office, after the U.S. Justice Department released more records tied to the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, in Aylsham, Britain. The arrest took place on Feb. 19, 2026, Andrew’s birthday. (Phil Noble/Reuters)

“Andrew is confined to a lonely existence,” Turner continued. “Allegedly, he watches a TV channel which shows planes landing as one of his new methods of relaxation.”

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Balmoral Castle in Scotland. (Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images)

Andrew’s friend told The Sun that the disgraced ex-duke rejected the king’s invitation to Balmoral Castle because he feared he would be treated as an “outcast.”

Every summer, the royal family gathers at Balmoral to spend time together privately. About 30 family members are expected to join the king for the traditional gathering this year. The Sun reported that the king is not believed to have seen Andrew this year, despite at times staying only a mile away from him.

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is seen returning after leaving police custody, following his arrest on Feb. 19, 2026 in Sandringham, Norfolk. (Peter Nicholls/Getty Images)

“Why would Andrew reject an olive branch from his brother?” said Turner. “There’s a mixture of anger at what happened to him, a disdain for Charles, which he may see as a weak man, and, no doubt, arrogance with his belief that he can do what he wants without punitive measures taken against him. Also add to the tension with Prince William. Andrew is boxed in.”

King Charles III carries out an inspection of the Balaklava Company, 5th Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland, at the gates of Balmoral, as he takes up summer residence at the castle on Aug. 18, 2026. (Jane Barlow/PA Images via Getty Images)

“There will never be any public restoration for Andrew at all, not now with King Charles and certainly not when Prince William ascends to the throne,” said Fordwich.

“If Andrew did decline an invitation from the king, it might just be Andrew’s classic self-concern that he’d feel too awkward knowing he wasn’t wanted by the extended family at large. The only family member, I believe, who had visited Andrew was Prince Edward.”

Prince Edward is reportedly the only royal who has visited Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. (REUTERS/Peter Nicholls/Pool)

The Sun reported that Andrew’s ex-wife and their two daughters have “avoided” his new home, Marsh Farm, where he’s “lonely.”

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Princess Beatrice (left) and Princess Eugenie are seen at the funeral of their grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, in 2022. The sisters are now faced with the fallout of their father’s arrest. (Justin Goff Photos/Getty Images)

Even as Andrew becomes increasingly isolated from royal life, one royal privilege reportedly remains intact.

The Daily Mail reported that Andrew remains on a confidential government list of royal family members with funeral plans prepared in advance. The arrangements are known as “bridge plans,” with plans for senior royals named after bridges in the U.K.

Prince William and his wife Catherine have been “deeply concerned” by the latest revelations linking Andrew to late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, Kensington Palace said on Feb. 9, 2026. (Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)

When Queen Elizabeth II died in 2022, “Operation London Bridge” went into action. The plan for her husband, Prince Philip, was known as “Operation Forth Bridge” when he died in 2021.

Queen Elizabeth II died in 2022. She was 96. (Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)

The plans are kept confidential until the royal dies, People magazine reported. According to the Daily Mail, Andrew’s funeral service is expected to be held at St. George’s Chapel before he is laid to rest at the Royal Burial Ground at Frogmore in Windsor.

Retired Rear Admiral Chris Parry, who captained HMS Fearless, told the Daily Mail that he believes the Royal Navy would provide volunteers to serve as pallbearers at Andrew’s funeral. Andrew served in the Royal Navy from 1979 to 2001.

Several royal experts told Fox News Digital that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor reportedly feels isolated from his family. (Karwai Tang/WireImage/Getty Images)

“… He had a Falklands medal, and you can’t take that away from him, and he deserves the credit for that,” said Parry. “… If somebody said to me, ‘Would you do it?’ I’d do it.”

Jubilant Prince Andrew ashore with proud father Prince Philip after the carrier HMS Invincible sailed home from the Falklands to a tumultuous welcome at Portsmouth on Sept. 17, 1982. (Kent Gavin/Mirrorpix/Getty Images)

Spencer Kuvin, an attorney who represented nine of Epstein’s victims, told the outlet that “taxpayers should not ever be funding a funeral for a private individual.”

King Charles III reportedly hasn’t seen Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor this year. (Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)

“No public money should be used to benefit him during death,” he said. “It’s an embarrassment to the Crown.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Buckingham Palace for comment.