The Dictatorship
Britain’s king stripping brother Andrew of his ‘prince’ title isn’t the end of the story
Buckingham Palace would like for us to see power and majesty in its announcement Thursday that King Charles III is stripping his younger brother Andrew of the title of “prince” and booting him from his 30-room residence. After all, no British prince has been officially de-titled in more than a century. None has been so publicly evicted.
But while removing all royal vestiges from Andrew is a momentous step, make no mistake: Charles was backed into a corner. If the monarchy is to survive this saga, the monarch had little choice but to distance the royal family from its most disgraced member — or at least appear to do so. Distinguishing Andrew from the rest of the royal family is Windsor brand management after years of taint by association.
Distinguishing Andrew from the rest of the royal family is Windsor brand management after years of taint by association.
Andrew has been in headlines over his friendship with a convicted sex offender; accusations of sexual assault (which he continues to deny); and links to figures in a government spy case. Allegations of questionable relationships and lavish trips shadowed his years as a British trade envoy. Charles may be used to heckling, but questions shouted at the king this week about what he knew about Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein were replayed over and over on U.K. media — reflecting a national disgust that had sparked talk in Parliament. The king acted partly to ensure lawmakers didn’t.
“These censures are deemed necessary, notwithstanding the fact that he continues to deny the allegations against him,” the palace statement said. “Their Majesties wish to make clear that their thoughts and utmost sympathies have been, and will remain with, the victims and survivors of any and all forms of abuse.”
This language suggests Charles supports women such as Virginia Roberts Giuffre, an American whose allegations that she was trafficked as a teenager by Epstein and forced to have sex with Andrew three times were first published in Britain in 2011. (Andrew has repeatedly denied the accusations. Giuffre settled a lawsuit with Epstein for $500,000 in 2009.)
Giuffre, who died by suicide in April, wrote a memoir that was published posthumously last week. Excerpts from the memoir — which is No. 1 on the Amazon sales chart — intensified media scrutiny on Andrew, who’d been in headlines since the summer publication of the biography “Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York.” Pages were stuffed with anecdotes and mostly anonymous recollections of not just Andrew’s boorish behavior but also his penchant for private flights on the public’s dimeallegations of self-enriching business deals and details of his encounters with Epstein starting in 1999. The biography “hasn’t so much cemented Prince Andrew’s reputation, as put it in concrete boots and thrown it in the river,” the BBC’s royal correspondent wrote in August.
Further blows came from newly surfaced links to Epstein, with the most radioactive reports showing the prince in friendly conversation with Epstein months after he’d claimed to have cut off contact. Andrew’s denials of wrongdoing, previously trusted by royal aides, were compromised — as was the palace practice of letting Andrew manage fallout.
For years after Epstein’s 2008 conviction on a solicitation charge in Floridaquestions were asked about the friendship. Sketchy affiliations were part of the criticism of Andrew’s tenure as U.K. trade ambassador. But it wasn’t until after Epstein died in 2019 — while awaiting trial on federal charges of sex trafficking and conspiracy — that Andrew spoke out. His BBC “Newsnight” interview that November was a debacle of such proportions that it has been dramatized by both Netflix and Amazon. Andrew claimed not to sweat, categorically denied Giuffre’s allegations and expressed no regret over his friendship with Epstein. His tone-deaf statements and failure to apologize were swiftly condemned.
Ever since, Andrew has been trying to draw a line under this scandal. Days after the “Newsnight” interview, he announced he would step back from public life. In early 2022, he returned his military honors and said he would not use his Royal Highness title. Soon after that, he settled a civil lawsuit with Giuffrewith no admission of guilt, for an undisclosed sum. This month, he announced he would not use his Duke of York title. Global humiliations all, and made under intense pressure, but technically the prince had lost none of his privileges.
Things took a turn this month when U.K. news outlets published more emails purportedly between Andrew and Epstein, including messages reportedly showing Andrew had asked his taxpayer-funded police guard to dig up dirt on Giuffre. This prompted a response from London’s Metropolitan Police — it is looking into the reports — but no comment from Andrew or the palace. Details emerged of Andrew’s lease for the 30-room crown-owned mansion he’s rented since 2003.
