Although Prince Andrew has relinquished his royal titles and officially stepped back from public life, he continues to be a lightning rod for drama within the royal family.
In fact, the disgraced royal’s ongoing drama within The Firm reportedly includes tension with his nephew, Prince William, and William’s wife, Kate Middleton.
According to Us Weekly, royal biographer Tina Brown said the Prince and Princess of Wales are hoping that Andrew will “disappear” now that he’s given up his royal titles. Specifically, Brown says Will and Kate “can’t abide” Andrew and the idea of him living so close to their family when they move into their “forever home” later this year.
As Brown pointed out in a post on her Fresh Hell Substack on Tuesday, Oct. 21, Andrew lives in the Queen Mother’s former mansion, Royal Lodge, which is just four miles away from Forest Lodge, the Windsor residence the Wales family is set to move into later this year, and which sources close to the couple have said will continue to be their primary residence even after William eventually becomes King.
“This is a move for the long-term,” a source close to the Wales family told The Sun when news of the Wales family’s planned move broke in August. “They see it as their forever home.”
As much as Will and Kate may dislike the idea of living so close to Andrew, they may not have much choice in the matter if their new Windsor residence is truly to be their family’s permanent home. Andrew reportedly has an ironclad lease that will allow him to stay at Royal Lodge until 2078.
“So, in lieu of a Tower of London solution, unless Andrew can be persuaded to banish himself to a cottage on the Balmoral estate or a cushy villa on a Dubai golf course, his scowly, jowly visage will keep seeping back into the national consciousness,” Brown wrote in her Substack post, explaining at least part of Will and Kate’s desire not to live so close to their disgraced royal relative.
While Brown points out that Andrew has reportedly been banished from the royal family’s Christmas celebration in Sandringham and “that Andrew will not be invited to William’s coronation, whenever that occurs,” she also notes that there’s little else the royal family can do to minimize his presence, publicly or within the family.
“In 2019, his mother, Queen Elizabeth, had already reluctantly stripped him of his military honors, his HRH title, and his royal duties,” Brown wrote. “So this time, he lost the cherished title of Duke of York, plus a few remaining grand honorifics. Now, there is nothing left to deprive him of but his electric toothbrush.”
Speaking to Us Weekly, royal expert Christopher Andersen echoed Brown’s comments, both about William’s feelings about Andrew and the difficulty the royal family would face in stripping him of further royal privileges and association.
“He certainly has had it with his Uncle Andrew,” Andersen told the outlet. “It would indeed take an act of Parliament to formally strip Andrew of his princely title, and the same goes for [William’s estranged brother, Prince] Harry.”
While the royals may not be able to forcibly evict Andrew from the Royal Lodge before his lease is up in 2078, they can certainly pressure him behind-the-scenes to move voluntarily—a strategy King Charles reportedly employed to convince Andrew to give up his remaining royal titles and honors last week.
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