Last month, we reported that Prince William had finally had enough of his uncle Prince Andrew. Now, royal insiders are claiming that William is letting those around him know that he believes that Andrew poses a clear “threat” to the monarchy.
The ‘Andrew Problem’
Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams told Fox News that King Charles is finally on the same page with his heir William when it comes to handling their “Andrew problem.”
They also agree about how to handle Sarah Ferguson, Andrew’s ex-wife. Though Andrew and Sarah divorced back in 1996, they still live together to this day. While Andrew’s ties to the late billionaire pedophile Jeffrey Epstein have long been known, Sarah’s were only recently exposed. This has led to her falling into disgrace as well.
“The king does have empathy as Andrew is his brother, but William sees the couple as a threat to the monarchy,” Fitzwilliams explained. “The king welcomed Sarah Ferguson at Christmas out of sympathy for her illnesses and to give his beleaguered brother some slack. That’s no longer the case. The king will reportedly insist on a lower profile.”
“Prince William is focused on protecting the monarchy’s future and its public image, wanting Andrew completely frozen out,” added British royal expert Hilary Fordwich. “He has been lobbying behind the scenes for more decisive measures, possibly pursuing the full removal of Andrew’s titles and formal roles — and even parliamentary action once he becomes king.”
Royals Distance Themselves From Andrew And Sarah
This comes after sources close to the King told the U.K. Times that both Andrew and Sarah will not be welcome over the holidays this year. Instead, Charles is reportedly eager to keep both Andrew and Sarah “at arm’s length.” This comes after it was revealed that Sarah kept in contact with Epstein even after she publicly denounced him in 2011.
As for William, he’s reportedly run out of patience completely with his uncle and aunt.
“Prince William takes a far more appropriate approach to future-proofing the monarchy,” Fordwich said. “The king’s reluctance has been on full display. His hesitation has been seen publicly as naïve and risky, eroding faith in the monarchy.”
“Andrew isn’t going to behave. The king can’t remove his brother, so they need to manage him since his presence is an existential threat,” she continued. “Prince William supports a clean break and has reportedly considered banning Andrew from all official events.”
Palace insiders told Vanity Fair that William is “keen” to resolve what some palace circles have called the “York problem.”
“It’s something that William is acutely aware of and wants resolved,” said one family friend. “Charles is not a confrontational person and doesn’t want any more family feuds. But he recognizes that his brother poses challenges. William takes a harder line and has made it clear that he thinks his uncle and aunt could cause the monarchy real reputational damage.”
William ‘Has No Time For Andrew’
Andrew Lownie, author of “Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York,” weighed in on this situation as well.
“I’m told William’s view is that his father needs to take a firmer line with Andrew,” Lownie claimed. “William, as future king, will have to deal with the fallout from this. He wants this problem solved and has no sentimental attachment to Andrew. He has no time for Andrew, and he can see how toxic the Yorks are.”
Last week, Sarah was dropped as the patron of various charities after emails she sent to Epstein years ago leaked. In one of them, she praised Epstein as a “steadfast, generous and supreme friend.”
Andrew and Sarah currently still live together at Royal Lodge. While Charles bas been trying to convince them to move for years, they have defiantly refused to do so. It’s been strongly implied that when William becomes King, he won’t be nearly as reluctant to evict them both from this royal residence as his father has been.
This has clearly turned into a very messy situation for the entire British royal family. Only time will tell how the “Andrew problem” is handled moving forward!