Turns out nothing sparks outrage like rent of one peppercorn per year.
No one knows what other details about Andrew’s activities could still emerge.
Although Parliament and the monarchy traditionally stay out of each other’s affairs, and control over Andrew’s titles rests with the sovereign, public anger prompted some members of Parliament to question why Andrew should live effectively rent-free in a grand home. For the palace, such discussion is a slippery slope. The monarchy doesn’t want clarity brought to opaque royal financial arrangements, and it’s unlikely people are going to stop asking how, exactly, Andrew affords his lavish lifestyle. No one knows what other details about Andrew’s activities could still emerge.
After the king announced he would strip Andrew of his royal titles, Giuffre’s brother publicly thanked Charles and reflected on his sister’s bravery in speaking out. “This normal girl from a normal family has taken down a prince,” he tearfully told the BBC. That she did not live to see the response to her harrowing story compounds the sadness.
But this is not the end of Andrew’s story. He has been banished — to the Norfolk countryside. Reportedly sometime after Christmashe will move to a property on the Sandringham estate, which is privately owned by the king. His daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, will retain their titles, while the king will fund his brother.
Now the question is whether there will be a police investigation, potentially clearing Andrew Mountbatten Windsor’s name — or resulting in charges he would have to face without royal protection.
Giuffre’s brother has said Andrew should be behind bars. Others have suggested Andrew could tell authorities what he witnessed at Epstein properties — details that might corroborate accounts from victims. With U.S. lawmakers still focused on Epstein, this issue isn’t closed.
The palace statement says royal sympathies are with the victims of abuse, but if that were the case, the royal family could have acted more firmly years ago. Distancing themselves from Andrew is not the same as calling for accountability.
Autumn Brewington
Autumn Brewington is an opinion editor at BLN Daily. She was previously an opinion editor at The Washington Post, where she oversaw the op-ed page for seven years, and has also edited at The Wall Street Journal and Lawfare. She launched The Post’s royal newsletter and writes about the British royal family on Substack.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran again launched drone and missile attacks targeting Bahrainand Kuwaiton Sunday following new U.S. airstrikes against the Islamic Republic, and threatened a “complete halt” in negotiations to end the warif Washington continues its attacks.
Efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuzwithout Iran’s oversight has sparked days of crossfire. A multinational maritime body overseen by the U.S. Navy said Saturday it would expand a route near Omanfor inbound and outbound traffic.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Sunday reiterated the claim that Tehran must govern the strait to the Persian Gulfthat once carried a fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas.
“Any attempt to establish new or separate arrangements from those currently being carried out by the Islamic Republic of Iran will only lead to further complications, delay the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and increase the level of tension,” Araghchi said.
The strait has long been considered an international waterway despite its location in Iran and Oman’s territorial waters. In recent days, Iran has twice attacked vessels going through a route near the Omani side.
A Pakistani official involved in the technical talks between the U.S. and Iran told MS NOW Sunday that talks between the sides are on hold given the ongoing fighting between the two sides. The source, who did not want to be named to discuss the sensitive matter, said the U.S., Iran, Pakistan and Qatar all have representatives currently in Switzerland to restart discussions when instructed to do so.
But the Trump administration said nothing has been canceled and technical talks are on track for the coming days.
Talks include arrangements around the strait, the removal of a U.S. blockade on Iranian ports and sanctions on Iran, and the future of Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium. The two sides have 60 days from their signing of the memorandum of understanding earlier this month to work out details.
Continued conflict in Lebanon threatens the agreement, which says fighting must end on all fronts before certain issues can be discussed.
Strikes target Gulf states hosting US military
Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard claimed responsibility for the attacks in Bahrain and Kuwait.
Kuwait, which hosts a major U.S. military base, said air defenses intercepted Iranian drones and two missiles just after the U.S. strikes in Iran. There were no reports of injuries or damage.
Bahrain said the Iranian strikes damaged a residential building near the international airport and no one was killed. Bahrain is home to the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet. The damaged building was not near its headquarters.
Bahrain’s Foreign Ministry denounced what it called “a dangerous escalation that reveals that what Tehran is doing is not a passing act, nor an isolated incident, but rather a deliberate approach and a systematic pattern of repeated aggression.”
