Andrew's keeper? King Charles & brotherhood

"Am I my brother’s keeper?" Perhaps one of the most culturally well-known verses in the Old Testament. Cain has been responsible for his brother’s death, yet desperately tries to deflect in the face of the Lord’s questioning.

The Hebrew for "keeper" is shamar - to guard, to keep watch like you might over livestock, or even your sleeping child.

In recent weeks we have seen two famous brothers play out on a very public stage something of what this means for them. The "Andrew formerly known as Prince", just a few weeks prior the Duke of York, has had an unprecedented stripping of his titles in the manner historically kept for those committing treason against the Crown.

As yet uncharged, untried and unconvicted himself, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor had been left in limbo since a £12 million payout was made to Virginia Giuffre in order to prevent him overshadowing his mother’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022. 

Andrew has always strenuously denied any wrong-doing. Now his decision to continue an association with a convicted sex offender means that he has had to relinquish his title and public role for the sake of the Crown that he once went to war to serve.

Has he accepted his fate and agreed to slink off to social Siberia in Sandringham for the sake of his older brother, his nephew the heir, and the Crown his mother spent her life serving? Or has he selfishly tried to dodge and deflect responsibility until stripping was thrust upon him? Perhaps only the Lord, and a few courtiers involved in the negotiation, know what is truly on his heart. 

Andrew & King Charles

And what of his older brother, King Charles? Still undergoing treatment for cancer, he must be only too aware that he is his brother’s keeper now.

Previous attempts to rehabilitate his brother into the royal fold, with appearances at Christmas and family funerals, now feel a million miles away. Publicly, Andrew must now be separate from his family. But privately, King Charles remains in a very literal way his brother’s keeper – putting Andrew up rent-free in accommodation on the privately-owned Sandringham estate.

The statement from the Palace was very clear in its support for the victims of abuse, who have been a focus of the work of the Queen and Duchess of Edinburgh for years. As the vulnerable and often voiceless, they too deserve a "keeper." There have also been press reports that for all Prince William’s reluctance to have his uncle living next door in Windsor, he has expressed concerns about his uncle’s mental health given the enormity of the decision to strip all his titles.  

Is redemption possible?

It is difficult to see where redemption might yet come in all of this. Andrew may yet reflect on his actions, and also acknowledge the damage done. He could choose to campaign for victims of abuse as others in his family have. Or now that he is no longer "in the fold" and at rock bottom, he could decide to start airing any remaining dirty laundry, as his other nephew Prince Harry did.    

Conflict over rank and role led those two Biblical brothers to come to blows in Genesis. It is of course easy to criticise the things that our Royal Family has done – and not done. And yet we all sin and fall short - failing to be the "keeper" of those around us, and naturally choosing self.  

As we steadily approach December, we remember the royal birth that redeems us all. King Jesus, who willingly gave up all rank and status to be born on earth as a helpless baby. Vulnerable, trusting that those around him would be his "keeper" until the time was right for his redemptive sacrifice. A sacrifice that frees us and enables us to be renewed – and to keep trying to be a better "keeper" of those God has chosen to put around us, whatever we might think of their choices.