The property manager could barely enter the home due to the smell.

It was one scandal too many.

After emails emerged this week showing that Prince Andrew remained in contact with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein longer than he previously admitted, the House of Windsor finally moved to insulate the monarchy from years of tawdry headlines about Andrew's dodgy friends and suspicious business deals.

Buckingham Palace released a statement from Andrew on Friday saying that he had agreed to give up use of his last remaining royal titles so that continued allegations about him “don’t distract from the work of His Majesty.”

READ MORE: The wretched fate Anthony Albanese is hoping to dodge in two days

This week’s revelations demonstrated that Andrew had committed the unforgivable sin of misleading the British public, said Craig Prescott, an expert on the monarchy and constitutional law at Royal Holloway University of London.

“To say something which is proven not to be true, I think, is the straw that broke the camel’s back,’’ he said.

Insulating the monarchy at a delicate time

While the cumulative weight of Andrew’s scandals demanded a response from the royal family, this week’s revelations came at a particularly sensitive moment for the king as he prepares for a state visit to the Vatican, where he is expected to pray beside Pope Leo XIV.

The visit is very important to Charles, who has made the bridging of faiths an important part of his “mantra,” said George Gross, an expert on theology and the monarchy at King’s College, London.

“I think this was the speediest, really the quickest way of lowering his status even more without having to go to Parliament,” Gross said.

“Even if Parliament would have approved, it takes time.’’

Charles may also have been motivated by a desire to protect the work of Queen Camilla, who has made combating domestic violence one of her signature issues, and the Duchess of Edinburgh, who has sought to combat sexual violence in war zones such as Congo.

The king will hope that this move finally draws a line between Andrew and the rest of the royal family, Prescott said.

“If there are allegations, or further stuff comes out, it will all be on Prince Andrew,” he said. “They’ve severed the connection between Prince Andrew and the monarchy as an institution.”

Signs of a new direction

The move comes as Charles, who is 76 and undergoing treatment for an undisclosed form of cancer, works to ensure the long-term stability of the monarchy under his son and heir Prince William.

William recently gave an interview in which he set out his vision for the monarchy, saying that the institution needed to change to make sure that it is a force for good.

“In some ways, Prince Andrew has been the exact opposite of that,” Prescott said.

“And there is no space for that in the modern monarchy.”

Andrew, 65, is the second son of the late Queen Elizabeth II.

He spent more than 20 years as an officer in the Royal Navy before leaving to take up his royal duties in 2001.

Following Friday’s announcement, Andrew will no longer use his remaining royal titles, including the Duke of York, though he technically retains them.

Formally stripping him of those titles would be a time-consuming process requiring an act of Parliament.

READ MORE: Fears multiple takeaway orders contaminated with rat poison

A long time coming

Andrew’s banishment completes a process that began in November 2019, when he gave up all of his public duties and charity roles.

That was triggered by a disastrous interview Andrew gave to the BBC as he sought to counter media reports about his friendship with Epstein and deny allegations that he had sex with a 17-year-old girl, Virginia Giuffre, who was trafficked by Epstein in 2001.

The prince was widely criticised for failing to show empathy for Epstein’s victims and for offering unbelievable explanations for his friendship with the disgraced financier.

The interview also sowed the seeds of this week’s upheaval, when Andrew told the BBC that he had cut off contact with Epstein in December 2010.

British newspapers on Sunday revealed that Andrew wrote an email to Epstein on February 28, 2011.

Andrew wrote the note after renewed reporting on the Epstein scandal, telling him they were “in this together” and would “have to rise above it.”

Andrew has recently faced another round of grimy stories as newspapers release excerpts of Giuffre’s posthumous memoir, which will be published on Tuesday.

Giuffre died by suicide in April at the age of 41.

Andrew in 2022 reached an out-of-court settlement with Giuffre after she filed a civil suit against him in New York.

While he didn’t admit wrongdoing, Andrew did acknowledge Giuffre’s suffering as a victim of sex trafficking.

While Andrew said he continues to “vigorously deny” the accusations, Giuffre's family saw the surrender of the use of his titles as validation for her memoir's claims that the prince acted like sex was his birthright.

“We’ve shed a lot of happy and sad tears today," her brother, Sky Roberts, told the BBC.

"In a lot of ways this vindicates Virginia.”

READ MORE: 'I'll open the doors for you': Pauline Hanson invites Barnaby Joyce to join One Nation

Front-page fodder for wrong reasons

The prince has been the subject of tabloid stories stretching back to at least 2007, when he sold his house near Windsor Castle for 20 per cent over the 15 million pound ($31.1 million) asking price.

