Prince William vs. Prince Andrew: Prince of Wales 'Took Charge' of Crafting Duke of York's Royal Exit
Prince William 'took charge' from Queen Elizabeth II when it came to accelerating Prince Andrew's demise from public royal life
Prince William led the "charge" for banishing Prince Andrew from royal life after his disastrous 2019 interview with BBC's Newsnight. In his new book, Endgame, author Omid Scobie revealed that the then-Duke of Cambridge personally visited the late Queen Elizabeth II in 2021 to discuss the Duke of York. The future king did this as he thought she may go too "soft" on her favorite son, who William felt "can still inflict considerable damage to the monarchy."
Scobie claims that the meeting between The Queen and the Duke of Cambridge occurred sometime after the death of Prince Philip on April 9, 2021. Since the late Duke of Edinburgh typically led the way when it came to uncomfortable discussions or decisions, William was determined to address the "Andrew problem," as he felt it posed a direct threat to his future Crown.
Royal sources told Scobie that Her Majesty and her grandson spoke for over an hour, with the late monarch agreeing that the stripping of Andrew's military honors and "HRH" style was appropriate. The co-author of Finding Freedom revealed that it was a "genuinely sad" decision for the Firm, and yet another "gut punch" after the recent demise of the sovereign's consort.
Although William allegedly had to have a tough conversation with Britain's longest-reigning monarch, Scobie also offered insights into how the heir to the throne models his approach to monarchy on his grandmother — not his father.
Palace insiders told the writer: "William [doesn't'] think his father is competent enough, quite frankly. Though they share similar passions and interests, their style of leadership is completely different."
King Charles III is said to favor a more modernist and interventionist approach to the Crown than his mother ever did. Although Prince William is also said to want to modernize the monarchy, others have also claimed he keeps Elizabeth II in mind when he thinks of his future role.
Both William and Kate, Princess of Wales, are facing a dilemma of sorts as millennial royals tasked with restructuring the British monarchy in a less deferential age. It is rumored that both are seeking to maintain a sliver of the remote mystery Queen Elizabeth II projected for decades while balancing this with a new and more involved approach to the public.
"They know very well what they do well. This is the authentic couple that we have been waiting to see for years. Like William letting slip, he went for a run in Central Park one morning. Obviously, people will draw that comparison with the paparazzi chase with Meghan and Harry in New York. This is really interesting to see that William is allowing himself to be more open," royal expert Kate Mansey dished.
Powered by RedCircle
Daily Express reported on excerpts from Endgame.
