New Royal Biography Makes Surprising Claim About Prince William and Disgraced Uncle Andrew
A newly released royal biography has made the startling assertion that Prince William personally contacted his disgraced uncle, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, to offer condolences on the night Andrew was stripped of his royal titles. This claim appears in Elizabeth II: In Private. In Public by author Robert Hardman, published to commemorate the centenary of the late Queen's birth.
The Controversial Claim and Immediate Denials
According to the book, a friend of Andrew's reported that the former Duke of York was "very touched" when his nephew William was among the few individuals to reach out after King Charles III removed Andrew's prince and Duke of York titles in October. This action followed renewed scrutiny of Andrew's association with the late convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
However, sources close to the Prince of Wales have strongly denied that any such contact occurred, whether by telephone or in person. This contradiction adds another layer of complexity to the ongoing royal saga surrounding Andrew's fall from grace.
Andrew's Downfall and William's Reported Role
The biography details how Andrew's reputation became irreparably damaged by his friendship with Epstein and allegations of sexual abuse made by Virginia Giuffre, which Andrew has consistently denied. In February, Andrew was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in a public office regarding alleged sharing of confidential information with Epstein during his tenure as a UK trade envoy.
Contrary to the claim of William offering condolences, previous reports and another biography—William and Catherine: The Intimate Inside Story by Russell Myers—suggest William was actually the driving force behind Andrew's removal from royal life. Following Andrew's disastrous 2019 BBC Newsnight interview, where he failed to apologise for his Epstein association, William reportedly urged his father and grandmother to take immediate action.
William's Alleged Motivation for Andrew's Removal
According to sources cited in Myers' biography, William viewed Andrew's continued presence as "a stain on all the family" and believed the monarchy faced existential threat due to public revulsion over the Epstein scandal. William reportedly told his father that Andrew should be "banished from the royal fold before the rot set in" and left to deal with his problems away from the family.
The Prince of Wales allegedly never much liked his uncle and wanted him "out of the picture immediately" to protect both the institution's future and his own succession. Andrew now resides on the Sandringham estate, removed from his former Royal Lodge Windsor mansion.
Conflicting Narratives and Royal Tensions
These conflicting accounts—one portraying William as offering sympathy, another depicting him as demanding Andrew's removal—highlight the ongoing tensions within the royal family regarding how to handle the Andrew controversy. The new claim in Hardman's book suggests possible private gestures that contradict public perceptions, while denials from William's camp maintain consistency with his previously reported stance.
The situation continues to evolve as Andrew faces legal challenges and the royal family navigates the aftermath of one of its most damaging scandals in recent memory.
