Prince William 'wanted Andrew out before rot set in'

By Hannah Furness

The Prince of Wales argued for Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor to be banished from royal life seven years ago, "before the rot further set in", according to a new biography.

The Prince, who is said to have "never much liked his uncle", hoped his father and grandmother would take immediate action after the then-Prince Andrew appeared on Newsnight in 2019 to discuss his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender.

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"William's view was that [Andrew] got himself into the whole mess, so he should be left to his own devices to sort it out away from the family," a source said, in a new book about the Prince and Princess of Wales.

Russell Myers, the author, writes that Prince William had "questioned what benefit his uncle was to the wider operation" for years, already disliking his approach to staff.

He quotes a palace source as saying: "Long before he was embroiled in the scandal [involving Virginia Giuffre], he had always thought his uncle was a bit of an ignoramus.

"He had seen how Andrew behaved in front of staff, ordering people about, the aggressive or dismissive manner, they had never seen eye to eye."

The source added: "William didn't think that either of them [Andrew or Sarah] should be anywhere near the family, publicly or otherwise, but he was overruled by his father."

Mr Mountbatten-Windsor was finally stripped of the use of his titles and honours in October, and has now moved out of Royal Lodge and is under growing pressure to co-operate with the authorities over the Epstein investigation.

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Buckingham Palace will assist police with their inquiries if requested, the King's spokesman has confirmed.

More than three million documents relating to Epstein have been released. They includ emails to and from "HRH The Duke of York KG", which confirmed the men were in touch long after Mr Mountbatten-Windsor said he cut ties, as well as a photograph of the former Duke kneeling next to a young woman.

He has now been accused of passing confidential information to Epstein and his associates during his years as a trade envoy, with police assessing claims relating to misconduct in public office and breach of official secrets.

Mr Mountbatten-Windsor has previously settled a £12 million (approx. $23 million) claim of sexually assaulting the late Virginia Giuffre, which he denies, and is now accused of spending the night with an adult woman who was flown to the UK for sex with him.

The Prince and Princess of Wales last week released a statement expressing their "deep concern" over the allegations and sympathy for Epstein's victims.

A palace source close to the Prince, referring to the time period after Guiffre brought her civil case, is quoted in the book saying: "The Prince of Wales was adamant the whole episode would never go away and, despite how others may have felt, there was no upside in Andrew being protected.

"His view was crystal clear, Andrew shouldn't be anywhere near the family under any circumstances, not by association, not at family functions, anywhere.

"Every single time there was a new revelation, which no one knew when it was coming or what the next one would be, it was a stain on all of the family."

Prince William is widely reported to have privately taken a robust stance on his uncle, although aides have emphasised that he supports his father's leadership on the matter.

In 2019, the then-Prince Andrew "stepped back" from public life in the wake of the disastrous Newsnight interview, in which he claimed that he could not sweat, gave an alibi of Woking Pizza Express and insisted that he had broken off his friendship with Epstein during a visit to New York in December 2010.

He stopped undertaking official engagements amid public outcry over his lack of empathy with victims, but continued to appear alongside Elizabeth II, the King and senior royals at "family occasions".

In the serialisation of William & Catherine: The Intimate Inside Story in the Daily Mirror, Myers writes: "The late Queen sought to protect her son from complete banishment, clinging to the hope that he would one day be exonerated.

"Similarly, while acknowledging his brother could never return to public duties, Charles attempted to honour his mother's wishes and for a long time stopped short of pushing for Andrew's total banishment.

"By contrast, William made it clear that once he became King there would be no such mercy."

William & Catherine: The Intimate Inside Story by Russell Myers will be published on Feb 26.

© Telegraph Media Group Limited 2025

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