King Charles reportedly offered an ‘olive branch’ to his disgraced brother Prince Andrew by inviting him and the Duchess of York to Balmoral.
The Duke is the first member of the family to join the King at the Castle of the Highlands. According to royal insiders, relations between the two have improved.
Charles was reportedly joined by the Duke and his ex-wife Sarah, the Duchess of York – who is recovering from breast cancer surgery – over the weekend.
Andrew, 63, drove himself to the 50,000 acre estate at Royal Deeside before being later joined by Sarah, who flew to Aberdeen. The couple are staying in the seven-bedroom Craigowan Lodge on the estate – a favorite of the late Queen.
A royal insider insisted it was ‘no stupidity’ that the couple were staying at the lodge rather than the main house, telling the Emphatically“The king and Andrew are now on much better terms and making him the first member of the family to join him is an olive branch.”
Prince Andrew was stripped of all his royal patronages and military roles in January 2022. But in an olive branch reported by the king, he was invited to the castle of Balmoral.
King Charles was reportedly joined by the Duke and his ex-wife Sarah, the Duchess of York – who is recovering from breast cancer surgery – over the weekend.
Andrew, 63, drove himself to the 50,000 acre estate at Royal Deeside before being later joined by Sarah, who flew to Aberdeen. The couple are staying in the seven-bedroom Craigowan Lodge on the estate (pictured is Balmoral Castle)
The apparent peace offer came as Prince Andrew appeared to have won his battle to stay at the seven-bedroom Royal Lodge in Windsor.
The king had tried to persuade his brother to move into the vacant Frogmore Cottage – the former home of Prince Harry and Meghan.
Charles wanted Andrew to move out of the 30-room mansion where he lives with ex-wife Sarah Ferguson and downsize to the Sussexes’ old home.
But the King has no power to force Andrew out of the £30 million Royal Lodge – with royal insiders claiming the plan to relocate the Duke has now been put on hold.
The news comes as insiders claimed Charles didn’t want his brother to ‘get out of the freezer’ – amid royal aides’ fears there are still ‘unexploded bombs’ about the Duke of York’s ties to pedophile Jeffery Epstein.
Royal insiders are concerned the duke is “more of a long-term problem” than Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
The late Queen Elizabeth II stripped her son of all his royal patronage and military roles in January 2022 – when he was also barred from using HRH in any official capacity.
But his friendship with Epstein is of most concern to aides, as His Majesty doesn’t want his brother to “get out of the freezer.”
Prince Andrew has refused to leave the £30 million Royal Lodge mansion (pictured) and move into the Sussexes’ former home, Frogmore Cottage
Jeffrey Epstein served nearly 13 months in prison in 2008 after being convicted of procuring a child for prostitution and sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl. He took his own life in 2019 while in prison
A royal source told the The times“Andrew is more of a long-term issue than Harry and Meghan. It feels like more things are coming out on Epstein and there are still unexploded bombs out there.”
Epstein served nearly 13 months in prison in 2008 after being convicted of procuring a child for prostitution and sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl.
But Andrew continued his friendship with the perpetrator after his release. He told the BBC in 2019 that his relationship with Epstein and the opportunities he’d been given were “really helpful” and said he couldn’t remember the photo that showed him with his arm around Virginia Roberts – now known as Virginia Giuffre – ‘ever taken’.
Jeffrey Epstein took his own life in 2019 while in prison.
Epstein’s ex-girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell – who was also a friend of Andrew’s and appears in the background in the photo of him and Ms. Giuffre – is serving 20 years in prison for sex trafficking.
Meanwhile, a friend of the King believes the row with Prince Harry has “humanized” him and that he is “reassured” by “the side the public has come to.”
The plan was for Prince Andrew to move out of his 30-bedroom home into the smaller Frogmore Cottage (pictured), where Prince Harry and Meghan used to live
Prince Andrew lives in the royal mansion with only his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York (left)
The friend told The Times: “He has done well to rise above it and continue the work of the monarchy, which is a welcome and stark contrast to what is happening on the west coast of America.
“It’s all very sad, but it also reflects what goes on in many families, so it humanizes him.”
The late Queen’s funeral and coronation were two opportunities to see Charles lead moments of national unity.
But both events shed light on the conflict within key members of the Windsor family.
MailOnline has approached the Palace for comment.
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