Prince Charles to cut royal family to just him William Harry wives and children after Andrew scandal

Prince Charles is planning to strip back the royal family to just him, William, Harry, their wives and children when he becomes king in wake of Prince Andrew’s Jeffrey Epstein scandal.

Charles, 71, wants to cut down on the number of working royals after the Duke of York was forced to step down over his links to the convicted US padeophile. 

The heir to the throne has long been reported to want to slim down the royal family, but Andrew’s scandal is believed to have accelerated his plans, reports The Daily Star.  

The Prince of Wales met his father Prince Philip at Sandringham last week where the pair are believed to have discussed the Queen’s ‘retirement’ in the next 18 months. 

Charles could take on a Prince Regent role, which would see him taking over family affairs and the handling of day-to-day business from his mother, 93. 

It comes as Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn’s agreed that he too thinks the royal family is too big. 

It is believed he wants to cut the royal family down to just him, Prince William, Prince Harry and their wives and children (pictured together on Christmas Day in 2014) 

Corbyn told Sophie Ridge on Sky News: ‘I do think the question of the size of the family and all that they do, but I do think the public as a whole would want to see those kind of changes and the debate around the behaviour of Prince Andrew has actually brought that to the fore.’

Probed further Ridge asked: ‘So you think it’s a bit too big effectively?

He responded: ‘Well I think there’s a lot of people attached to the Royal Family.’

Brittani Barger, deputy editor of Royal Central, added to The Sun: ‘I think the Andrew crisis has definitely strengthened Prince Charles’s desire for a slimmed-down monarchy.

‘Prince Andrew is now out of the picture. I don’t see him ever undertaking royal duties again, and any hope that his daughters would is now gone. 

‘I think when it’s all said and done, the monarchy will be Charles and his children and grandchildren.’ 

Pictured: Prince Andrew, 59, during his ‘car crash’ interview with BBC Newsnight’s Emily Maitlis 

Andrew is pictured with his former friend and US convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein in Central Park, New York in 2010  

Andrew is pictured with Virginia Roberts, then 17 now 36, with Epstein’s girlfriend and his friend Ghislaine Maxwell in the background  

Charles is believed to be demanding Andrew visit Sandringham to discuss how to go forward from the controversy surrounding him and Jeffrey Epstein. 

The heir wants an honest conversation with his younger brother, 59, about his links to the convicted US paedophile who killed himself in prison while he was still on sex trafficking charges earlier this year.  

Andrew once entertained Epstein at the same royal estate.   

The royals are today preparing for the woman who claims she had sex with Andrew three times to give her side to BBC Panorama tomorrow night.  

Virginia Roberts, who is now 36 and goes by her married name Guiffre, claims she and Andrew had sex three times after she was introduced to him by Epstein’s former girlfriend and their mutual friend Ghislaine Maxwell. 

In his ‘car crash’ Newsnight interview Andrew denied ever meeting Ms Guiffre. 

Charles was still on his tour of the Soloman Islands when the disastrous interview with Emily Maitlis aired. 

The brothers were last seen in public together at a Remembrance event at the Royal Albert Hall in early November.

Andrew is expected to stay out of the spotlight until Christmas Day when he will be at Sandringham with the Queen. 

Prince Andrew denies any wrongdoing and has promised to assist US authorities with their investigation of Epstein and his estate.