As Prince Andrew’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein continues to deepen, Prince William and Duchess Kate have no intention of allowing anyone to sully the crown under their reign.
“Prince William and Duchess Kate’s zero-tolerance blueprint is already changing the dynamics of the royal family,” British royal expert Hilary Fordwich said in an interview with Fox News Digital published Monday.
“They have been particularly active behind the scenes in dealing with scandals, enforcing far greater levels of discipline, and aiming to protect the future of the monarchy by removing those who threaten its reputation in any way, shape or form,” Fordwich explained.
The Prince and Princess of Wales are said to be trying to protect the palace’s reputation and support Charles III after the scandal came to light.
British broadcaster Helena Chard said: “Prince William in particular is not happy with Prince Andrew’s handling of the situation at the moment.”
Chard noted that William is looking to the future with a “solutions-focused lens.”
“He’s much more ruthless than his father,” Chard claimed, likening William to the King of England.
“He always takes tough measures,” Chard said, adding: “We are aware of the growing reputational damage to the Royal Family and are considering decisive ways to combat further scandals.”
William, 43, is said to have found it easier to reprimand his uncle than to reprimand Charles.
“He understands that it will be more difficult for the king to deal with his brother than it will be to deal with his uncle in due course,” Chard said. “But he feels his father has been lost in a kid-gloves approach for too long.”
Prince William and other members of the royal family are said to be “fully supportive” of Prince Charles taking a tougher stance against Andrew.
“Prince William wants to have a quick and clean break from Prince Andrew before things get any worse,” Chard said. “He also wants to protect the king from harm.”
Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams agrees that Prince William is implementing a “scorched earth policy” regarding Andrew, 65, and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, 66.
Mr Fitzwilliams said: “I’m sure this issue will have been resolved by the time William becomes king,” and asked: “Who knows where Andrew and Sarah Ferguson will be living by then?”
But how the royal family plans to treat Andrew’s daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, is far more complicated.
Mr Fitzwilliams said: “There are only four living royals under the age of 70.[Beatrice and Eugenie]were a possibility, but it seems unlikely now, but anything could happen in the coming weeks and months.” He said their situation was “very difficult”.
Royal expert Ian Pelham Turner echoed claims there was “tremendous pressure” to remove Mr Andrew as a means of cleaning up the monarchy.
“Andrew thinks it’s too quiet. Sarah doesn’t like the heat. But they don’t have long to live,” Turner told Fox.
Andrew and Ferguson, who were married from 1986 to 1996, were stripped of their royal titles last week following a spate of new scandals linked to Epstein’s sex-trafficking ring.
In a statement released by Buckingham Palace, the former Duke of York said he agreed that the “continued accusations” against him were “disrupting the work of Her Majesty and the Royal Family”.
“As always, I have decided to put my duty to my family and country first. I stand by my decision five years ago to step back from public life.” “With Your Majesty’s consent, I feel the need to go a step further. I therefore no longer intend to use my title or the honor bestowed upon me.”
Mr Andrew said he “categorically” denies the accusations against him.
Three years after stepping back from royal duties in 2019, the disgraced royal was stripped of his military titles, royal patronage and use of the ‘His Royal Highness’ style in January 2022.
News emerged this week that Charles wants Andrew and Ferguson to move out of their Royal Lodge residence.
Meanwhile, Prince William has banned Andrew from attending all royal events, including his pending coronation.
Andrew is currently being investigated for allegedly asking a police protection officer to dig up information about the late Virginia Giuffre.
Giuffre has accused Andrew of sexual assault, alleging that he was involved in Epstein’s sex trafficking ring and raped Andrew when she was a minor.
The founder of Victims Refuse Silence sued Andrew in 2021, but the lawsuit was settled out of court in 2022 for an estimated $12 million. She died by suicide in April 2025.
Andrew continues to deny her allegations.
