Princess Anne has emerged as the driving force behind what insiders describe as an “ultra-secretive Back Andrew campaign” with the royal family, as concern grows within The Firm about the mental health of her younger brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor following his forced departure from Royal Lodge and continued fallout from the Jeffrey Epstein scandal.
RadarOnline.com can reveal the tensions come as Andrew, 65, prepares to leave the 31-room Windsor property he has occupied for decades and relocate to a far smaller five-bedroom house on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk.
The move follows King Charles‘ decision last year to strip Andrew of his royal titles and his right to a Crown Estate home, a move taken amid ongoing revelations about Andrew’s association with Epstein, the late U.S. financier and convicted s– offender.
Removal vans were recently seen at Marsh Farm, the Norfolk property described by sources as “ramshackle,” underlining that the transition is now underway.
Andrew is said to have accepted that he has no choice but to move, but insiders say the loss of live-in staff has been a particular blow.
After requesting a cook, housekeeper, gardener, and butler, he was instead offered only limited access to Sandringham estate staff, a downgrade some family members view as humiliating.
‘She Has Raised Her Concerns’
One source said this treatment had hardened Anne’s resolve to intervene.
“She has raised her concerns directly with the King and with William on multiple occasions,” the insider added.
“What began as private conversations has turned into open disagreements, not just between Charles and Andrew but across the wider family, where a number of relatives believe the response has crossed from necessary discipline into excessive punishment.”
The same source said Anne believed Andrew had already paid a huge price for what he had described as a “mistake” in maintaining contact with Epstein, while continuing to deny the sexual assault allegation made against him by the pedophile’s most high-profile s– trafficking victim, Virginia Giuffre, who died last year by suicide aged 41.
Rift With Queen Camilla Exposed
Another insider framed Anne’s efforts as protective rather than defiant.
They added: “From her perspective, the situation has moved far beyond what she considers just or reasonable.
“She feels their late mother would have expected the matter to be managed quietly and with a degree of compassion, and that this ultra-secretive Back Andrew effort is about limiting further personal harm rather than rewriting the past.”
The push has reportedly opened a rift with Queen Camilla, 78, who is said to support a hard line to protect the royal family.
“She simply cannot understand why Anne is choosing to stand up for behavior she regards as beyond defense,” a source said.
“As far as Camilla is concerned, any move to ease the pressure on Andrew or Sarah is something that must be resisted at all costs.”
According to insiders, the dispute has reignited long-standing personal tensions between Anne and Camilla dating back to the 1970s, when both were linked to Andrew Parker Bowles, now 86.
An insider said, “There is a great deal of unresolved history between them. Although they managed to keep it buried for years, this episode has reopened old wounds.
“Anne believes Camilla is overstepping her role, while Camilla sees Anne as unable to separate family loyalty from sound judgment.”
Charles, 77, is said to be caught between two formidable figures while also dealing with ongoing medical treatment and strained relations between his sons, Prince William, 43, and Prince Harry, 41.
One palace aide said, “Anne and Camilla are both formidable personalities who are not accustomed to backing down. That has left Charles in the unenviable position of trying to mediate between them while holding the family together.”
Camilla, according to allies, remains unmoved. “She is genuinely appalled that Anne is pressing this issue at all,” one insider said.
“From Camilla’s standpoint, maintaining a hard line on Andrew is the only defensible course if the monarchy is to be protected. Any sign of retreat, she believes, would expose the institution to unacceptable risk.”
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