Prince William wants the Andrew problem 'dealt with now'

The Prince of Wales has long been seen to want his disgraced uncle Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor removed completely from royal life, even before his arrest.

The former Duke of York, whose name is mentioned repeatedly throughout the recently released Epstein files, was stripped of his royal titles and honours by King Charles in October.

He ceased being a working royal in 2019 after failing to show any remorse for Epstein's victims in his disastrous Newsnight interview.

But Andrew continued to appear alongside his late mother Queen Elizabeth II, and later King Charles, and other senior royals at family occasions.

His last appearance with the royal family was in September last year when he and ex-wife Sarah Ferguson attended the funeral service of the Duchess of Kent, in London.

William, 43, is keen for the so-called Andrew problem to be dealt with now, once and for all, during his father's reign.

"William wants it all cleaned out before he gets [on the throne]," royal biographer Andrew Lownie told People.

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"He wants it dealt with now."

Royal aides have been at pains to emphasise William's support of his father's leadership on the matter, but in private the prince is believed to have taken a firmer stance on his uncle.

Before Andrew's arrest, the Prince and Princess of Wales released a statement expressing their "deep concern" over the allegations and sympathy for Epstein's victims.

Andrew was taken into custody on February 19 on suspicion of misconduct in public office, accused of passing confidential information to Epstein and his associates during his years as a trade envoy.

No charges have been laid.

According to Russell Myers, who has written a new book about the Prince and Princess of Wales, William was keen for Andrew to be left to his own devices after his BBC tell-all "before the rot further set in".

"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, according to Myers' book William & Catherine: The Intimate Inside Story.

A palace source, quoted in the book, said: "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."

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