Prince William wanted Andrew banished from royals ‘before rot set in’, new book claims
Prince William demanded Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor be removed from the royal family “before the rot starts” following his disastrous Newsnight interview in 2019, a new biography has claimed.
Following further details of Andrew’s relationship with convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, the Prince of Wales is said to have viewed the then-prince as a serious threat to the survival of the royal family.
The revelations appear in an upcoming book about the Prince and Princess of Wales. Mirror‘s royal editor Russell Myers.
A palace source quoted in the book said: “The Prince of Wales was adamant that this whole affair would never end and there was absolutely no upside to Andrew being protected, despite what others thought.”
In the book, William’s encouragement to protect Charles and Queen Elizabeth to take action led to his father’s angry response, “putting him in his place”.
The new biography claims Charles “embarked on a full-scale firefight” and William feared the Epstein scandal would pose a threat to the royal family’s survival.
A palace source quoted in the book said: “His view was very clear that Andrew should not be near the family under any circumstances, not in public, not at family events or anywhere.
“When a new revelation came out that no one knew when it would come or what the next one would be, it was a stain on the whole family.”
In an infamous interview on BBC Newsnight in 2019, Andrew was asked about the late Virginia Giuffre’s sexual abuse allegations. Andrew has always denied any wrongdoing.
He claimed he had “no recollection” of meeting Ms Giuffre and said it was unlikely he could have had sex with her when he was at a Pizza Express in Woking with his daughter in March 2001.
Andrew also did not apologize for his relationship with convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
The Prince and Princess of Wales spoke publicly about the Epstein scandal for the first time this week, saying they were “deeply concerned” by the ongoing revelations surrounding Andrew.
Another source in the book said: “It’s easy to put yourself in William’s shoes when you realize that everything that happens in the here and now affects everything in the future, namely William’s future.
“He never really liked his uncle very much and wanted him eliminated immediately before the rot got any deeper. William’s view was this: [Andrew] “He got himself into this whole mess, so he has to figure it out on his own, away from the family.”
A Buckingham Palace spokesman said the King was “deeply concerned by the allegations that continue to come to light about Mr Mountbatten-Windsor’s behaviour.”
Members of US Congress have called on the King to “answer what he knows” about his brother’s ties to Epstein and force him to testify in the US.
Andrew fell from grace and was stripped of all his titles, including Duke of York, following the publication of the Epstein files in October.
In the last part of the published documents, it is claimed that Andrew shared with Epstein confidential reports that he had access to while serving as the UK trade envoy.
Independent He contacted Buckingham Palace and Andrew’s representatives.
