King Charles banishes his brother Andrew to protect the royals

Andrew Mountbatten Windsor: No longer a prince, but is he no longer a threat to the British monarchy?

Andrew Mountbatten Windsor: No longer a prince, but is he no longer a threat to the British monarchy?

King Charles III's move to banish his brother was largely welcomed Friday by the British media, politicians and royal observers as a necessary, if overdue, intervention.

It’s the fourth attempt by Buckingham Palace to shield itself from the scandal over Andrew's ties to the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and the king will be hoping it is the last.

Andrew, who just two weeks ago announced he would relinquish the use of his Duke of York title, has now been formally stripped of it and all his other royal titles, and effectively evicted from the 30-room mansion where he has lived for more than 20 years. It marks a dramatic culmination of a saga that has proved so damaging for the institution as it navigates waning popularity, family feuds and health crises.

"The king realized that it wasn't enough for him to just say that he would no longer use his title Duke of York, but more action had to be taken," NBC News royal contributor Emily Nash said. "He understood that this was really getting to a point where it was doing very serious damage to the royal family."