Prince William is preparing to take a decisive stance against his uncle, Prince Andrew, signaling a stricter approach to royal discipline than that taken by his father, King Charles III. According to a report in The Sunday Times, the Prince of Wales, 43, plans to bar Andrew, 65, from participating in all aspects of royal life once he ascends the throne, including public and private royal events, most state occasions, and his own coronation.
The announcement comes a day after Prince Andrew confirmed he would relinquish his royal titles and honors amid renewed scrutiny over his ties to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The Oct. 17 statement, issued from Buckingham Palace, was described as a major decision involving consultations with several senior royals, including both King Charles and William.
A palace insider told The Sunday Times that the King and the Prince of Wales are aligned on the decision to strip Andrew of his royal privileges, but unlike Charles, William reportedly finds Andrew’s voluntary renunciation insufficient. The Prince of Wales is said to intend a comprehensive exclusion, ensuring that Andrew will have no formal or informal role in royal affairs under his reign.
In addition to Andrew, William reportedly plans to exclude Andrew’s ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, from all royal events. Ferguson, 66, who remains close to her former husband, has faced her own controversies tied to Epstein. As a result, she will no longer use her royal title.
Meanwhile, the royal titles and positions of Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie—the daughters of Andrew and Ferguson—will remain unaffected. William is expected to continue including the princesses in official events and family gatherings when he becomes king. Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace declined to comment when contacted.
Andrew’s public fall from grace traces back to 2010, amid scrutiny over his alleged connections to Epstein, but the situation intensified in 2015 when he was named in a civil lawsuit filed by Virginia Giuffre (formerly Roberts). Giuffre alleged that Epstein had directed her to engage in sexual activity with Andrew on three occasions when she was 17.
In January 2022, the late Queen Elizabeth stripped Andrew of his military titles and patronages amid a sexual assault lawsuit filed by Giuffre in 2021. Andrew denied the allegations, later settling out of court in February 2022 for an undisclosed sum. Giuffre tragically died by suicide in April at the age of 41.
In his Oct. 17 statement, Andrew cited the ongoing public attention surrounding his ties to Epstein as a distraction from the Royal Family’s work. “In discussion with The King, and my immediate and wider family, we have concluded the continued accusations about me distract from the work of His Majesty and the Royal Family,” he said. “I have decided, as I always have, to put my duty to my family and country first. I stand by my decision five years ago to stand back from public life.”
He continued: “With His Majesty’s agreement, we feel I must now go a step further. I will therefore no longer use my title or the honours which have been conferred upon me. As I have said previously, I vigorously deny the accusations against me.”
The developments mark a significant turning point for the royal family, underscoring William’s intention to modernize and tighten the monarchy’s approach to scandal while maintaining its public integrity.
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