Born into unimaginable luxury and showered with honors, the man formerly known as His Royal Highness Prince Andrew, Duke of York, will henceforth be addressed as plain old Mr. Mountbatten Windsor.

It's a stunning fall. The second, apparently favorite, son of Queen Elizabeth II has not only lost his many titles but also his home. He’s been kicked out of his lavish grace-and-favor mansion in the grounds of Windsor Castle after elder brother King Charles III’s patience finally snapped. An endless torrent of ugly revelations related to his closeness to pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein became unbearable for a family whose No. 1 job is to embody a dignified permanence at the heart of the British state.

Charles has long sought a slimmed-down version of "the firm,” the name by which the working royals have come to be known. In stripping the former princeling of any place in public life, he’s shown a ruthlessness and moral clarity others should try. The U.S. Congress and Trump administration need to do now what many of the president’s supporters want and open the full Epstein files to public scrutiny.

© The Japan Times