A bombshell new royal book has claimed that Prince William reached out to his disgraced uncle, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, after he was stripped of his titles last year.
In his new biography, Elizabeth II: In Private. In Public, which is being released to coincide with what would have been Queen Elizabeth II’s 100th birthday, royal author Robert Hardman writes that the Prince of Wales contacted Andrew to “offer condolences” on the loss of his titles.
As well as being evicted from his Royal Lodge home, King Charles stripped Andrew of his official titles and honours following renewed scrutiny around his previous ties to convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
The increased criticism the former Duke of York faced came after the publication of Virginia Giuffre’s posthumous memoir, Nobody’s Girl, and explosive documents related to the late sex offender that shed damaging details on the pair’s association. Andrew has continuously denied any wrongdoing.
Robert Hardman’s new book claims that Andrew was “very touched” that Prince William was “one of the few people” who reached out to him.
The claim comes in spite of it frequently being suggested that Prince William is in favour of taking a harder line against Andrew than other members of the Royal Family.
Earlier this year, the Daily Mirror’s Royal Editor, Russell Myers, revealed in his book, William & Catherine: The Intimate Inside Story, that it was Prince William who urged his father and late grandmother to take a firmer stance on Andrew.
Referring to an alleged incident after Andrew’s disastrous interview with BBC Newsnight, Mr Myers wrote: “The interview was a disaster, not only for Andrew, whose reputation was in tatters, but for the monarchy at large. Suddenly, the palace was engaged in a full-scale firefight, with deepening questions over its relevance in a modern world, even its survival.
“In the aftermath, William spoke to his father to implore him and the Queen to take immediate action, fearing not only the public backlash but for his own future.
“A source said: ‘Once you understand the fact that everything that happens in the here and now, affects everything in the future, William’s future, it is very easy to put yourself in his shoes. He never much liked his uncle and wanted him out of the picture immediately before the rot further set in.
“‘William’s view was that he [Andrew] got himself into the whole mess, so he should be left to his own devices to sort it out away from the family.’”
Kensington Palace has been contacted for comment.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.express.co.uk ’
