Tag: will

Prince William sees Prince Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson as a “threat” — and this time, his father is backing him up to freeze them out.

The claim was made by royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams, who said King Charles and his heir finally see eye to eye on how to handle their ongoing “Andrew problem.”

“The king does have empathy as Andrew is his brother, but William sees the couple as a threat to the monarchy,” Fitzwilliams claimed to Fox News Digital.

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“The king welcomed Sarah Ferguson at Christmas out of sympathy for her illnesses and to give his beleaguered brother some slack,” he explained. “That’s no longer the case. The king will reportedly insist on a lower profile.”

“Prince William is focused on protecting the monarchy’s future and its public image, wanting Andrew completely frozen out,” British royals expert Hilary Fordwich told Fox News Digital. “He has been lobbying behind the scenes for more decisive measures, possibly pursuing the full removal of Andrew’s titles and formal roles — and even parliamentary action once he becomes king.”

Fitzwilliams and Fordwich’s comments came shortly after sources close to the king, 76, told the U.K. Times he will not welcome the Duke and Duchess of York during the holidays this year.

According to insiders, Charles said he would keep the couple “at arm’s length” after it was revealed that Ferguson maintained ties with late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein despite publicly denouncing him in 2011. The outlet also reported the king prefers the pair to remain “invisible.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace for comment.

“Prince William takes a far more appropriate approach to future-proofing the monarchy,” Fordwich said. “The king’s reluctance has been on full display. His hesitation has been seen publicly as naïve and risky, eroding faith in the monarchy.”

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“Andrew isn’t going to behave. The king can’t remove his brother, so they need to manage him since his presence is an existential threat,” said Fordwich. “Prince William supports a clean break and has reportedly considered banning Andrew from all official events.”

Palace insiders told Vanity Fair’s royal correspondent Katie Nicholl that William is “keen” to resolve what some palace circles have called the “York problem.”

“It’s something that William is acutely aware of and wants resolved,” a family friend told Nicholl. “Charles is not a confrontational person and doesn’t want any more family feuds, but he recognizes that his brother poses challenges. William takes a harder line and has made it clear that he thinks his uncle and aunt could cause the monarchy real reputational damage.”

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“My prediction is that over the next few months, we’ll see more overt moves from William,” Fordwich said.

Andrew Lownie, author of “Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York,” told Nicholl that Charles and William had disagreed on what to do. His book takes a deep look at the Duke and Duchess of York’s ties to Epstein.

“I’m told William’s view is that his father needs to take a firmer line with Andrew,” Lownie claimed to Nicholl.

“William, as future king, will have to deal with the fallout from this. He wants this problem solved and has no sentimental attachment to Andrew. He has no time for Andrew, and he can see how toxic the Yorks are.”

Last week, Ferguson was dropped as a patron for several charities after leaked emails showed she once called Epstein a “steadfast, generous and supreme friend.” A representative for Ferguson, 65, did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

“I know you feel hellaciously let down by me from what you were either told or read, and I must humbly apologize to you and your heart for that,” Ferguson allegedly wrote, as reported by the U.K.’s Daily Mail.

“I was advised, in no uncertain terms, to have nothing to do with you and to not speak or email you, and if I did, I would cause more problems to you, [Prince Andrew] and myself,” she continued. “I was instructed to act with the utmost speed if I were to have any chance of holding on to my career as a children’s book author and a children’s philanthropist.”

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In a statement to The Guardian, a representative for Ferguson said she stands by her public condemnation of Epstein.

“Like many people, she was taken in by [Epstein’s] lies. As soon as she was aware of the extent of the allegations against him, she not only cut off contact but condemned him publicly, to the extent that he then threatened to sue her for defamation for associating him with pedophilia,” the statement read. “She does not resile from anything she said then. This email was sent in the context of advice the duchess was given to try to assuage Epstein and his threats.”

British broadcaster and photographer Helena Chard told Fox News Digital that William’s no-nonsense leadership is needed now more than ever at the palace.

“King Charles moved ahead with the soft, kid-gloves approach,” she said. “It hasn’t worked. He has no choice but to take Prince William’s hard-line stance. William has no time for his uncle or for Fergie. He wants them banished — or at least kept out of sight, out of mind.”

Friends of the duchess told the U.K. Times she was “devastated by the embarrassment” from the email scandal and “will explain herself to the wider royal family in due course.”

A friend of the king also told the U.K. Times the monarch wants the couple out of the spotlight.

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“The king is not of the mind to banish someone worshipping at church or attending family occasions like a funeral,” said the source. “But he would hope they would find a more discreet way of attending these events. In the Duke of York’s case, he seems to relish the prospect of not being low-key about it.”

It’s a major blow for Ferguson, who was brought back into the royal circle after the king’s ascension in 2022. Since becoming king, he has welcomed her to royal gatherings.

The Duke and Duchess of York divorced in 1996.

“I’ve known the king all my life and I absolutely adore him,” Ferguson told the U.K. Times last year. “He’s kind and makes me laugh, and I love that he still calls me Fergie.”

She also expressed her wish to do more public work for the royal family, telling the outlet, “I wish they’d ask me to do more.”

According to a spokesman for the duchess, she sent the email after Epstein threatened to “destroy the York family” during a “Hannibal Lecter-style” phone call. Ferguson was said to be “mortified” and had been advised that taking a personal approach to Epstein could end his legal threats.

But the damage is done. Ferguson’s children’s book, which was scheduled to be published next month, has been postponed until next year. Actress Natalie Dormer, who plays the duchess in an upcoming ITV drama, has also pulled out of promoting the show. Instead, she is donating to charities for abused children.

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The Daily Mail reported that Ferguson is at risk of losing her honorary “Freedom of the City of York” title. The City Council will consider the move before its November meeting. 

Andrew lost the same title three years ago. He stepped back as a senior royal in 2019 due to his controversial ties to Epstein.

“The Epstein circle of shame and intense scrutiny will continue,” Chard warned. “Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson’s mere association with Epstein has brought public humiliation and damage to not only their reputation but that of the monarchy’s, too. This is a long-term scandal that I believe is here to stay. This scandal will do irreversible damage to the monarchy if Andrew and Sarah are continuously seen out and about with the royal family, whether in private or not.”

“Prince Andrew pushes boundaries — give him an inch and he’ll take a mile. Andrew and Sarah have become a toxic brand,” Chard added.

Epstein was found dead in his New York jail cell weeks after his 2019 arrest. The American financier, 66, was awaiting trial on U.S. federal sex trafficking charges involving dozens of teenage girls and young women, some as young as 14. Investigators ruled his death a suicide.

Epstein’s former girlfriend, British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, was convicted in 2021 of helping lure teenage girls to be abused by him. The 63-year-old is serving a 20-year prison sentence.

Ferguson, who remained close to Andrew after their divorce, stood by her ex-husband as he faced sexual assault allegations tied to Epstein.

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Buckingham Palace stripped Andrew of his military affiliations and royal patronages in Jan. 2022.

Fox News Digital’s Christina Dugan Ramirez contributed to this report.