Donald Trump issues stark response to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor being stripped of royal titles and losing home
Donald Trump has responded to the news that the King had decided to strip the 'Style, Titles and Honours' of his brother Andrew.
Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew, was stripped of his 'Prince' title by brother, King Charles, last week as the controversy around his links to disgraced financier and convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein continued.
He was also required to surrender the lease on his home Royal Lodge and relocate to a property on the King's estate in Sandringham, effectively banishing him from public life.
The move followed the posthumous release of Virginia Giuffre's memoir, in which she detailed her alleged sexual interactions with Andrew, while being sex trafficked by Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.
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Andrew has repeatedly denied all allegations made by Giuffre as well as denying any wrongdoing.
US President Donald Trump has now weighed in on the matter, issuing a stark response when asked about his thoughts on the decision to strip Andrew of his titles and honours.
Speaking onboard Air Force One, the 79-year-old told reporters that he felt 'badly' for the Royal Family.
"It's a terrible thing that's happened to the family," he said (via Sky News).
"That's been a tragic situation. It's too bad. I feel badly for the family."
Trump met Andrew in 2000, when he was photographed alongside the former Prince and his then girlfriend Melania Knauss, who is now First Lady of the United States.
The pair later crossed paths during a state visit made by Trump during his first term as US President in 2019, according to CNN.
Both Trump and Andrew had been associates of Epstein during the early 2000s, with the US leader understood to have attended several of the same events as the disgraced financier as far back as the 1990s.
Trump and Epstein reportedly seized contact in 2004 before the latter was later banned from Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate after allegedly harassing the daughter of another member.
The president has also denied any knowledge of Epstein's crimes.
Meanwhile, the decision to remove Andrew's title of Prince, which he had held from birth, came just weeks after he agreed to give up his title of Duke of York as well as the honours which he had been granted, such as the prestigious Order of the Garter.
Defence Secretary John Healey confirmed the former prince would lose his honorary rank of vice-admiral, a title he was given on his birthday in 2015.
It is not clear if Andrew will be allowed to keep his medals.
Topics: Donald Trump, Prince Andrew, Royal Family, UK News, US News, Crime, Books
Brenna Cooper