Harry and Andrew Given a Brutal Nickname by Palace Aides — and the Duke May Not Be Too Pleased
Both Harry and Andrew have brought immense disrepute to the monarchy, prompting Palace aides to come up with a biting 3-word nickname.
Palace aides, who often have to deal with the fallout when a PR disaster hits the Firm, allegedly have a brutal nickname for Prince Harry and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor as their many controversies cast a dark shadow on the work of the wider royal family. Both men have stepped down from their royal duties, but despite that, they continue to bring bad press for the Crown. After Harry’s 2023 tell-all memoir Spare, which sent major shockwaves, and the former Duke of York’s ties with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, as per the Daily Express, staff now refer to the 'spares' as the 'Dukes of Hazard.'
After leaving the royal fold in 2020 alongside his wife, Meghan Markle, Harry has continued to dominate headlines. Whether it be his interview with Oprah Winfrey, where he made several statements against his family, or the bombshell revelations in his Netflix documentary, Harry’s relationship with the monarchy has remained strained. While the reunion with his father, King Charles, in September hinted at a possible reconciliation, his latest appearances suggest otherwise. The Duke of Sussex recently made a surprising appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and tried his hand at comedy. While the Hallmark audition skit was playful, it did not sit well with critics, who dubbed the Duke an embarrassment not just to his family but to his country at large.
Speaking to Sky News Australia, author Douglas Murray called Harry’s appearance on the show “deep, cringing embarrassment… I never want to see it again. The whole thing is excruciating.” He continued, “He seems to me to be intent on destroying the mystique and some of the power, really, of the monarchy as an institution,” calling out the Duke’s lack of purpose in life. Although Harry has earned his fair share of criticism, his issues are not as grave as his disgraced uncle's, and likely won't be thrilled by the comparison. In Spare, Harry had slammed, "My Uncle Andrew. He was embroiled in a shameful scandal, accused of the sexual assault of a young woman, and no one had so much as suggested he should lose his security. Whatever grievances people had against us, sex crimes weren’t on the list.”
Mountbatten-Windsor’s royal downfall started long before Harry left the fold for a more private life in California. His ties with Epstein have time and again harmed the monarchy's reputation. Although Charles did what the late Queen Elizabeth couldn’t, removing his brother's titles and banishing him to Norfolk, Mountbatten-Windsor continues to bring embarrassment to the Firm. Now with the Epstein Transparency Act 2025 in effect, the US Department of Justice has released several thousand images, documents, and emails, again bringing his past actions into full focus.
In the newly released documents, probably the most shocking was the image of the former Duke at a black-tie event spread across the laps of five women. Then there’s the email in which he asks Ghislaine Maxwell to find him some new ‘inappropriate friends.’ While he has consistently denied any wrongdoing, the disclosures only add to his growing scrutiny.
