Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor visited by brother over concerns for his welfare

The visit was Andrew’s first from a senior royal figure since his arrest

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor welcomed his first royal guest over the weekend since being ‘banished’ to the King’s Sandringham Estate earlier this year. The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh are understood to have dropped by to see the former prince, having been worried about his wellbeing.

Andrew was arrested in February on suspicion of misconduct in public office and has been confined to his temporary residence, Wood Farm, ever since. He has had remarkably few guests, and even his two daughters have not yet made the journey to visit him.

But younger brother Edward and his wife, Sophie, shared dinner with Andrew over the Easter weekend in what insiders characterised as “a brotherly welfare check”. It comes after Andrew and his family were blocked from attending the annual Matins service in Windsor, reports the Express.

The Daily Mail reports that Edward has become progressively concerned for his brother in recent weeks. Andrew’s brother is reportedly troubled by the series of allegations surrounding the former Duke of York and is anxious about his mental state.

A source told the publication: “Edward and Sophie had dinner with Andrew one night over the weekend and they talked things through. It’s true to say they both feel sorry for Andrew and how far he has fallen and they are worried about his fragile state of mind.”

The source added: “They do feel for him, but of course that doesn’t excuse his behaviour. It’s a difficult balancing act supporting him while not condoning what he has got involved with. Andrew still maintains has not done anything wrong and thinks he will be vindicated one day but I think Edward will have tried to talk some sense into him and made it clear his days as a working royal are over.”

Edward became the first royal to publicly address his brother following the release of the Epstein files in January. His disgraced elder brother Andrew, 66, is referenced more than 2,000 times in the most recent batch of documents, which include images seemingly depicting him on all fours positioned above an unidentified woman lying on the floor.

The damning documents also reveal Andrew’s assertion that he severed ties with Epstein in December 2010 to be untrue.

During a panel discussion at the World Government Summit in Dubai on February 3, Edward was questioned by CNN’s Eleni Giokos about how he’s coping following days of “very difficult” headlines regarding Epstein that hit “very close to home”.

With his hands clasped as he responded, the King’s brother said: “Well, with the best will in the world. I’m not sure this is the audience that is probably the least bit interested in that. They all came here to listen to education, solving the future, but no, I think it’s all really important always to remember the victims and, and who are the victims in all this?”

His remarks, delivered during his official four-day visit to the United Arab Emirates, represented the first public statement by a Royal Family member regarding the ongoing scandal since the damning documents emerged a week prior.

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