King Charles acted "more brutally than people expected" when handling the "very difficult" situation surrounding his brother, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, a royal commentator has told GB News.
Buckingham Palace announced it would strip Andrew of his titles and be forced out of Royal Lodge in October 2025.
Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams believes it "was necessary" for the King to remove Andrew from his prince title.
He told GB News: "I think [the King] is acting in the way that he feels appropriate, which was more brutal than a lot of people expected."
The King acted 'more brutally than expected' with the situation surrounding his brother, according to a royal commentator. | PATRENDING
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Mr Fitzwilliams continued: "He removed the title of prince. Some people speculated that it wouldn't happen. I think that this was necessary given the circumstances."
The royal commentator believes that, given the situation around Andrew and the slow release of the Epstein Files, the King never knew what would come out, so he was forced into action.
He told GB News: "It appeared belated because [the Epstein Files] had gone on for so many years in different ways."
Mr Fitzwilliams felt it was 'necessary' for the King to strip Andrew of his titles.
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Mr Fitzwilliams added: "It's been very difficult for the King because he does not know what is going to be released.
"The humiliation is unique, but it really has piled it on."
Polling from YouGov found that 58 per cent of respondents felt the royals acted too slowly in handling the Andrew scandal, compared with just 21 per cent who considered the pace appropriate.
Some 58 per cent of people feel the Royal Family acted too slowly regarding Andrew's connections to Epstein.
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A mere three per cent thought the family moved too quickly, while 17 per cent were uncertain.
Although there has been criticism of how the institution managed the Andrew scenario, overall opinions about the monarchy have stayed very consistent.
According to the same YouGov research, nearly two-thirds of Britons, 64 per cent, maintain that the United Kingdom should continue as a constitutional monarchy.
This figure aligns with sentiment throughout King Charles's reign, which has fluctuated between 61 and 67 per cent.
Just three per cent feel the Royal Family acted too quickly.
| GETTYRoughly a quarter of the population, at 23 per cent, would prefer an elected head of state.
Additionally, 58 per cent of those surveyed believe the monarchy benefits Britain, while between 57 and 59 per cent view both the Royal Family and the institution itself favourably.
The Prince and Princess of Wales continue to dominate the popularity rankings, with between 74 and 77 per cent of the public holding favourable views of William and Kate.
These figures have barely shifted since October, according to the tracker data.
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