Donald Trump admits: 'I feel bad for the Royal Family' after Andrew stripped of titles in disgrace

US President Donald Trump has revealed he feels bad for the Royal Family after Andrew was stripped of his titles.

Speaking to reporters on Air Force One, Mr Trump said: "It's a terrible thing that's happened to the family.

"That's been a tragic situation and it's too bad."

The President, a keen admirer of the monarchy, added that he felt "badly" for the Royal Family - of which he is a keen admirer.

Earlier this year, Vice President JD Vance made a candid admission about Mr Trump's love for the royals.

"He loved the Queen. He admires and loves the King. It is a very important relationship," the VP said.

"He’s a businessman and has a number of important business relationships in [Britain]. But I think it’s much deeper than that. There’s a real cultural affinity. And of course, fundamentally America is an Anglo country."

On Thursday, Buckingham Palace announced that King Charles had stripped Andrew of his prince title and that he was banished from Royal Lodge.

The Palace confirmed that the one-time Prince would be known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor with immediate effect.

In a sharp ending to its statement, it added: "These censures are deemed necessary, notwithstanding the fact that he continues to deny the allegations against him.

"Their Majesties wish to make clear that their thoughts and utmost sympathies have been, and will remain with, the victims and survivors of any and all forms of abuse."

Andrew was accused by the now-dead Virginia Giuffre of having sex with her when she was just 17 years old.

While in her memoir, Ms Giuffre claimed that Andrew was in an "orgy" with her, alongside paedophile financier Epstein and other "young girls".

The former prince has robustly denied all allegations made against him.

Just days ago, however, Ms Giuffre's family requested the King apply diplomatic pressure on Mr Trump to make public the Epstein files in a bid for justice.

READ MORE ON EX-PRINCE ANDREW:

• Andrew accused of 'refusing to sign off royal tributes to Jeffrey Epstein victims'
• Princess Anne makes first appearance since Andrew’s dramatic royal downfall
• Andrew to be stripped of remaining honorary military title in further blow to the former duke

On the other side of the Atlantic, the Epstein files have proved a flashpoint for Mr Trump and his Maga base.

The President has seen heavy pressure from Democrats and Republicans alike to publicly release all the files relating to Epstein.

In February, Attorney General Pam Bondi declassified and released the first phase of documents relating to the historic sex offender.

However in July, the Department of Justice (DoJ) released a memo which said that there was no "client list" of the disgraced financier and that no more documents were scheduled to be publicised.

Two months later, the House Oversight Committee released an additional 33,000 pages of documents relating to the investigation, but much of the information revealed was said to already be publicly available.

Several members of a US congressional committee examining the Epstein files have called on Andrew himself to testify before Congress.

Democrat Congressman Suhas Subramanyam told the BBC: "If he wants to clear his name, if he wants to do right by the victims, he will come forward.

"Frankly, Andrew's name has come up many times from the victims.

"So he clearly has knowledge of what happened and we just want him to come forward and tell us what he knows."

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