Prince William encouraged his uncle Prince Andrew’s ejection from Buckingham Palace over his friendship with the late sex trafficking financier Jeffrey Epstein.
William thought the move was the “right thing” for the royal family to do in the wake of a recent BBC interview in which Andrew denied meeting Epstein’s accuser Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who has also accused the Duke of York of raping her, despite pictures of the two together.
Prince William, 37, is the son of Prince Charles, 71, who is the older brother of Prince Andrew, 59. Charles is first in line to the throne and is due to become King when his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, 93, dies or abdicates. William is second in line. Andrew is eighth, behind William’s children Prince George, six, Princess Charlotte, four, and Prince Louis, one, Charles’s second son Prince Harry, 35, and Harry’s son Archie Mountbatten-Windsor, who was born in May.
The interview was so disastrous that his publicist quit, and Andrew was forced out of the palace. He also announced his decision to take a step back from royal duties.
Prince William was pleased to see Andrew go, according to a report from The Times, as he is “not a fan” of Andrew and felt it was appropriate for the family to distance themselves from him as he continues to sort through his connection to Epstein.
“William is becoming more and more involved in decisions about the institution [monarchy], and he’s not a huge fan of his uncle Andrew,” a source said. Another source added, “William thinks the right thing happened.”
Andrew’s conduct has drawn criticism from other members of the royal family, as well. Queen Elizabeth II was reported to be “deeply frustrated” with her son and did not realize what the BBC interview entailed.
“Andrew had a son-to-mother conversation, letting her know that he was planning to address the controversy, but without going into any details,” a source said. “What should have happened was the full palace process, where the interview proposal was placed under all the scrutiny and due diligence that usually takes place.”
Meghan Markle, the wife of Prince Harry, was “horrified” with Andrew’s BBC interview, especially his comment about not remembering Giuffre.
“And without putting too fine a point on it, if you’re a man, it is a positive act to have sex with somebody,” Andrew told BBC. “You have to take some sort of positive action, and so, therefore, if you try to forget, it’s very difficult to try and forget a positive action, and I do not remember anything.”
Andrew claimed he would participate with U.S. authorities investigating Epstein’s sex trafficking if his lawyers agreed, but he has yet to speak with the FBI. Epstein died in his jail cell in August of suicide while awaiting trial for his alleged crimes.
