Prince William demanded that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor be forced out of the royal family “before the rot set in”, following his disastrous Newsnight interview in 2019, a new biography has claimed.
After further details of Andrew’s relationship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, the Prince of Wales was said to have viewed the then-prince as a serious threat to the royal family’s survival.
The revelations are in an upcoming book about the Prince and Princess of Wales, written by the Mirror’s royal editor, Russell Myers.
A palace source in the book said: “The Prince of Wales was adamant the whole episode would never go away and, despite how others may have felt, there was absolutely no upside in Andrew being protected.”
William had urged action from Charles and Queen Elizabeth, who were in favour of protecting him, which provoked a furious reaction from his father, who “put him in his place”, the book claims.
The new biography alleges Charles was “engaged in a full-scale fire fight”, and William feared the Epstein scandal would pose a threat to the royal family’s survival.
A palace source in the book, said: “His view was crystal clear, Andrew shouldn’t be anywhere near the family under any circumstances, not by association, not at family functions, anywhere.
“Every single time there was a new revelation, which no one knew when it was coming or what the next one would be, it was a stain on all of the family.”
In a now infamous interview with BBC Newsnight in 2019, Andrew was asked about sexual abuse allegations made by the late Virginia Giuffre. Andrew has always denied any wrongdoi
He claimed he had “no recollection” of ever meeting Ms Giuffre and said it was not possible he could have had sex with her in March 2001, as he was at a Pizza Express in Woking with his daughter.
Andrew also failed to apologise for his relationship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
The Prince and Princess of Wales publicly addressed the Epstein scandal for the first time this week, saying they have been “deeply concerned” over the ongoing revelations surrounding Andrew.
Another source in the book 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.”
A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said the King had “profound concern at allegations which continue to come to light in respect of Mr Mountbatten-Windsor’s conduct.”
US Congress members have urged the King to “answer what he knew” about his brother’s ties to Epstein and compel him to testify in the US.
Andrew suffered a fall from grace following the release of Epstein files in October, which saw him stripped of all his titles, including the Duke of York.
In the latest tranche of documents released, Andrew is alleged to have shared confidential reports with Epstein that he had access to in his role as a UK trade envoy.
The Independent has contacted Buckingham Palace and Andrew’s representatives.
