He will never appear on the Buckingham Palace balcony again. But he is still an uncomfortable part of the furniture for an institution that is well aware that the cap-doffing deference of the past is over. Now the Palace is hastily reviewing all options to put out the fire of Andrew’s latest scandal.

The duke said that he had cut all contact with Jeffrey Epstein after flying to New York in 2010 to do the “honourable” thing and break off the friendship. Yet it emerged that in February 2011, after a picture had been published of Andrew with his arm around Virginia Giuffre, a woman trafficked by Epstein for sex, the duke wrote to the convicted sex offender again.

“I’m just as concerned for you! Don’t worry about me!” Andrew wrote. “It would seem that we’re in this together and will have to rise above it. Otherwise, keep in close touch and we’ll play some more soon!!!! A.” Just in case there was any doubt who “A” was, the duke signed off with “HRH The Duke of York KG [Knight of the Garter]”.

For the Palace there is no mistaking the fact that the email represents a seismic shift, one which moves the dial from Andrew’s long-held position of deniability, however implausible, to apparent evidence of a lie. Because it proves that, contrary to his previous protestations, he was still in touch with Epstein after he apparently broke off their friendship. Without action, doesn’t the Palace risk being seen to simply grin and bear it?

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“We’re certainly not grinning and we’re not bearing it,” says a Palace source. “We’re taking the fundamental issues extremely seriously. It is very much not the case that the Palace is turning a blind eye or a deaf ear to it all. We are taking every fresh allegation extremely seriously and reviewing the potential options for further censure, while being aware that significant steps that can be taken have largely been enacted.”

They added: “It is a source of immense frustration and concern that there continue to be holes picked in the duke’s story. And there is understandable anxiety that it will impact on the royal family’s wider reputation and public work, not least, of course, the Queen’s notable leadership in campaigning against all forms of sexual abuse.”

Prince Andrew, Virginia Giuffre and Ghislaine Maxwell in 2001

SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES

A source who knows Andrew said: “If he is a man of honour, you would hope that he would tell the truth. These latest developments beg the question: what else may he have ‘forgotten’ or wilfully misled the public, and his family, about?”

Andrew has, of course, always denied that he had sex with Giuffre, the woman to whom he paid a reported £12 million to settle a civil case out of court with no admission of liability. Yet her testimony continues from beyond the grave as the Palace braces itself for the publication of her posthumous memoirs within the coming days.

So what’s to be done? Today Andrew retains his title of Duke of York and that of prince. Both are difficult to remove given that to do so would require intervention from parliament.

Some commentators have described it as a real crisis for the monarchy, while for others it merely confirms their already rock-bottom opinion of the duke. A YouGov poll over the summer, before the latest revelations, showed that 67 per cent of the public would back the idea of removing Andrew’s dukedom.

While it has been done before, notably in the First World War to sanction titled aristocrats fighting for the German army, extinguishing a dukedom would require a legal mechanism. “And even if you did strip Andrew of being a duke,” notes a well-placed source, “he’d still be known as a prince, which sounds better anyway.”

Andrew’s right to be titled “Prince” is enshrined in letters patent issued by George V in 1917 and updated by Elizabeth II in 2012. The law stipulates that a child of the sovereign and the children of the sons of a reigning sovereign have the right to be called prince or princess. George V meant it as a way of limiting the use of the title but today it protects Andrew and Harry’s children from having theirs removed.

Yet Andrew does still hold one constitutional role: that of counsellor of state. These are members of the royal family who might be called upon to deputise for the King if he is overseas or unwell by carrying out his official duties.

Two are required to act in consort in the monarch’s absence. Typically these are the monarch’s consort and the next four in line to the throne over the age of 21. That includes the Queen, the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Sussex, Andrew and Princess Beatrice.

In 2022 an amendment was made to the Counsellors of State Act that added the King’s sister and his younger brother, the Princess Royal and the Duke of Edinburgh. Rather than removing Andrew and Prince Harry, a rule was added to sideline them by stating that “only working members of the royal family will be called on to act as counsellors of state”.

“In a sense the opportunity was missed in the 2022 amendment to remove the Duke of York,” says Craig Prescott, a constitutional law specialist. “What they did instead was to all intents and purposes make it a legal dead letter by saying that he and Harry would never be called upon to act.”

