Sweet moment a young William jumps into his Uncle Andrew’s arms at his wedding to Sarah Ferguson reveals just how close the pair once were… before Prince ‘pushed for ex Duke’s exile’

Prince William fully supported the King’s decision to strip Andrew of the title of Prince and remove him from the Royal Lodge – and royal biographer Tina Brown said the heir to the throne ‘cannot stand’ the former Duke of York and wants him to ‘disappear’.

This is in stark contrast to the loving relationship that nephew and uncle undoubtedly shared when the Prince of Wales was younger.

Indeed, a sweet moment at Andrew’s wedding to Sarah Ferguson at Westminster Abbey in July 1986 shows just how close the relatives once were.

As the bride and groom returned to Buckingham Palace after their ceremony, four-year-old William, who served as the butler at the nuptials, was spotted jumping excitedly into his uncle’s arms before the pair sweetly embraced.

But public moments like this are a thing of the past for Andrew and William, who were last filmed sharing a chilly exchange at the Duchess of Kent’s funeral in September.

In painfully strange scenes just weeks before he was stripped of his titles and his house, Andrew was seen with his family on the steps of Westminster Cathedral, where a ceremony was taking place for Katharine, the late wife of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent.

Andrew appeared to be cheerfully trying to engage his nephew in the conversation – but in an extraordinary exchange caught on camera, William looked extremely uncomfortable and appeared to shut down any conversation with his uncle, preferring to remain silent.

In another tense moment at this solemn event, William apparently tried to stop Andrew’s excessive grinning by covering his mouth and pretending to say something, which resulted in the disgraced royal suddenly dropping his smile.

In an unprecedented statement released on Thursday night, Buckingham Palace said the 65-year-old former Duke of York will now be known simply as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor.

The Prince and Princess of Wales fully support the decision and have made it clear that a full separation from Andrew is the only way the Royal Family can move forward, sources told the Daily Mail.

Before they were stripped of their royal titles, William and Kate backed the King, saying they also wanted him kicked out of Windsor.

They were apparently concerned as they made it clear that Windsor would remain their home after joining and that the property would be ‘forever tarnished’ if Andrew remained there.

Last week, before the historic announcement, Princess Diana’s friend and editor-in-chief of Tatler and Vanity Fair, Tina Brown, claimed William and Kate “couldn’t stand” Andrew and wanted him to “disappear”.

Writing on the Fresh Hell Subpile, he claimed her presence in Windsor was threatening to ruin life at their ‘new forever home’, Forest Lodge. The couple will move in next month with their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

Andrew will now head to Sandringham Manor in Norfolk, while Sarah will have to make her own arrangements and is even rumored to be considering moving abroad after weeks of scandal damaged the relationship between the former couple and their children.

Beatrice and Eugenie will retain their princess titles and membership in the House of York, but they are said to be deeply disappointed in their parents but also very concerned about their father’s mental health.

But stunning public moments like this are a thing of the past for Andrew and William, who were last filmed sharing a chilly exchange at the Duchess of Kent’s funeral in September (pictured)

As the bride and groom returned to Buckingham Palace after their ceremony, four-year-old William, who served as the wedding’s page boy, was spotted jumping excitedly into his uncle’s arms before the pair sweetly embraced (pictured).

In a bombshell statement, Buckingham Palace said: ‘Her Majesty has today begun a formal process to remove Prince Andrew’s Order, Titles and Honors.

‘Prince Andrew will now be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor. To date, his lease at Royal Lodge has provided him with legal protection to continue his residence.

‘Formal notice has been given to abandon the lease and he will be moving to alternative private accommodation.

‘These censorships are deemed necessary even though he continues to deny the allegations against him.

‘Her Majesty wishes to make it clear that her thoughts and utmost sympathies are with the victims and survivors of all forms of abuse and remain with them.’

Sources told the Mail that the move was entirely up to the King and his advisors, without pressure from the government or other family members such as Prince William.

‘The process has been going on for some time but there was a need to get it right in the face of some very big challenges,’ a source said.

The Daily Mail understands that the King was ‘seriously concerned’ that the future of the monarchy would be at risk unless he took decisive action to exile his beleaguered brother.

The Daily Mail understands that on Wednesday morning Andrew was told by royal aides of plans to launch legal moves to strip the King of all his titles and honours. Picture: Buckingham Palace’s statement announcing the move on Thursday

But despite the united family front, Buckingham Palace has had to walk a legal and constitutional tightrope to ensure moves to completely strip Andrew of his birthright, titles and home will not backfire.

Given the impact of the scandal, there were also serious fears for mental health and these fears had to be balanced against the need to act ruthlessly.

William, who has long been a mental health campaigner, is understood to be particularly concerned about his uncle’s health.

Concerns were also voiced privately by other family members, including Andrew’s siblings Prince Edward and Princess Anne.

However, the King and his wife Queen Camilla, who have long campaigned for those affected by domestic and sexual violence, were also determined to publicly show their support for victims and survivors of ‘all forms of abuse’.

The Daily Mail understands Andrew, who has fought every step of the way against his brother’s attempts to demote him, was told by royal aides on Wednesday morning that the King was planning to take legal action to strip him of all his titles and honours.

Previously Andrew had agreed not to use them only voluntarily. Charles, 76, is also believed to have spoken to him personally on the phone to explain his decision.

He hoped he wouldn’t have to force his brother’s hand, but he came to the conclusion that deep damage was being done to the reputation of the monarchy every day, and enough was enough.

The king was ‘gravely concerned’ that the future of the monarchy would be at risk unless he took decisive action to exile his beleaguered brother (pictured with ex-wife Sarah Ferguson at Ascot in 2019)

But efforts to ensure Andrew was presented with a legally watertight ultimatum were met with a telegraph on Thursday evening, factoring in the palace’s bombshell announcement at 7pm.

Camilla was ‘fully supportive’ of her husband and, given her many years of work with victims of abuse, was keenly aware of how important it was for victims to express their personal sympathies.

Andrew faced fresh public outrage earlier this month when emails emerged showing he had been in contact with pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein for longer than he had previously admitted.

This news was followed by the publication of Andrew’s memoir, which he wrote after the death of Virginia Giuffre, who accused him of sexual harassment and committed suicide this year at the age of 41.

Completed before her death, Nobody’s Daughter: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice detailed three alleged sexual encounters with Andrew, who she said acted as if he believed ‘it was her birthright to have sex with me’.

Andrew has long denied Giuffre’s claims, but resigned from royal duties in November 2019 following a disastrous BBC interview in which he attempted to debunk her claims.

The disgraced royal paid millions in an out-of-court settlement in 2022 after Giuffre filed a civil lawsuit against him in New York. Although he did not admit wrongdoing, he acknowledged that Giuffre had suffered as a victim of sex trafficking.