Prince Andrew latest: William ‘taking control’ of Palace response after criticism

MPs will not be given time in the House of Commons to discuss Prince Andrew’s conduct because the royal family wants Parliament to focus on “important issues”, Downing Street said.

The Commons could only discuss Andrew’s friendship with paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein and his rent-free mansion if there was a formal motion, but the Government controls the bulk of parliamentary time.

Downing Street said it would not allocate time for a debate in the chamber although MPs could still scrutinise the situation in committees.

Four out of five Britons want Prince Andrew to be formally stripped of his dukedom, a YouGov poll has suggested.

The survey showed that 63% of nearly 6,700 adults questioned were “strongly” in favour of formal removal of the dukedom and 17% “somewhat” supported the idea, while 6% were opposed to it – 4% somewhat and 2% strongly – and 14% did not know.

Leaked emails seen by the Mail on Sunday revealed that Andrew handed over Ms Giuffre’s social security number and date of birth to his Met Police bodyguard.

Andrew reportedly told Ed Perkins, Queen Elizabeth’s deputy press secretary, that he had asked one of his close protection officers to find out information about Ms Giuffre.

My colleague Harriette Boucher reports:

Kemi Badenoch has declined to endorse Robert Jenrick’s call for Prince Andrew to leave Royal Lodge, telling the PA news agency: “I’m the Leader of the Opposition, he’s not the Leader of the Opposition.”

Asked whether she agreed with the shadow justice secretary that Andrew should not be allowed to live in the property, she said: “I don’t comment on royal matters.”

Asked whether Mr Jenrick was out of step with the Tory Party line, she said: “I don’t comment on royal matters. I’m the Leader of the Opposition, he’s not the Leader of the Opposition.”

The Commons spending watchdog will look into the lease arrangements for Prince Andrew’s Windsor mansion.

Andrew lives in Royal Lodge on a peppercorn rent.

Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, said he will be seeking answers from the Crown Estate and the Treasury.

“The Public Accounts Committee which I chair will be writing in the coming days to the Crown Estate Commissioners and HM Treasury, seeking further information on the lease arrangements for Royal Lodge,” he said.

“In the correspondence, our cross-party committee will be raising a number of questions with the Crown Estate and HM Treasury.

“This forms part of our long-standing remit, on behalf of Parliament and the British public, to examine the economy, efficiency and effectiveness of public spending, and ensure the taxpayer is receiving best value for money.

“Our committee has a further opportunity in 2026 to consider the annual report and accounts for the Crown Estate, and will make a decision on whether to undertake any work on this in the normal way.

“We will review the response we receive to our forthcoming correspondence and will consider at that time whether to seek further information.”

Downing Street has appeared to dismiss the idea of MPs getting time for a Commons debate on Prince Andrew, with the prime minister’s spokesperson saying that the royal family “would not want to take time” from other parliamentary business.

On Wednesday, Sir Keir Starmer said he would support “proper scrutiny” over Crown Estate arrangements, but on Thursday Downing Street suggested that the government is not planning on making time for MPs to debate the matter.

Political Correspondent Caitlin Doherty reports:

The Prince Andrew scandal has spread its tendrils in every conceivable direction. Questions have been asked about whether it is causing existential damage to the institution of the royal family, whether the King and the Prince of Wales, in particular, have done enough to stop the rot, and whether the likelihood that more incriminating Jeffrey Epstein emails will appear over the coming days and weeks means that the embarrassment will only get worse.

Yet amid the febrile speculation as to the repercussions of the former Duke of York’s actions – and with his voluntary decision to stop using his various titles, he remains decidedly persona non grata – it must be asked what would be happening if his late mother were still Queen.

Since her death in 2022, Elizabeth II has been sanctified as not only the greatest monarch that the country ever had, but as someone of remarkable acuity and perception when it came to running “The Firm”.