Later on Sunday, Qatar said a civilian had been killed, and another person was hurt, by shrapnel related to “military operations in the area” after a vessel didn’t return at its scheduled time on Saturday. It did not give details.
Trump accuses Iran of violating ceasefire
The U.S. military said it struck Iranian military “surveillance infrastructure, communication systems, air defense sites, drone storage facilities and minelayer capabilities” following an attack on a ship on Saturday. The Panamanian-flagged tanker Kiku carried crude oil for the state-run energy company of Qatar, another key mediator.
U.S. President Donald Trump on social media accused Iran of violating the deal and warned of a point where the U.S. may “be forced to militarily complete the job.”
“If that happens, the Islamic Republic of Iran will no longer exist!” Trump wrote.
The exchanges of fire began when an Iranian drone struck a merchant vesseloff Oman on Thursday and the U.S. military retaliated.
Ship traffic on the strait had increased over the past 72 hours, “despite the elevated threat environment,” the multinational maritime body overseen by the U.S. Navy said Sunday, adding that “U.S.-assisted commercial transits continued uninterrupted.”
It said 89 such transits had been made, below the historical average of 138 vessels a day.
Iran calls for new ‘conflict control unit’ in Lebanon
Last week, Israel and Lebanon signed a framework agreementto end the latest fighting between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group, which began two days after the Iran war started when Hezbollah fired at Israel. Israel has responded with an invasion of southern Lebanon and it has said it will not withdraw until Hezbollah is disarmed.
The agreement did not include Iran or Hezbollah, which has criticized itand rejected calls to disarm.
On Sunday, Iran’s foreign minister again said the U.S. must force Israel to halt attacks and withdraw. Israel occupies around 600 square kilometers (231 square miles) in southern Lebanon, which it says it needs as a security buffer.
Sporadic clashes have continued, and Hezbollah’s leader said Saturday that the group would continue fighting until Israel withdraws from Lebanon.
Key Iranian negotiator and parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf said Sunday that a meeting of a new “conflict control unit” formed among Iran, the United States and Lebanon should meet as soon as possible, Iran’s state broadcaster reported.
Two strikes hit southern Lebanon on Sunday morning — one in Taybeh town and the other in the Nabatiyeh area, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency. There was no immediate word on casualties.
Overnight, Hezbollah militants killed an Israeli soldier in Deir Siryan village in southern Lebanon, according to Israel’s military. Hezbollah did not comment.
Israel targets a village in Syria
Israel’s military targeted Abdin village in southern Syria’s Daraa province with artillery shelling Sunday evening, Syrian state media reported. There was no immediate report of casualties.
State news agency SANA earlier reported that residents had blocked the road into the village with stones to prevent Israeli forces from entering it again after they had entered and withdrawn.
Earlier Sunday, Israel’s military said it had killed several armed men in southern Syria but gave no details. There was no statement from Syrian officials.
Israel seized control of a U.N.-patrolled buffer zone in southern Syria in December 2024 following the ouster of former Syrian President Bashar Assad in an insurgent offensive. Israeli officials initially called the move temporary, but more recently they have said they plan to occupy the zone indefinitely.
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani has a message for political opponents using him as the new face of the Democratic Party: “Let them.”
Recent primary races in New York turned into a proxy war between progressives, including democratic socialists like Mamdani, and establishment Democratic politicians after candidates endorsed by Mamdani faced off against those endorsed by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul. After all three of Mamdani’s endorsements bore fruit, a national spotlight shone on the mayor as a growing influence in the Democratic Party.
Asked on ABC News’ “This Week” on Sunday how he felt about Republicans making him the “poster child” for the Democratic Party, Mamdani said, “Let them. We don’t have to ask ourselves what life looks like if a socialist wins. I won last November, and over the course of these last six months, what we’ve delivered for working people are the very things we were told were impossible.”
He touted recent campaign promises he delivered on, including freezing rents for nearly one million rent-stabilized apartments, expanding free child care and filling potholes across the city.
