William Allegedly Pushing Charles to Cut Off Andrew — But Insider Says King Held Back by Key Concern
Trigger Warning: This article contains themes of sexual assault that some readers may find distressing.
Another day, another scandal tied to Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson’s controversial past. The Duke and Duchess of York just can't seem to escape the headlines, most of which circle back to their friendship with Jeffrey Epstein. Now, it appears Prince William has allegedly lost patience, as a source claims he is ‘urging’ King Charles to banish the pair from family events, following Ferguson’s leaked email calling Epstein her ‘supreme friend.’ Charles, however, is said to remain torn, valuing the Yorks’ long-standing loyalty to the Crown.
Ferguson’s 2011 emails to Epstein were published by The Sun on September 20, wherein she praises him as "a steadfast, generous and supreme friend to [her] and [her] family." It was written just weeks after she said in an interview that she regretted accepting money from him and vowed not to contact him again. As the scandal broke, a source told the Daily Mail, "William feels even more strongly than the King that Andrew and Fergie are an embarrassment and will be urging his father to act. The optics of that pair of chancers guffawing away [at events] look terrible." Commenting also on William’s cold behavior with Andrew at the Duchess of Kent’s funeral, they added, "His face as he stood next to Andrew at the Duchess of Kent's funeral said it all."
While William is reportedly hell bent on banishing the Yorks, Charles is said to be in two minds, owing to the Yorks' unending loyalty. According to the insider, the King does not want to cut them off entirely because "the difference between the Yorks and the Sussexes is that Andrew and Fergie have never publicly criticized the monarchy or the King." They continued, "Andrew's friends say that even in private they've never heard him say a bad word about his brother…The late Queen, conscious that Fergie was the mother of her granddaughters, always took that view, even if Prince Philip couldn't bear to be in the same room as Sarah."
Although Charles may refrain from banning Andrew and Ferguson from all events, he is reportedly considering uninviting them from the family’s Christmas celebrations and ending their long lease on Royal Lodge. The insider revealed that the Prince of Wales is satisfied with the King’s decision, viewing it as the bare minimum to protect the monarchy’s reputation.
However, it's not just William. The monarch is also said to be under pressure, as multiple charities, including The Teenage Cancer Trust, Julia’s House, Prevent Breast Cancer, and the British Heart Foundation, severed ties with Ferguson in the last 24 hours.
In the aftermath of the email leak, a friend alleged that the Duchess was forced to write it because she had been threatened by aggressive legal action by Epstein. They told The Sun, "He was furious she had done the right thing and condemned him publicly, and wanted revenge. She felt she had no option but to write in the way she did — trying to appease him and make it all go away."
If you are being subjected to sexual assault, or know of anyone who is, please call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800.656.HOPE (4673)