Prince William Encouraged Queen Elizabeth And Prince Charles To Banish Prince Andrew

Although insiders claimed Prince Andrew thought the BBC Newsnight interview about his personal life and relationship with Jeffrey Epstein was a success, it quickly turned into a PR nightmare for the royal family.

Due to the backlash from the interview, Prince William reportedly became upset about his uncle’s decision. The Duke of Cambridge then reached out to Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles to discuss his uncle’s future in the royal family.

A source told The Sunday Times that as a result of the interview, Prince William thought having Prince Andrew step away from his royal duties was “the right thing to do.”

“William is becoming more and more involved in decisions about the institution [monarchy], and he’s not a huge fan of his uncle Andrew,” the insider added.

It is unclear how Prince William’s influence over Prince Charles and Queen Elizabeth will affect Prince Andrew’s daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie. Beatrice and her mother, Sarah Ferguson, were among the key people who encouraged the Duke of York to go through with the interview.

The family was reportedly eager to end rumors about Prince Andrew’s involvement with Epstein’s sex crimes ahead of Beatrice’s wedding to Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi.

The Duke of York, Beatrice and his former private secretary Amanda Thirsk met BBC reporter Emily Maitlis ahead of the interview at Buckingham Palace. Princess Beatrice was reportedly concerned about the amount of attention that would be placed on her father’s private life.

“Sarah [Ferguson] was abroad, so Beatrice sat in on the discussions. Initially, Beatrice was skeptical that a television interview, which would inevitably delve into her father’s private life, was such a good idea,” a source told the outlet.

“She was asking lots of pertinent questions and had her doubts. But by the end of the meeting, she was convinced by the Newsnight team and Amanda Thirsk that they had no choice – that it was the only way to put all the rumors behind them.”

Last week, Andrew announced he would take a “step back from public duties for the foreseeable future.”