The buyer was reported to be Timur Kulibayev, son-in-law of Nursultan Nazarbayev, then-president of Kazakhstan, raising concerns that the deal was an attempt to buy influence in Britain.

Last year, a court case revealed Andrew’s relationship with a businessman and suspected Chinese spy who was barred from the United Kingdom as a threat to national security. Authorities were concerned that the man could have misused his influence over Andrew, according to court documents.

While the palace said Andrew had decided to give up his royal titles, royal historian Sally Bedell Smith said the king, Prince William and the entire family exerted enormous pressure on him.

“I think he was absolutely forced into this,″ said Smith, author of Prince Charles: The Passions and Paradoxes of an Improbable Life.

“He’s had many opportunities to fall on his sword, and he hasn’t. So I think he was given a pretty stark choice: Either do this voluntarily or we’re going to have to do this the hard way.″

DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. Available on the Apple App Store and Google Play.

When Anthony Albanese meets Donald Trump at the White House in a little under 48 hours, he'll be hoping to avoid the wretched fate two other world leaders have suffered at the hands of the US president.

Both Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa were publicly ambushed after stepping into the Oval Office earlier this year.

First it was Zelenskyy, who was berated by Trump and Vice-President JD Vance in February for not being grateful enough for US aid in the face of Russia's invasion, even though Trump had recently labelled the Ukrainian president a dictator and parrotted Kremlin talking points.

READ MORE: New report claims most essential workers can barely afford to rent

"This is going to be great television," Trump mused in front of Zelenskyy.

Months later, Ramaphosa was blindsided when Trump dimmed the lights to play "a couple of things" purporting to be proof of a genocide against white farmers in South Africa – although the so-called evidence, including an image of burial sites in the Democratic Republic of Congo, was baseless and misleading.

The unedifying displays were enough to make any world leader tetchy about a date with the US president, so does Albanese have anything to worry about?

The prime minister himself insists not, saying last week that he was "not at all" nervous about the meeting, pointing to the "really warm discussions" he's previously had with Trump.

READ MORE: The grisly task that helped track down a man who murdered dozens of Aussies

Certainly, the relationship between the US and Australia is better than that of the White House and Zelenskyy – who Trump clashed with as far back as 2019 – and South Africa, which has seen its aid cut and faced accusations of white genocide (which local authorities deny) by the Trump administration.

But there are some sticking points between Washington and Canberra. 

The decision made by the federal government to join the likes of the United Kingdom, France and Canada in recognising Palestine as a state put it at odds with Trump, while the Pentagon is unhappy with Australia's defence spending levels.

Before Trump's second term began, Australia had already committed to an increase in military spending from about 2 to 2.4 per cent of GDP by 2034 – still well short of the 3.5 per cent US War Secretary Pete Hegseth is calling for.

READ MORE: Half of Aussies think it's OK to commit this 'risky' WFH breach

For the government's part, it says defence spending is actually far higher than what the raw figures suggest.

"We're overseeing the largest increase in defence funding outside of war in the history of the country, and secondly, we've also been explaining that using the NATO methodology, which is the preferred methodology to compare these things, we're already at 2.8 per cent of GDP before all our increases kick in," Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy said on Thursday.

"So put that into context: that's bigger than anyone in Europe, other than Poland and the Baltic states, it's bigger than the United Kingdom, and it's larger than any of the other Indo-Pacific partners."

Albanese also holds some cards of his own: the recent defence deal with Papua New Guinea, with the potential for another with Fiji to follow, limiting Beijing's push for greater Pacific influence; billions of dollars heading to the US under the AUKUS pact; plus Washington's interest in a critical minerals deal to ease the reliance on China for the crucial rare earths.

READ MORE: Nurses say they are forced to run risks of daily $65 fines just to get to work

The latter has been touted as a potential bargaining chip to have Australia exempt from US tariffs – 50 per cent on steel and aluminium, as well as a 10 per cent baseline duty.

And according to defence analyst Michael Shoebridge, there's another factor in the prime minister's favour: the sheer weight of other issues Trump is focusing on.

"Trump is a busy man – and when it comes to Australia, that means he's just not that into us," he wrote for the Lowy Institute after the meeting was announced. 

"That's likely to mean he won't focus as much as we fear on his Aussie visitor and the challenges and differences we're all so worried about. 

"In the world of 2025, that amounts to good news."

DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. Available on the Apple App Store and Google Play.

There's been a dramatic and dangerous escalation in the spate of arson attacks on Adelaide businesses.

