Prince Philip
Pictured: Prince Philip leaves St George's Chapel after the wedding of Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and The Duchess of Sussex at St Georges Chapel on May 19, 2018 in Windsor, England. Getty Images/Gareth Fuller-WPA Pool

Prince Philip reportedly had a tense showdown with his son, Prince Andrew, after the latter’s controversial interview with BBC’s Emily Maitlis.

A royal insider told The Telegraph that the Duke of Edinburgh called a meeting with the Duke of York after his “car crash interview.” During their conversation, the retired royal advised Prince Andrew to take his punishment.

“There was no screaming or shouting but Philip told him in no uncertain terms that he had to step down for the sake of the monarchy. Philip doesn’t like trial by the media but he is realistic enough to realize that Andrew’s actions were a danger to the very fabric of the royal family,” the royal insider said.

The source said that Prince Andrew returned to Sandringham for a second showdown with Prince Philip. But this time around, Prince Charles was also involved. The three senior royals discussed the issues over a light lunch on Queen Elizabeth’s estate.

Prince Charles reportedly read the riot act to his younger brother and told him that there was no way back for him into the royal family now or in the near future. Next year, Buckingham Palace was planning a huge 60th birthday celebration for Prince Andrew, but the source said that this will no longer push through.

Meanwhile, this wasn’t the first time that the riot act was read to Prince Andrew. Decades ago, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh became furious with their third child that they decided to finally read the riot act to him.

In an article for Vanity Fair, journalist Sue Arnold explained what happened.

“Andrew's romantic escapades, together with some much-publicized midshipman japes (he has a penchant for practical jokes), earned him the reputation of Royal Lout-About-Town, a label that saddened his mother and annoyed his father. It was only after the famous paint-spraying episode on an official visit to California, when Andrew doused a row of photographers with white paint, that his parents finally read the riot act,” she said.

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