Andrew Refuses King Charles's Invitation: 'They Will Treat Him Like the Elephant in the Room'

As every August, members of the royal family traditionally arrive at Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire for their summer vacation. This year, quite surprisingly, King Charles invited his brother, the former prince Andrew, to join the celebration—but Andrew, having been stripped of his titles, rejected the invitation.

'He feels abandoned, that he is no longer part of the family,' a source close to the former prince told The Sun. 'He was invited, but he has no desire to be at Balmoral because he has nothing to gain from it, and he will be treated like an outcast. From his perspective, what is the point of traveling all the way there for a much-needed vacation, only to be treated like the elephant in the room?'

The close connection with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein marked the beginning of the end for Andrew in 2019. Following the uproar and fears of reputational damage to the kingdom, he was removed from his public duties, and in 2025 he was stripped of his official titles. Andrew denied the serious allegations throughout the entire time—including those of Virginia Giuffre, who last year ended her life after a stubborn struggle in which she claimed she was forced to have sexual relations with Andrew as a minor. However, the financial settlement he reached with her out of court cemented his status.

In recent months, it seems that the rift with King Charles has only deepened, especially after Andrew's entanglement moved from the reputational level to the criminal level: last February, he was dramatically arrested on his 66th birthday on suspicion of breach of trust and passing sensitive information to Epstein, and last June it became known that another investigation was opened against him on suspicion of indecent acts he allegedly committed in 2002.