The other role that Andrew still has is as a Knight of the Garter, a position he has held since 2006. While he has agreed to stay away from what one source described as “the theatrics” of the annual Garter Day parade through the streets of Windsor, he is still permitted to attend the private lunch at the castle.

Some wonder if Charles should rescind the lunch invitation altogether, given that he has already been uninvited from family Christmases and almost every other public gathering except funerals.

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Taking the ancient chivalric honour away, a “degradation”, as it is known, usually only occurs for treason and heresy, and hasn’t been seen since the 18th century, although more recently Wilhelm II of Germany and Franz Joseph of Austria-Hungary simply had the honour removed. Others who have had honours withdrawn in disgrace include Robert Mugabe and Benito Mussolini.

A source said: “For Andrew the punishment seems to be the life he’s living as he has had everything apart from Royal Lodge taken away from him.” Even the money: Andrew’s private allowance from the King was removed last year when Charles pulled the plug. And he hasn’t received any public money since he ceased his official duties six years ago.

How he is funding his lifestyle at Royal Lodge, a year on, is said to be a mystery to Charles. Andrew has given verbal assurances to the Keeper of the Privy Purse that he can afford the upkeep but it’s unclear quite how. Any suggestion, I’m told, that Andrew still has a treasure trove left over from the last Queen and the Queen Mother is “wide of the mark”.

Funds may be coming from overseas as Andrew has maintained business contacts in China and the Gulf states, in one case launching a commercial arm of his Pitch@Palace venture. It emerged that Yang Tengbo, a businessman who had been appointed founder of the programme’s enterprise in China, was banned from the UK by the Home Office and accused by MI5 of being a Chinese spy. Tengbo denies the claim.

A source described Andrew’s fall from grace as “epic” but suggests that he is far from the only headache for Charles. Sarah Ferguson, Andrew’s former wife, was also disgraced when an email was revealed in which she described Epstein as a “supreme friend” despite denouncing him in public. Charities she had supported, some for more than two decades, dropped her within hours of the publication of the email.

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There is also the Harry problem, the second “Duke of Hazard’, as he is known in Palace circles. A source said: “Harry is a greater priority. The whole thing feels off.” Any afterglow from a recent reunion between father and son was quickly scuppered by briefings from Montecito, Harry’s new home in California, saying that the “men in grey suits” at the Palace were trying to “sabotage” his relationship with his father by leaking details of the meeting. Harry has written to the new home secretary to ask for a risk assessment as he keeps his battle for UK security alive.

In other words, it rumbles on. The Andrew problem is closer to home and more pressing. One source familiar with his situation described him as a “narcissist” who “cleaves” to Royal Lodge, the last sign of his royal status. A decision to remain at the 42-room palatial home is, they say, “illogical” and “financially ruinous” as the long-term lease with the Crown Estate requires him to maintain upkeep on the property.

What does the Duke of York do all day, anyway? Watching golf on television and a twice-weekly horse ride around the Windsor Great Park are usually the only highlights. That said, Andrew is still permitted to take private family holidays at Balmoral and Sandringham and host shooting parties around the Windsor estate. Why does Charles allow it?

“There is a sense of having a residual duty of care to him,” says a Palace source carefully as they note that there is very little left in Andrew’s life to make it worthwhile beyond occasional contact with a few loyal friends and close family.

The institution’s concern is perhaps as much about self-preservation as it is about Andrew’s wellbeing, though. If pushed, could Andrew do something as wild as to follow his nephew Harry by publishing his memoirs? It is said to be low on the list of things that courtiers worry about but Andrew could certainly use the cash.

Meanwhile, the antimonarchists are circling. “This isn’t just about family,” says Graham Smith, chief executive of Republic. “It’s not a private matter.” Giuffre’s memoirs, due to be published within days, could heap further embarrassment and scandal on Andrew just as Charles prepares to meet the new Pope on a state visit to the Vatican.

Letting it be known that Andrew is no longer admitted to the Garter Day lunch, the highest order of chivalry, might be a start. Otherwise the only thing left for Charles will be to pray that Andrew has seen his final scandal.

If not, the monarch is stuck. No family is perfect and many will have sympathy with the King’s predicament. But unlike a prime minister, who can reshuffle their cabinet and boot out an errant minister, the King cannot extract the Windsor DNA that makes Andrew part of the family.