Noora Mykkanen
Published February 14, 2026 5:22pm
Updated February 14, 2026 5:22pm
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One of the last times Prince William and Andrew were seen together in public (Picture: Getty Images)
Prince William allegedly wanted his ‘ignoramus’ uncle, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, banished from the royal family following his disastrous Newsnight interview.
The royal family is making headlines – and for all the wrong reasons from a PR perspective – as more details continue to emerge about Andrew’s friendship with the late paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.
The former prince Andrew, who lost his royal titles last year, could face a misconduct in public office investigation after he allegedly shared confidential government reports with Epstein.
While the senior royals have taken steps to distance themselves from the former Duke of York in recent months, the family’s discussions about what to do about the disgraced Andrew go further back to the aftermath of his Newsnight interview with Emily Maitlis.
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During the interview, Andrew was quizzed about his friendship with Epstein and why he went to visit him in New York even after the businessman was convicted of soliciting sex from girls as young as 14.
He denied ever having witnessed anything illegal or suspicious while visiting Epstein’s properties, and he has always denied accusations of any wrongdoing.
However, in the court of public opinion, the 2019 interview was considered a trainwreck for Andrew and the royal family.
Prince William reportedly pleaded with his dad, then Prince Charles, and the Queen to take immediate action, according to a new biography written by The Mirror’s royal editor, Russell Myers.
Andrew was pictured riding his horse in Windsor just days before he was due to move out of the Royal Lodge to a ‘modest’ farm in Sandringham (Picture: REUTERS)
A source claimed William was keen to get Andrew out of sight ‘before the rot set in, according to The Mirror citing the upcoming book.
They 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 got himself into the whole mess, so he should be left to his own devices to sort it out away from the family.’
Royal experts told Metro the Prince and Princess of Wales, William and Catherine, have been successful in distancing themselves from Andrew (Picture: Getty Images)
Sources claim William and Charles had a disagreement at Sandringham the following Christmas over whether Andrew should be banished.
Prince William is said to have questioned the benefit of his uncle ‘to the wider operation’ long before Virginia Giuffre’s sexual abuse allegations involving Andrew became public.
A source with knowledge of the family conversations claimed William thought Andrew was ‘a bit of an ignoramus’ and they had ‘never seen eye to eye.’
While he has a good relationship with Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, he is said to have wanted to keep Andrew and his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, away from the family in public and private.
But this is said to have been overruled by Charles, the palace source added.
Duncan Larcombe, a royal commentator and former royal editor of The Sun, told Metro that the Andrew-Epstein relationship has ‘bubbled up at times since before 2011.’
‘And yet the royal family have thought that if they just shut their eyes and put their fingers in their ears it is all going to go away,’ he said.
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He continued: ‘There have been many occasions along the route where the royal family could have taken the initiative on this.
‘But they didn’t out of loyalty to Andrew and especially with the late Queen.
‘They had many opportunities to properly nail this down, but they didn’t because they were loyal to Andrew. And this is why we’ve ended up in this situation we are today.’
You can read the royal expert’s analysis of what the next steps are for the royals amid the Andrew scandal here.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected].
For more stories like this, check our news page.
Arrow MORE: Andrew ‘brought woman flown in on Epstein’s Lolita express into Buckingham Palace’
Arrow MORE: Andrew ‘owes £12,000,000 to Royal Family after failing to pay off loan’
Arrow MORE: Andrew could face misconduct in public office inquiry over Epstein Files
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