Inside the Warped '4 Percent Group' Convinced Andrew Windsor is Victim of 'Medieval Witch Hunt' by Royals
Andrew Windsor has become the unlikely focus of a small movement convinced the disgraced royal has been subjected to a 'medieval witch hunt.'
Jan. 24 2026, Published 1:45 p.m. ET
Shamed ex-Prince Andrew has become the unlikely focus of a small but noisy online movement convinced the disgraced royal has been subjected to a "medieval witch hunt" – a fringe backlash sources tell RadarOnline.com is quietly worrying King Charles.
The emergence of what some royal watchers are calling "The Four percent Group" follows years of reputational collapse for Andrew after his association with the late Jeffrey Epstein and his disastrous 2019 BBC Newsnight interview.
Minority Backlash Fuels Claims Of Royal Persecution
Prince Andrew has become the focus of a small online support movement.
While most of the world has long accepted his removal from royal life, a minority of supporters now argue that his continued ostracism amounts to persecution rather than consequence.
Andrew has never been convicted of a criminal offense, a fact his defenders frequently emphasize.
In 2022, he reached a multimillion-dollar out-of-court settlement with Epstein sex trafficking victim Virginia Giuffre, with the deal containing no admission of liability.
Last October, Andrew also agreed to stop using his HRH styling and royal titles, formally ending his public role within the monarchy.
Four Percent Still Defend Andrew Despite Public Hatred
The group highlights that courts never convicted Andrew of a crime.
Public opinion has been overwhelmingly hostile when it comes to the disgraced ex-duke.
A YouGov poll shows "91% of Britons have a negative view of him", a figure that places Andrew among the least popular public figures in the United Kingdom.
Yet the same data shows around four percent of respondents continue to hold a positive view – a sliver of support that has grown into vocal online communities.
On some royal discussion forums, Andrew's defenders frame his downfall as excessive – even though critics of the group have branded them "warped" and "delusional" on chatboards.
One contributor said: "What's happening at the moment is simply too much. It's like a medieval 'witch hunt.'"
Online Forums Echo Fury Over Andrew's Treatment
King Charles reportedly watches the situation with concern.
Similar sentiments have appeared on MumsNet, where one user wrote: "He's convicted of no crime but he's so loathed and despised people won't be satisfied until he's in the gutter somewhere. There's no satisfying this baying mob."
Some supporters also point to Andrew's military service during the Falklands War as a reason to back him, which even critics acknowledge was genuine, and to the parallel downfall of his former wife Sarah Ferguson, 66, who also lost her royal status as a result of her ties to Epstein.
One royal commentator told us: "This so-called 'Four Percent Group' sees Andrew as someone punished far beyond the offense in their eyes."
Charles Determined to Block Andrew’s ‘Symbolic Rehabilitation’
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The monarchy wants to avoid reopening the Andrew controversy.
That sentiment presents a dilemma for King Charles, 77, who is understood to have personal sympathy privately for Andrew's situation but little tolerance for reopening old wounds – and a recognition he must be seen to be punished for the good of the royal family brand.
A source close to the palace said: "For the king, maintaining calm and continuity within the monarchy is paramount.
"The fallout from the Epstein affair caused serious and lasting harm to the institution's reputation both at home and overseas, and there is a strong determination at the top to avoid reopening that chapter.
Any renewed public discussion about Andrew's role or status is seen as a distraction the monarchy simply cannot afford."
