Inside King Charles’ Relationships With Siblings Amid Prince Andrew Scandal

King Charles III is more than just the country’s monarch to his younger siblings Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward.

Charles is the firstborn of the late Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. Shortly after welcoming Charles in November 1948, the couple expanded their family with Anne in August 1950.

Following the death of her father, George VI, in 1952, Elizabeth ascended to the throne at age 25. During her reign, she welcomed sons Andrew and Edward in February 1960 and March 1964, respectively.

While the foursome vary in age, they share a strong bond. Following Elizabeth’s death in November 2022, the siblings honored their late mother during her historic vigil.

When the time came for Charles’ coronation in May 2023, his sister and brothers were in attendance for the monumental occasion. However, tensions arose within the family over Prince Andrew‘s connection to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, leading to Andrew giving up his royal title in October 2025.

Keep scrolling to see Charles’ relationship with each of his siblings:

Princess Anne

Anne and Charles seemingly have the strongest bond out of all their siblings since they are close in age. The brother-sister duo were toddlers when they moved into Buckingham Palace, following their mother’s coronation.

As the heir-apparent and spare, Charles and Anne’s childhood seemingly prepared them for their roles in the royal family. However, the pair also share a love for gardening and sports. In their younger years, Charles and Anne would enjoy riding horses together. They have attended polo matches together over the years.

Charles and Anne’s closeness was put on public display as they led their late mother’s procession with Andrew and Edward following close behind.

Following the loss of Elizabeth, Anne was by Charles’ side as he took the throne. In his coronation, the Princess Royal took on the prestigious “Gold-Stick-in-Waiting” role, which is historically given to someone entrusted with the safety of the Monarch. She also acted as the personal aide-de-camp to Charles and traveled on horseback behind him and wife Queen Camilla.

In Charles’ reign, he named both Anne and Edward as counselors of state, which means they can perform constitutional duties on behalf of their brother. After Charles announced his cancer diagnosis in February 2024, Anne, who is one of the busiest members of the royal family, carried on with her royal duties and filled in for her brother whenever needed.

Princess Anne was one of the royals who filled in for King Charles III at public engagements following his diagnosis with an unspecified form of cancer in February 2024. She notably stood in for her older brother as a royal representative at an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle one day after Charles went public with his diagnosis.

Prince Andrew

Andrew and Charles may have a 12-year age difference, but that never stopped the brothers from being close. Over the years, they have regularly appeared at public engagements together.

When Charles wed Princess Diana in 1981, both Andrew and Edward served as best men at the royal wedding. Years later, Charles also played matchmaker for Andrew by introducing him to Sarah Ferguson, whom he was married to from 1986 to 1996. The brothers would often go on double dates with their then-spouses.

Despite being close in their youth, Andrew and Charles have had a rocky relationship in recent years. When news broke of Andrew’s association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in 2020, he stepped down as a working member of the royal family.

Andrew was later sued for sexual assault but ultimately settled the lawsuit. However, Andrew was stripped of his royal titles by his mother in January 2022. (Charles has never publicly spoken out about the alleged allegations against his younger brother.)

While Andrew and Charles took some distance following Andrew’s scandals, the twosome were reunited in September 2022 for their mother’s funeral. Andrew joined his siblings as they walked behind their mother’s coffin.

Andrew also attended Charles’ coronation in May 2023.

The Epstein scandal flared up again in October 2025 when multiple U.K. news outlets published alleged emails between Prince Andrew, Ferguson and Epstein. In particular, one email sent weeks after the duchess had publicly distanced herself from Epstein saw her allegedly suggesting the convicted sex offender had “always been a steadfast, generous and supreme friend to me and my family.”

A spokesperson for Ferguson told BBC News: “The duchess spoke of her regret about her association with Epstein many years ago, and as they have always been, her first thoughts are with his victims.”

“Like many people, she was taken in by his lies,” Ferguson’s statement continued. “As soon as she was aware of the extent of the allegations against him, she not only cut off contact but condemned him publicly, to the extent that he then threatened to sue her for defamation for associating him with paedophilia.”

In light of the resurfaced emails, royal insiders revealed that Andrew and Ferguson would likely not be invited to spend Christmas 2025 with the rest of the family.

The controversy came to a head in October 2025 when Andrew announced that he was giving up his royal title.

“In discussion with The King, and my immediate and wider family, we have concluded the continued accusations about me distract from the work of His Majesty and the Royal Family,” Andrew told Us Weekly. “I have decided, as I always have, to put my duty to my family and country first. I stand by my decision five years ago to stand back from public life.”

Andrew concluded. “With His Majesty’s agreement, we feel I must now go a step further. I will therefore no longer use my title or the honors which have been conferred upon me. As I have said previously, I vigorously deny the accusations against me.”

Prince Edward

Despite their 16-year age gap, Andrew and Edward were seemingly close growing up. As a teenager, Charles spent a lot of time with Edward and would play games with his youngest brother. Edward would also attend Charles’ various polo games and would cheer on his big brother from the sidelines.

In 1999, Edward wed Duchess Sophie, whom Charles has been close to over the years.

However, Edward and Charles reportedly hit a rough patch over Edward’s production company, Ardent Productions. While Charles’ eldest son Prince William was studying at university in 2001, one of Ardent’s film crew allegedly tried to film the young royal. In 2002, Edward stepped down from the company to focus on his duties as a member of the royal family. Ardent Productions was dissolved in June 2009.

Charles and Edward bonded in 2022 over the loss of their mother. Both of the brothers traveled with their wives to Balmoral Castle in Scotland to be by the queen’s side when she died. However, only Charles and Camilla made it in time to say goodbye. Edward and Sophie arrived in Scotland shortly after Elizabeth’s death.

When Charles assumed the throne he bestowed the title Duke of Edinburgh to his youngest brother.

The Duke of Edinburgh was one of the few royals to offer a direct statement about King Charles’ condition following his 2024 cancer diagnosis.

“We were all hugely grateful for the extraordinary support from everyone,” Prince Edward told the Daily Mail in March 2024. “I know he has been very touched by it all. He’s doing well, we are keeping our fingers crossed that it all goes very well.”