King Charles may have just exacted the cruelest revenge against his son Prince Harry and Meghan Markle by making them feel the lowest of the low in the Royal Family hierarchy — a move so carefully orchestrated and silently executed that the troublesome couple would have a hard time recovering from the embarrassment, among all repercussions.
Apparently, there is now confirmation that the monarch has officially cut off his brother Prince Andrew’s staggering personal allowance, worth £1 million (U.S. $1.3 million) per year. Additionally, Charles has reportedly stopped funding for his younger sibling’s seven-figure security detail. And this, of course, is very understandable considering the disgrace the Duke of York brought to The Firm for his associations with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
“The duke is no longer a financial burden on the King,” a source told royal writer Robert Hardman in an updated biography serialized by the Daily Mail, noting that Charles acted decisively in instructing the Keeper of the Privy Purse on what to do with Andrew’s financials.
But, apart from marking a new low in his ties with his beleaguered brother, Charles’ drastic decision also signified a point of no return for his relationship with his younger son, Prince Harry, and the latter’s wife, Meghan. For one thing, the former working royals are now deemed the lowest of the low in the royal hierarchy.
The updated royal website has placed the Duke and Duchess of Sussex at the very bottom, with the Duke of York sitting just a tier above them. The reshuffling has made it seem like Andrew — despite the sexual assault allegations he faced in 2022 — is now more important than the couple, who bowed out of the Royal Family in 2020 for a more free but grandiose life in Montecito, California.
When the above shuffle was made, Andrew was still getting an allowance and paid security service from Charles. But now, the man has been deemed a disgrace enough to lose even that, and yet he is still above Harry and Meghan on the website, which seems to signify that the couple is perceived to be worse than Andrew by the king.
Prior to the reshuffle, Charles had already made strides in getting even with Prince William’s younger brother, punishing him for all the controversial statements he made against the Royal Family. In addition to evicting the couple from Frogmore Cottage in June 2023, the monarch has blatantly offered the property to, among all royals, Prince Andrew.
Interestingly, Charles degrading his son and his wife could be what the public wanted all along. For months, popularity polls among Britons showed how royal watchers and supporters strongly disliked the couple, especially Markle, who almost always had the highest disapproval rating. If it helps, the Duke of York was also always at the bottom of the rankings, but he received slightly higher ratings than the couple from time to time.
At this point, the Sussexes are no different from the Duke of York when it comes to their status within The Firm. Prince Harry and Meghan are no longer allowed to return to their royal duties since quitting their life as working members of the Royal Family. Meanwhile, Andrew can never resume his royal duties after being forced to step back from public life by the late Queen Elizabeth II.
The only difference now is how Harry and Markle are strategically placed below Andrew on the royal website to show the world that even someone as nefarious and problematic as the latter is better than the royal couple in King Charles’ eyes.
Published: Nov 2, 2024 09:42 am