King Charles appears to be at a crossroads as he discerns how best to deal with his brother, Prince Andrew, and former sister-in-law, Sarah Ferguson.
The monarch is facing renewed scrutiny after emails from 2011 that the Duchess of York sent to Jeffrey Epstein emerged over the weekend.
In communications, Fergie profusely apologised to the late convicted sex offender for publicly disowning him just weeks earlier and referred to him as her "supreme friend”.
As a result, she was dropped as a patron by seven British charities including a number of cancer and children’s organisations.
King Charles is at a crossroads in how he deals with Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson
|GETTY
Prince Andrew has been living as a royal pariah for his own friendship with Epstein, which was highlighted in his disastrous Newsnight interview in 2019.
Following the scandal, the Duke of York was stripped of his HRH styling and military titles.
However, the latest disclosures have brought the Yorks back into public focus with increased pressure on King Charles to act further.
One public-facing royal privilege that Andrew and Fergie retain is attending church services alongside the rest of the Royal Family.
The York's have come under increased pressure after emails Fergie had sent to Jeffrey Epstein surfaced recently
|GETTY
However, the King has been warned by close allies that a move to remove the Yorks from those publicised trips to church could pose challenges.
“There is something uncomfortable about the head of the Church of England refusing to allow someone to say their prayers,” an ally said.
They added: “And that's before you consider that person is the monarch's own flesh and blood.”
A courtier echoed those concerns, fearing: “Imagine if Prince Andrew had been photographed riding a horse or playing golf on the day the rest of the Royal Family were saying farewell to the Duchess of Kent.
Allies of the King have shared concerns about cutting the York's out of the more spiritual elements of royal life
|GETTY
“Would that be a good look?” They asked while speaking with the Daily Mail.
Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams was definitive on the possibility of King Charles barring his brother and former sister-in-law from royal church services.
“No, that won't happen because the king is Defender of Faith,” he told GB News, adding that the damaging “optics” of the move would outweigh any potential gain.
He explained: “You can't stop someone from attending a church service or a funeral.”
LATEST ROYAL NEWS:
The King has been advised 'if you withdraw Andrew and Fergie from everything you can't influence them'
|GETTY
Mr Fitzwilliams believed this reality would continue to be an issue for the Royal Family, as seen by Andrew and Fergie’s appearance at the Duchess of Kent’s funeral.
“The optics of that they were not good. They were really seriously not good because so you could see Andrew trying to be jovial with William,” he said.
Offering advice to the firm, the commentator suggested they could “handle” the Yorks unavoidable appearances better.
"They could easily come into church by a side door in a dignified way, attend the service, and then leave without attracting attention." he said.
To that end, the royal expert explained that cutting the Yorks off entirely would not be in the interest of the King.
“If you withdraw Andrew and Fergie from everything you can't influence them,” he suggested.