This time a business at Torrensville has been targeted by a firebombing gang while it was open.

A worker was burned and one of the alleged offenders caught alight in the chaos.

READ MORE: Millions join 'No Kings' protests across the USA

Footage of the confronting moment was captured on CCTV as the alleged arsonists made their bungled getaway.

The video shows an unsuspecting man walking towards the door of the business just as the attack unfolds.

He is seen jumping back as masked men run back outside, one of them suffering burns.

Two innocent workers were caught up in the terrifying attack, believed to be linked to Adelaide's ongoing tobacco wars.

Staff inside Saray – a Mediterranean supermarket, butcher and restaurant – were ambushed, with its owner telling 9News they had accelerant poured over them and were set alight.

READ MORE: The wretched fate Anthony Albanese is hoping to dodge in just two days

"There's just people screaming, running everywhere, next minute the fierys and everyone's here," one witness said.

Security cameras captured the alleged attackers arriving in a black Lexus.

Nearby workers chased after them as they fled down Henley Beach Road, smashing into another innocent motorist as they made their escape.

Police say three men of Asian appearance entered the store and started a fire, possibly using a Molotov cocktail.

The attack happened at about 11.30am during the busy Saturday rush, with several people inside.

Part of Henley Beach Road was shut down as police swarmed the area and paramedics treated a 26-year-old worker for burns to his legs and arms.

He was loaded into an ambulance and taken to the Royal Adelaide Hospital.

READ MORE: Fears multiple takeaway orders contaminated with rat poison

Detectives from Operation Eclipse, who are investigating Adelaide's tobacco wars, were immediately on scene as it's made clear it was a targeted attack.

A burnt boot was left behind, belonging to one of the alleged attackers who fled.

An hour after the attack a man with serious burns was found at home in Angle Park.

He tried to tell ambulance crews he had burns from a BBQ but police believe he was involved.

And as they hunt for the other two attackers, Saray is counting the cost of another fire bombing attack – it's the third in the past 16 months.

DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. Available on the Apple App Store and Google Play.

From West Coast Eagles' current coach to a former Australian cricket captain, legends from all codes have thrown their support behind Danny Green's Fight the Coward Punch blitz.

It's been 13 years since the WA boxing champion started the campaign and he's confident the message is cutting through.

"We've got to keep punching – excuse the pun – we've gotta keep punching away at this because it's very important," Green told 9News.

READ MORE: Fears multiple takeaway orders contaminated with rat poison

"I'm very proud of the fact I've received a lot of support."

And that support came from Australia's sporting elite today, as fierce rivals on the field came together for Green's campaign.

"It's just not anything we want to see in public, so stop the coward punch is a great campaign," Eagles Coach Andrew McQualter told 9News.

Fremantle Football Club's Patrick Voss agrees.

"I don't think it's a show of strength coward punching – or punching anyone in general," he told 9News.

READ MORE: Pauline Hanson invites Barnaby Joyce to join One Nation

Studies show about three quarters of survivors face significant impacts to their quality of life.

"Violence isn't going to solve anything really," Eagles player Jake Waterman told 9News.

"It resonates with a lot of people – victims and family of victims have their lives cut short or taken back from something."

Danny Hodgson is still receiving treatment for the hit that put him into a coma four years ago.

More than 172 Australians have died from a coward punch since 2000.

Danny Green is standing by his 13-year-old campaign, saying it's helping with awareness.

"People say, 'oh is it working?' I say 'yeah, it's definitely working' – the numbers, the data show the numbers have been reduced of death and injuries."

It's hoped events like these can further drill down how a split second decision can have an irreversible impact.

DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. Available on the Apple App Store and Google Play.

Willow vanished from Wellsford nearly a year ago before resurfacing in Dargaville.

Pauline Hanson has invited Barnaby Joyce to join One Nation after he confirmed he will leave the Nationals after what he said was an irreparable breakdown in the relationship.

Hours after reports rose that the New England MP was in "advanced talks" with One Nation, Joyce announced he would not recontest his seat at the next election and cited policy differences with the Nationals Party.

But he stopped short of saying whether he would defect to Hanson's conservative party.

READ MORE: Sweeping reforms set to hit every school across Australia

Hanson, speaking from Joyce's hometown of Tamworth today, tried to encourage him to make the move to her party.

"Barnaby, I'll open the doors for you. Come across to One Nation," she told 9News. 

"Barnaby is more aligned with One Nation than what he is with the Nationals Party."

Her plea came just moments after Joyce released a statement about speculation of his departure from the Nationals – a party he's been a member of since 1995. 

