‘Anxious’ Andrew heads towards financial problems as King Charles says no to help

Former prince Andrew is "increasingly anxious" as he believes he will not be able to pay his legal fees after his brother, King Charles, told him he must meet the costs himself, royal sources have revealed.

The disgraced former royal has remained out of public eye after being arrested last month by detectives from Thames Valley police who were investigating allegations of misconduct in a public office.

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, who was released pending investigation after being interviewed for 11 hours, has not been given any indication as to whether he will have to return for another interview.

As per The Mirror, a royal source said: “The financial burden on him, having to attend interviews and take the relevant advice are a huge concern for him and one which he is growing increasingly anxious about. The King has made clear that Andrew is now a private citizen and must meet the relevant costs on his own.”

However, sources do suggest that while the King has privately made it clear that no taxpayer funds would be used, he may be asked to chip in privately in order to support the former Duke of York.

The source said: “Much like the King has supplemented Andrew’s living arrangements by housing him on his private estate in Norfolk, if he (Andrew) could not pay his legal fees then the King may find himself in the rather uncomfortable position of being asked to pay for them privately."

When Andrew was arrested by Thames Valley police on February 19 - his 66th birthday - the King issued a statement saying that "the law must take its course" and expressed his "deepest concern" over the arrest, which came after millions of files were released by the US Department of Justice in relation to the Epstein scandal.

The former prince became the first senior royal in modern history to be arrested in nearly 400 years.

Before that, it was King Charles I who was taken prisoner in 1647 after being defeated in the English Civil War by parliamentary forces. He was later put on trial and found guilty of high treason.

Following Andrew’s release from being questioned, he was pictured in an extraordinary image slouched in the back of a Range Rover as he left Aylsham police station in Norfolk.

A senior palace source said it would be a “concern” for the King if he were to be asked to meet the costs because of how the public feels about Andrew.

The source said: "The King is adamant that public funds will not be used to fund any legal costs for Andrew, but if he did meet the costs himself, there is certainly a risk that the public would not view that favourably. It’s a very difficult and delicate situation.”

It is pertinent to mention that King Charles stripped Andrew of his titles and honours in October 2025, and over continued allegations surrounding his brother, His Majesty also evicted him from his 30 room Royal Lodge mansion on the Windsor estate.