A royal book has shed light on Prince William’s role in the downfall of Prince Andrew, contradicting earlier reports that the decision to strip the Duke of York of his patronages was a collective effort.
At the time, it was reported that Prince William and King Charles were in “lockstep” over the decision to remove Prince Andrew’s ‘HRH’ styling and his honorary military roles. However, Omid Scobie suggests in his latest book, Endgame, that it was actually William alone who advocated for action against his scandal-ridden uncle.
The 2023 book reveals that Prince William “set the wheels in motion” to strip these royal privileges from his uncle in January 2022, when the “prospect of an out-of-court settlement involving money from the family’s private wealth were all damaging the monarchy’s reputation.”
Andrew was accused by Virginia Giuffre – a victim of Jeffrey Epstein – of sexually assaulting her three times: once in London, at convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell’s home, once in New York, and once on Epstein’s private island Little St. James, the Mirror reports.
Andrew has consistently denied the allegations, but later settled a civil suit with Guiffre out of court for a sum believed to be around £12m.
Scobie reveals in his book that a source informed him Prince Andrew “knew it was coming”, but the involvement of Prince William was unexpected.
The author notes: “William was keenly aware that the horrific allegations, the fallout from the embarrassing interview, and now the prospect of an out-of-court settlement involving money from the family’s private wealth were all damaging the monarchy’s reputation.”
Consequently, the future King felt compelled to intervene. Despite the late Queen Elizabeth II’s reported fondness for Prince Andrew, her alleged favourite son, she ultimately became “the official face of Andrew’s reckoning” and delivered the decisive blow.
Scobie also suggests that while many royals wanted action against Andrew, neither Charles nor the late Queen seemed prepared to confront him directly. Although Charles was openly critical of Andrew’s behaviour, he reportedly refrained from being the one to castigate his younger sibling.
Furthermore, Scobie claims that a source close to William confided that the prince believed his father lacked the competence to handle the situation with Andrew, highlighting a stark contrast in their leadership approaches.
Scobie stated that William believed the late Queen, as the family’s head, had to make the key decision regarding the removal of his military titles and HRH styling, but he wasn’t sure if she would do so without prompting.
Now the Prince of Wales, William “felt she would remain ‘soft’ on his uncle if he didn’t forcefully express his concerns to his grandmother,” according to the book.
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