King Charles does not want Prince Andrew to ‘come out of the freezer’, sources say amid fears from royal aides that there are still ‘unexploded bombs’ over his links to Epstein

King Charles does not want Prince Andrew to ‘come out of the freezer’, sources have said – amid fears from royal aides that there are still ‘unexploded bombs’ over his links to the Epstein scandal. 

Royal sources are concerned the Duke of York is ‘more of a long-term problem’ than Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. 

It comes as plans to move Andrew out of the £30million Royal Lodge at the Windsor estate into Frogmore Cottage appear to have been shelved, sources claimed. 

Charles wanted Andrew to leave the 30-room mansion, where he lives with ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, and downsize to the Sussexes’ former home.

The late Queen Elizabeth II stripped her son of all of his royal patronages and military roles in January 2022 – when he was also stopped from using HRH in any official capacity. 

King Charles does not want Prince Andrew to ‘come out of the freezer’, according to royal sources, and there are fears he is a bigger long-term problem than Prince Harry and Meghan Markle

Jeffrey Epstein served almost 13 months in jail in 2008 after he was convicted of procuring a child for prostitution and sexually abusing a 14-year-old girl. He took his own life while in jail in 2019

But his friendship with Epstein is causing the most worry for aides, with His Majesty not wanting his brother to ‘come out of the freezer’. 

A royal source told the The Times: ‘Andrew is more of a long-term problem than Harry and Meghan. It feels like more stuff is going to come out on Epstein and there are still unexploded bombs there.’

Epstein served almost 13 months in jail in 2008 after he was convicted of procuring a child for prostitution and sexually abusing a 14-year-old girl. 

But Andrew continued his friendship with the offender after his release. He told the BBC in 2019 that his relationship with Epstein and the opportunities he had been given were ‘very useful’ and said he didn’t recall the photo where he is seen with his arm around Virginia Roberts – now known as Virginia Giuffre – ‘ever having been taken’.

Prince Andrew has refused to leave the £30million mansion Royal Lodge (pictured) and move into the Sussexes’ former home Frogmore Cottage 

The plan was for Prince Andrew to move out of his 30-bedroom home and into the smaller Frogmore Cottage (pictured), where Prince Harry and Meghan used to live 

Prince Andrew lives in the royal mansion with just his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York (left) 

Jeffrey Epstein took his own life while in jail in 2019.

Epstein’s former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell – who was also a friend of Andrew’s and appears in the background of the photo of him and Ms Giuffre – is serving 20 years in prison for sex trafficking.

Meanwhile, a friend of the King’s believes the fallout with Prince Harry has ‘humanised’ him and he has been ‘reassured’ by ‘the side the public has come down on’.

The friend told The Times: ‘He has done the right thing to rise above it and carry on with the work of the monarchy, which provides a welcome and stark contrast to what happens on the west coast of America. 

‘It’s all very sad, but it also mirrors what happens in a lot of families, so it humanises him.’

The late Queen’s funeral and the coronation were two chances to see Charles lead moments of national unity. 

But both events shone a light on the conflict within the main members of the Windsor family.