Royal family members on 'chopping block' after Andrew arrest fallout

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's scandal and, afterward, his dramatic arrest have shaken the royal family, forcing King Charles to take strict action, experts say.

Among such actions is what some would say is a drastic one: to cut the number of working royals.

Currently, there are 11. 

But Craig Prescott, a constitutional expert at the University of London, claims it could ultimately slim down to as few as four or five.

"You may have just King William, Queen Catherine and their children,” he added. “We could be faced with a very small monarchy in the future."

Echoing his views, Robert Jobson, author of The Windsor Legacy, said that in the wake of the Epstein scandal, The Firm must come out clean from the past.

“All of those further down the line of succession need to go,” he told The i paper.

However, Patricia Treble, a Canadian royal commentator, believes the Epstein crisis was not powerful enough to force a significant change to the royal family.

But she said it could speed it up.

“I do wonder about the palace taking a saw to the thicket of styles and titles enjoyed by private members of the family. That process may be accelerated.”

In contrast, the report said some officials at the palace are cautioning against the pace of reforms, arguing that the hasty decisions tend to backfire.

Given the example of Queen Camilla. When Charles announced his engagement to her in 2005, the palace announced she would never be queen to ward off public anger over the union.

But years later, the commitment had to be reversed.

In light of this, a royal source told the outlet, “I think the changes will come. But we may have to wait until William is king."