Epstein case; The British king's brother leaves Windsor Castle in a humiliating and nightly departure

Afghan Voice Agency (AVA) - International Service: "Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor", the younger brother of King Charles, has left his residence at the royal estate of Windsor after new revelations were published about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, the notorious sex offender.

According to Reuters, a royal source confirmed the news on Wednesday; a move that is described as one of the lowest points in the fall of the position of this former member of the British royal family.

His departure from "Royal Lodge", the 30-room mansion where he lived for decades, came at a time when his relationship with Epstein has been under the microscope of public opinion for years; The case has cast a heavy shadow over the royal family's reputation.

The Sun reported that Andrew, 65, had hoped to stay at the mansion for a longer period, but left Windsor under cover of darkness on Monday evening and moved to a cottage on the Sandringham estate, the monarch's Norfolk residence in eastern England.

Andrew, who has been seen riding horses in Windsor in recent days, has consistently denied any wrongdoing in connection with Epstein. However, after the release of the latest documents by the US Department of Justice, police said on Tuesday they were considering a new charge against him. A royal source confirmed that Andrew could return to Windsor on a limited basis in the coming weeks during a period of transition.

"With the release of the new Epstein dossier, it became clear to him that it was time to go. The departure was so humiliating that he chose to do it at night," an anonymous friend told the Sun.

Andrew, the second son of Queen Elizabeth II, was forced to step back from all official royal duties in 2019. Three years later, he settled a lawsuit by Virginia Giuffre, who accused him of sexual abuse as a teenager, with compensation, although he has always denied the allegations. The case came to the fore again last year with the publication of Giuffre’s posthumous memoirs.

The release of more documents about Epstein in the US last year prompted King Charles to take action, stripping Andrew of his title of “prince” and removing him from Royal Lodge in October, in an attempt to create a “complete break” and preserve the monarchy’s reputation, in one of the most unprecedented moves against a member of the royal family in modern British history.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced on Saturday that Andrew would have to give evidence before a US congressional committee over the new revelations.