Prince William has made it clear that family relations with his uncle have worsened after Andrew’s disgrace
Shortly before Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor surrendered the last remnants of his royal status, Prince William made it abundantly clear that family relations had plummeted to an unprecedented low with his fallen uncle.
In moments so uncomfortable they left royal observers cringing, Andrew was seen attempting to engage the future King in conversation when he unexpectedly appeared at the Duchess of Kent’s funeral in September.
William remained silent to remarks from his uncle, who positioned himself alongside on the Westminster Cathedral steps, gazing directly forward while scarcely acknowledging the former duke’s existence.
Weeks after the funeral, Andrew surrendered his royal titles and honours during a 10-minute telephone conversation with a ‘weary and furious’ King Charles. The monarch’s embarrassed younger sibling also eventually consented to abandon his 30-room residence, Royal Lodge, after Charles had spent years attempting to liberate the deteriorating property from Andrew’s grasp.
His “cast iron” lease required Andrew to consent to departure on his own conditions, despite contributing virtually no rent on the property for over 20 years.
Since Andrew’s circumstances collapsed last month, he has occupied his remaining time at Royal Lodge “wandering around” in solitude while “ranting to himself,” according to royal sources. Becoming progressively “isolated,” the ex-prince has scarcely left his home, and has only been observed occasionally while riding across the Windsor estate grounds, reports the Mirror.
He was also seen looking notably downcast while out riding with a companion. The troubles for Andrew and the royals are far from over, as the former duke has faced calls from US lawmakers to testify on his “longstanding friendship” with the late billionaire paedophile, Jeffrey Epstein.
However, according to body language expert Judi James, this sudden change in demeanour might be less about genuine sadness and more about a calculated shift in tactics.
The “staging” of the sorrow is almost theatrical, suggests Judi. The expert believes his latest outing could be one last attempt to gain sympathy from the public and his older brother.
“Andrew could of course be feeling understandably sad,” she says. “But this could also be performative if he’s realised the arrogant, defiant displays didn’t work.”
Royal experts have noted that while Charles will likely be fuming over Andrew being photographed while still enjoying the perks of his Windsor estate – fearful of how this could tarnish the public image of the scandal-hit monarchy – William feels a “duty of care” towards his disgraced uncle.
Jennie Bond, former royal correspondent at the BBC, believes Andrew’s neighbours, William and Princess Kate, will have mixed feelings about the ex-prince being photographed as he continues to be dogged by allegations about his connection to Epstein.
The Waleses have recently moved to Forest Lodge, which is just two miles away from Andrew. Andrew is planning to relocate to another property on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk in the New Year. Jennie suggests that William and Kate are extending a certain level of grace towards Andrew as he continues to live largely out of the public eye.
She told the Mirror: “While there is no love lost between William, Catherine and Andrew, my understanding is that they, and the rest of the royal family, believe they still have a duty of care for his welfare and mental health. Andrew is reported to have become isolated, depressed and solitary.
“It’s not his fault if photographers are ready to pounce if he dares to venture out, and I don’t think the Prince and Princess would begrudge him a ride around the park and some fresh air. Obviously it would be more convenient if it wasn’t on their doorstep, but they know that this is about to end and he will be living miles away in Sandringham.”
Meanwhile, Charles is likely to be concerned about the implications of such photographs. “I think the King will feel it’s unfortunate that pictures of Andrew are in the press again, drawing attention away from the work the rest of the family are doing,” Jennie said.
“It would obviously be much better if Andrew were seen doing something for charity, or anything other than idly amusing himself. However, he is so toxic that no-one wants him anywhere near their organisation.”
The King’s recent actions are likely a sensitive topic, as just days before Andrew was stripped of his titles, Charles reportedly planned to be seen passing Royal Lodge to ‘read Prince Andrew the riot act’ before the idea was scrapped. Emily Maitlis, who famously interrogated Andrew in his disastrous Newsnight interview, alleged that this plan had been put into action when the King returned to the UK from his Vatican trip last month.
Broadcast crews and photographers assembled outside the gates of Royal Lodge amid rumours of further developments in the ongoing controversy surrounding the late Queen’s second son.
She stated: “What we learned what was going to happen on Thursday was that Charles, fresh from the Vatican and his audience with the Pope, was going to come via Royal Lodge to be seen in other words, reading the riot act to his brother. Nobody was going to film the conversation or see him stepping out the car but there was going to be the moment caught on camera of King Charles’s car heading to Royal Lodge.
“What happened, I understand, was that the Palace then got very nervous, and when they saw the choppers and helicopters, they thought this has all got too big, this has got out of control, they cancelled the whole thing. The King just went straight home and never came by.”
Kate and William are understood to have fully backed the King when he took formal action over his brother’s royal titles, amid ongoing scrutiny about Andrew’s connections to Epstein. It is widely believed that William has always wanted to take decisive action over his uncle, with previous reports suggesting it became somewhat of a sticking point between father and son.
The former duke’s downfall came after he was accused by the late Virginia Giuffre of sexually assaulting her as a teenager, after she was trafficked by Epstein, an accusation the ex-prince vehemently denies.
Royal author Andrew Lownie told The Mirror that William likely played a significant role in “stiffening” his father’s resolve to take further action against Andrew. “From what I know of him and his father, William would have played quite an active role in stiffening Charles’ resolve,” Lownie said.
“But I think particularly after Charles was heckled and the continuing press coverage – which was a distraction from all the other things he wanted to do, like pray at the Vatican – he’s realised just how serious this is.”
Meanwhile, a source told The Daily Beast that William was allegedly “dismayed” by the earlier, much softer approach to Andrew’s royal status, which only removed the Duke of York title. With Andrew still residing in Royal Lodge and retaining the right to be referred to as prince, William is said to have been concerned about potential future repercussions.
The outlet even suggested that William ultimately viewed the Andrew ‘problem’ as his “father’s mess” to deal with. It stated: “William has long grasped that the monarchy has been held hostage by Andrew’s scandal and knew a ransom would have to be paid…Andrew walked away from the royals with a deal worth ‘millions.’”.
It’s long been claimed that Andrew’s troubles have deeply affected King Charles, with Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s biographer Omid Scobie asserting in his 2023 book Endgame that the monarch was once brought to tears over the ex-duke’s mental health.
Scobie penned: “[King Charles] was in tears because he was afraid for Andrew’s mental health. Charles leads with his head and his heart. William is colder.”
