Andrew Mountbatten Windsor has been accused of having any mention of Jeffrey Epstein's victims removed from previous statements from Buckingham Palace.

The disgraced prince repeatedly refused to sign-off on statements that expressed support for victims of abuse, The Times has reported.

This is in stark contrast to the historic statement released by the Palace on Thursday confirming that Andrew will be stripped of his titles and his residence at Royal Lodge.

It emphatically ended with King Charles and Queen Camilla expressing 'their thoughts and utmost sympathies' with the 'victims and survivors of any and all forms of abuse.'

A friend of the King and Queen revealed to The Times that, in previous statements issued by the Palace since Andrew's disastrous 2019 Newsnight interview, references to Epstein's victims were removed.

The friend said: 'There has long been a sense from the family that the voices of the victims needed to be heard in these procurements, because they feature so heavily in this saga and because there is no credible way the Queen and the Duchess of Edinburgh can continue to do the work they do in the areas of sexual abuse if they can't point to that.

'Now, the King has lost his patience: you can see this statement is no longer a statement by committee, it's a statement from the King.'

Another friend said the King and Queen were aware of the public's opinion of Andrew, adding: 'They have felt the public anger and they have acted.' 

In 2019, Andrew announced he was stepping back from public life in the wake of his Newsnight interview, saying in a statement that Epstein's suicide left many unanswered questions for 'his victims, and I deeply sympathise with everyone who has been affected and wants some form of closure'.

But the 2022 Palace statement on the loss of his military affiliations and royal patronages, and Andrew's last one on October 17, in which he pledged to stop using his Duke of York title, made no mention of abuse survivors.

Buckingham Palace declined to comment.

After Thursday's statement, insiders said Camilla was 'completely supportive' of her husband Charles, and was acutely aware, given her own work over many years with the victims of abuse, how important it was to express their personal sympathies with those affected – in contrast to Andrew, who has shown none.

Both Camilla and Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, have been long time advocates for supporting victims of rape and sexual assault.

The Queen has visited numerous sexual assault referral centres in various countries including the Balkans where she spoke to women who were raped during the Kosovan conflict.

In 2021, she became the Patron of UK charity SafeLives as well as the Patron of the Mirabel Centre - Nigeria's first Sexual Assault Referral Centre.

In a message to mark the UN Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women in 2020, Camilla, then Duchess of Cornwall, said: 'Each one of us has a part to play, to do everything in our power to raise awareness, to "reach in" to others, and to support, and be inspired by, those very brave survivors. 

Following in her sister-in-law's footsteps, the Duchess of Edinburgh devotes much of her time to supporting the Women, Peace and Security agenda.

Sophie has visited Washington DC where she met ambassadors working to offer better support for survivors and aiming to eradicate sexual violence in conflict around the world.

The mother-of-two is also the first member of the British royal family to visit the Democratic Republic of Congo to address the impact of sexual and gender based violence in conflict.

So there is no doubt that both royal women will have been proud of the statement released by Buckingham Palace on Thursday.

The bombshell statement said that the disgraced prince will now be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor - with immediate effect.

'His Majesty has today initiated a formal process to remove the Style, Titles and Honours of Prince Andrew,' the statement said.

'Prince Andrew will now be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor. His lease on Royal Lodge has, to date, provided him with legal protection to continue in residence.

'Formal notice has now been served to surrender the lease and he will move to alternative private accommodation. 

'These censures are deemed necessary, notwithstanding the fact that he continues to deny the allegations against him.'

It is understood the King Charles III is in the process of sending royal warrants to the Lord Chancellor to remove his brother's titles and honours. Andrew is said to have not objected.

Although the former duke has been stripped of all his remaining titles those of his daughters, Princess Beatrice, 37, and Princess Eugenie, 35, will remain.

Amid the controversy it was previously understood that His Majesty Charles was very keen to 'protect' his nieces who remain Her Royal Highnesses as granddaughters of Queen Elizabeth.

'He wouldn't have wanted to sign off on anything that would impact them,' a source told the Daily Mail.

It is understood Prince William and the Royal Family fully support the King's leadership on the recent move.

Despite the united family front, however, Buckingham Palace had to walk a legal and constitutional tightrope to ensure moves to completely strip Andrew of his birthright, titles and home did not backfire.

Given the impact of the scandal, there were also serious fears about his mental health, which had to be balanced against the need to act ruthlessly. 

William, a long-term mental-health campaigner, is understood to have been particularly worried about his uncle's wellbeing.

Concerns were also raised privately by other family members including Andrew's siblings, Prince Edward and Princess Anne.

However, the King and his wife, Queen Camilla, who has long campaigned for those affected by domestic and sexual violence, were also determined to publicly show their support for victims and survivors of 'any and all forms of abuse'.