"My relationship with the leadership of the Nationals in Canberra has unfortunately, like a sadness in some marriages, irreparably broken down," he said in a statement.

"The instructions that during the federal election I was not to campaign outside New England as that did not represent the views of the Nationals, then after the election being moved on for 'generational change' and just the atmospherics in the party room, where I am seated in the far corner of the Coalition in the chamber, means I am seen and now turning into a discordant note.

"That is not who I want to be.

"More importantly our position in continuing to support Net Zero with the massive schism and hurt to my electorate, to small businesses, to the environment, to the poor, to the defence of Australia and creating hate between lifelong friends in my community makes continuing in the Nationals' Party Room in Canberra under this policy untenable."

Opposition Leader Sussan Ley's stance on net zero has spurred infighting, with senior Liberal Andrew Hastie and his colleague Jonathon Duniam publicly raising concerns over the matter.

READ MORE: The Great Barrier Reef is facing 'catastrophic' risks – don't despair

Joyce said he will complete his term as New England MP but will not run for the seat at the next election.

"I am free to now consider all options as to what I do next," he said.

Joyce, a former Queensland Senator who resigned to contest New England, first won over the regional northern NSW seat in 2013.

The 58-year-old has held the 111,000 voter-strong electorate since.

He was elected as the Nationals leader and sworn in as deputy prime minister in 2016 and maintained his position during a cabinet reshuffle the following year and at the next federal election.

His dramatic fall from grace within the party led to him quitting both of those roles in 2018 amid pressure over his relationship with his former staffer Vikki Campion.

Joyce then returned as leader of the party in 2021, before losing the role to David Littleproud after a three-way contest in 2022.

Littleproud, who took the Nationals through its own separation with the Liberals before the reunification earlier this year, has refused to comment on Joyce's announcement.

Joyce's colleagues, however, were saddened to learn of the news, with some going as far as to label his decision "rash".

"This is a sad day both for me and for our great party," Nationals Senate Leader Bridget McKenzie said.

"To turn his back on the party which gifted him the deputy prime ministership twice, I think it's a rash decision, I think it's the wrong decision, I'm very disappointed in the decision," Nationals MP Michael McCormack said.

Liberal shadow communications minister Melissa McIntosh said she would prefer to see Joyce join the frontbench with her.

If Joyce defects to One Nation, he could take other dissatisfied colleagues with him, giving Hanson a major win and deepening the rift within the Coalition.

One Nation's vote has nearly doubled from 6.4 per cent at this year's federal election to 12 per cent in the latest Resolve political monitor.

Hanson said this was because there is a "movement" happening in Australia.

"People are fed up with the major political parties," she said. 

Just last week, the Nationals Tamworth branch chairman, Steven Coxhead, quit after a decade in the role to defect to One Nation.

"I have resigned as I believe the party does not adequately represent NSW regional and rural voters any more," he said.

DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. Available on the Apple App Store and Google Play.

If a single player wins tonight, they will be among the top major Lotto winners this year.

The White House yesterday joined Bluesky, the social media platform of choice of many in the left-leaning online world.

In its inaugural post, the White House account offered a sizzle reel of the administration's memes, trolls and messages from President Donald Trump’s nine months since returning to office.

The post appeared aimed at tweaking liberals who aren’t fans of the Republican president.

READ MORE: 'Relationship irreparably broke down': Barnaby Joyce to leave the Nationals

https://x.com/WhiteHouse/status/1979297874031555036

The first post included mentions of the administration’s executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico, a doctored image of Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries adorned in a sombrero with a faux mustache, and stream of photos and video from other big moments in the early going of Trump’s second term.

“What’s up, Bluesky?” the White House said in a message accompanying the video.

”We thought you might’ve missed some of our greatest hits, so we put this together for you. Can’t wait to spend more quality time together!”

Disgruntled X users began flocking to Bluesky – which was created by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey – after billionaire Elon Musk took over Twitter (now known as X) in 2022, and the platform reported a surge in new users late last year.

READ MORE: From the late queen's favourite son to accused: How royal was brought down by scandal

It remains small compared to more established online spaces such as X, but it has emerged as an alternative for those looking for a different mood.

The Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Homeland Security also launched Bluesky accounts yesterday.

Vice President JD Vance joined Bluesky in June.

Trump’s social media platform of choice is Truth Social.

Trump is the biggest shareholder in Trump Media & Technology Group, the company that owns Truth Social.

DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. Available on the Apple App Store and Google Play.

John Funnell is a well-known ex-rescue chopper pilot and was awarded NZ’s bravery medal.