“I think we are seeing a hunger that is not just felt by New Yorkers, but frankly by Americans from coast to coast for a new politics, one that puts working people at the heart of it,” Mamdani told ABC.
Mamdani dismissed criticism from Republicans and Democrats alike. Jeffries, who represents parts of Brooklyn and Queens, said last week that he and the mayor “agree to strongly disagree about some of his endorsements, and he’s got work to do in terms of the conversations that he’s going to have with members of Congress moving forward.” Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut said, “The effort to nationalize New York is going to fail.”
Mamdani said he’s focused on the three congressional candidates he has already endorsed: Brad LanderDarializa Avila Chevalier and Claire Valdez. But he didn’t rule out future endorsements outside of New York.
“It’s not just New York City where working people are asking themselves ‘why can’t I afford my rent, why can’t I afford my groceries, why can’t I find enough money in my pocket for childcare no matter how hard I work?,’” Mamdani said.
When asked about a recent manifesto penned by a number of moderate House Democrats and Democratic candidates, promoting capitalism over socialism, Mamdani doubled down on his vision for the party.
“I’m not interested in writing a manifesto, or frankly, in reading one,” the mayor said. “I’m interested in delivering.”
Mamdani also criticized Democrats who continue to make antagonizing Trump the center of their politics rather than working people.
“You’ve got to have something that you are not just willing to stand up for, but that you’re also willing to explain how this is relevant to working people,” he said. “And I think this just comes back to the fact that I’m leading a city that’s the wealthiest city in the wealthiest country in the history of the world. I could end the sentence there and say that life is great for 8.5 million people. But it’s also a city where one in four are living in poverty. And for far too many Americans, those contradictions have become their day to day life.”
Erum Salam is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW, with a focus on how global events and foreign policy shape U.S. politics. She previously was a breaking news reporter for The Guardian.
Despite remaining undefeated in the initial round of the World Cupthe Iran national team is going home after failing to secure enough points to advance. But they do not leave quietly.
Iran’s tumultuous journey in the World Cup has been the subject of widespread attention amid the U.S. war with Iran, with the United States being one of three countries hosting matches. The Iranian team captain, Mehdi Taremi, blamed FIFA, saying, “It’s a disaster World Cup. A disaster.”
“I mean, FIFA, they have to solve every problem here but unfortunately they could not solve it since the beginning,” Taremi said at a press conference Friday after his team drew with Egypt, knocking Iran out of the tournament.
He pointed to the team’s biggest obstacle. “We don’t have our logistics people here. They don’t have a visa,” Taremi said, adding, “We always complain about these things but no one helps. No one.”
The Trump administration denied visas to key Iranian staff and severely restricted players’ travel. The team’s base camp was moved from Arizona to Tijuana, Mexico, where it was required to return immediately after each game.
“How is it possible we always have to travel from Tijuana? We love the people in Tijuana. We love Mexico,” the Iran team captain said, but added, “It’s not fair.”
Throughout the tournament, the Football Federation of Iran lamented the number of issues, threatening to lodge a formal complaint against FIFA. Head coach Amir Ghalenoei called his team the “most oppressed” in the tournament. A few days before Iran’s final match against Egypt in Seattle on Friday, the U.S. loosened travel restrictions to allow players to enter the United States two days before the game.
“The Iran team will still be required to leave the day the match ends,” the Department of Homeland Security said ahead of the match. “The overall security measures and protocol are the same. We remain committed to providing the safest tournament possible for players, staff, and fans alike.”
Still, Iran finished Group G in third place with three points earned after drawing in its matches against Belgium, New Zealandand Egypt. Under FIFA’s new 48-team format, the top eight of third-place teams move on to the next round, but Iran narrowly fell short.
The team initially seemed poised to advance when it was tied with the same amount of points as Algeria, which scored a goal in stoppage-time against Austria Saturday night. But moments later, Austria tied the game, guaranteeing Iran’s elimination.
Off the field, tensions with Iran heightened Friday when the U.S. struck Iran despite signing a memorandum of understanding meant to halt hostilities in order to finalize a peace deal.
Erum Salam is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW, with a focus on how global events and foreign policy shape U.S. politics. She previously was a breaking news reporter for The Guardian.
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