Prince William fully supported the King’s decision to strip Andrew of his Prince title and evict him from Royal Lodge – and royal biographer Tina Brown said the heir to the throne ‘can’t abide’ the former Duke of York and wants him to ‘disappear’.
It’s a stark contrast to the loving relationship the nephew and uncle no doubt shared when the Prince of Wales was younger.
Indeed, a sweet moment from Andrew’s wedding to Sarah Ferguson at Westminster Abbey in July 1986 shows just how close the relatives once were.
Upon the bride and groom’s return to Buckingham Palace following their ceremony, a four-year-old William, who served as a page boy at the nuptials, was filmed leaping with excitement into his uncle’s arms before the pair shared a sweet hug.
But charming public moments like that are a thing of the past for Andrew and William, who were last filmed sharing a frosty exchange at the Duchess of Kent’s funeral in September.
In painfully awkward scenes just weeks before his titles and home were taken away, Andrew was seen with his family on the steps of Westminster Cathedral, where a service had been held for Katharine, the late wife of Prince Edward, the Duke of Kent.
Andrew could be seen trying to jovially engage his nephew in conversation – but in an extraordinary exchange caught on camera, William looked deeply uncomfortable and appeared to shut down any chat with his uncle, instead preferring to remain silent.
In another tense moment during the solemn occasion, William seemingly attempted to bring Andrew’s profuse grinning to a stop by covering his mouth and appearing to say something, which resulted in the disgraced royal abruptly dropping the smile.
A sweet moment from Andrew’s wedding to Sarah Ferguson at Westminster Abbey in July 1986 shows just how close the former Duke of York and Prince William (pictured sharing a hug) once were
In an unprecedented statement released on Thursday night, Buckingham Palace said the former Duke of York, 65, will now only be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor.
The Prince and Princess of Wales fully support the decision, sources told the Daily Mail, and made it clear that a clean break from Andrew was the only way the Royal Family can move forward.
Before he was stripped of his royal titles, William and Kate backed the King, saying they also wanted him kicked out of Windsor.
They were apparently concerned, having made it clear that Windsor will remain their home after their accession, that the estate would be ‘forever tainted’ if Andrew stayed there.
Last week, before the historic announcement, Tina Brown, a friend of Princess Diana who was editor-in-chief of Tatler and Vanity Fair, claimed that William and Kate ‘can’t abide’ Andrew and want him to ‘disappear’.
Writing on her Fresh Hell Substack, she claimed having him in Windsor threatened to spoil 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 is now destined for the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, while Sarah will have to make her own arrangements and is even rumoured to be considering moving abroad, after weeks of scandal damaged the relationship between the former couple and their children.
Beatrice and Eugenie are to retain their princess titles and membership of the House of York, but are said to be deeply disappointed in their parents, although simultaneously very concerned about their father’s mental wellbeing.
But charming public moments like that are a thing of the past for Andrew and William, who were last filmed sharing a frosty exchange at the Duchess of Kent’s funeral in September (pictured)
Upon the bride and groom’s return to Buckingham Palace following their ceremony, a four-year-old William, who served as a page boy at the nuptials, was filmed leaping with excitement into his uncle’s arms before the pair shared a sweet hug (pictured)
In a bombshell statement Buckingham Palace said: ‘His Majesty has today initiated a formal process to remove the Style, Titles and Honours of Prince Andrew.
‘Prince Andrew will now be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor. His lease on Royal Lodge has, to date, provided him with legal protection to continue in residence.
‘Formal notice has now been served to surrender the lease and he will move to alternative private accommodation.
‘These censures are deemed necessary, notwithstanding the fact that he continues to deny the allegations against him.
‘Their Majesties wish to make clear that their thoughts and utmost sympathies have been, and will remain with, the victims and survivors of any and all forms of abuse.’
Sources told the Mail that the move was entirely down to the King and his advisors, without pressure from the government or other family members, such as Prince William.
‘The process has been underway for some while but there was a need to get it right in the face of some very big challenges,’ a source said.
The King was ‘gravely concerned’ that the future of the monarchy was at stake unless he acted decisively to banish his beleaguered brother, the Daily Mail understands.
The Daily Mail understands Andrew was told by royal aides on Wednesday morning of the King’s plans to invoke legal moves to finally strip him of all titles and honours. Pictured: Buckingham Palace’s statement announcing the move on Thursday
Despite the united family front, however, Buckingham Palace had to walk a legal and constitutional tightrope to ensure moves to completely strip Andrew of his birthright, titles and home did not backfire.
Given the impact of the scandal, there were also serious fears about his mental health, which had to be balanced against the need to act ruthlessly.
William, a long-term mental-health campaigner, is understood to have been particularly worried about his uncle’s wellbeing.
Concerns were also raised privately by other family members including Andrew’s siblings, Prince Edward and Princess Anne.
However, the King and his wife, Queen Camilla, who has long campaigned for those affected by domestic and sexual violence, were also determined to publicly show their support for victims and survivors of ‘any and all forms of abuse’.
The Daily Mail understands that Andrew – who has fought his brother’s attempts to demote him every step of the way – was told by royal aides on Wednesday morning of the King’s plans to invoke legal moves to finally strip him of all titles and honours.
Previously, Andrew had only agreed not to use them voluntarily. Charles, 76, is also believed to have spoken to him personally by phone to explain his decision.
He had hoped not to have to force his brother’s hand, but came to the conclusion that deep reputational damage to the monarchy was being done on a daily basis – and enough was enough.
The King was ‘gravely concerned’ that the future of the monarchy was at stake unless he acted decisively to banish his beleaguered brother (pictured with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson at Ascot in 2019)
However, efforts to ensure that Andrew was presented with a legally watertight ultimatum went to the wire on Thursday evening, accounting for the palace’s bombshell 7pm announcement.
Camilla was ‘completely supportive’ of her husband, and was acutely aware, given her own work over many years with the victims of abuse, how important it was to express their personal sympathies with those affected.
Andrew faced a new round of public outrage after emails emerged earlier this month showing he had remained in contact with paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein longer than he previously admitted.
That news was followed by the publication of the posthumous memoir from Andrew’s sex abuse accuser Virginia Giuffre, who took her own life this year, aged 41.
Nobody’s Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice, which was finished before she died, detailed three alleged sexual encounters with Andrew, who she said acted as if he believed ‘having sex with me was his birthright’.
Andrew has long denied Giuffre’s claims, but stepped down from royal duties after a disastrous November 2019 BBC interview in which he attempted to rebut her allegations.
The disgraced royal paid millions in an out-of-court settlement in 2022 after Giuffre filed a civil suit against him in New York. While he didn’t admit wrongdoing, he acknowledged Giuffre’s suffering as a victim of sex trafficking.
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