Prince Harry and Meghan Markle became estranged from the Royal Family when they stepped down, but Prince Andrew has had a different experience despite his scandals

Meghan Markle is surprised Prince Andrew “has not been completely ostracised” by the Royal Family after the treatment of her and Prince Harry, according to a royal expert.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex don’t have a close relationship with The Firm, with tensions starting when they stepped down as senior royals four years ago. However, the Duke of York is still a senior royal despite him being accused of sexually assaulting Virginia Giuffre three times when she was 17, claims which he vehemently denies.

While Andrew stopped carrying out official royal engagements after the scandal, he is still part of the Royal Family. Royal author Tom Quinn has suggested Meghan wants Andrew to be “pushed out” after he “behaved appallingly”.

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READ MORE: Meghan and Harry branded ‘naïve’ for ignoring security warning ahead of Nigeria trip

Meghan Markle isn’t happy (
Image:
Getty Images)

Prince Andrew is still a senior royal (
Image:
UK Press via Getty Images)
Speaking exclusively to The Mirror, Tom said: “The fact that Prince Andrew has not been completely ostracised is another deep source of grievance for Meghan – she’s been pushed out so why not Andrew, who has behaved appallingly? Meghan has a point but what she doesn’t see is that for all his faults Andrew has at least done what the royal family told him to do: Andrew was told to say nothing after his disgrace and he continues to say nothing.”

Andrew was accused of having sex with Giuffre when she was 17, who claimed she was trafficked by Andrew’s friend and convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein and passed between his friends for sex. Andrew firmly denied the allegations.

In January 2022, after a New York judge ruled the Queen’s son would face trial over the accusations, Buckingham Palace released a statement announcing Andrew was to be stripped of his royal titles.

The Duke of York has firmly denied sexual assault allegations (
Image:
AFP via Getty Images)
A month later, he settled the civil sexual assault case brought against him in the US by Ms Guiffre for a reported £12million. The settlement contained no admission of liability, guilt or wrongdoing on Prince Andrew’s part.

Meghan and Harry have become estranged from the Royal Family in recent years, with the couple making a number of bombshell allegations against The Firm. Over the years, Meghan has accused the Princess of Wales of making her cry just days before her wedding and said she had been “silenced” by the Royal Family.

Harry has also hit out at his brother Prince William and father King Charles. In his memoir, Spare, the Duke of Sussex opened up about an explosive row he had with his brother, during which the Prince of Wales allegedly called Meghan “difficult”, “rude” and “abrasive”. Harry claims his brother then “grabbed me by the collar, ripping my necklace, and he knocked me to the floor”.

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