The Prince of Wales pushed for the royal family to take decisive action against the Duke of York following his sex scandal, according to a new book about the monarchy.
William lobbied behind the scenes for his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, to sanction his uncle, while the King retained a “soft spot” for his disgraced brother.
In his book Endgame, Omid Scobie writes that William told his private secretary he was “ready to deal with ‘the Andrew problem’ head-on. He just needed to coax the Queen”.
William arranged a meeting with his grandmother Elizabeth and they discussed the issue for more than an hour at Windsor Castle.
Mr Scobie wrote: “In the days leading up to this personal meeting, sources say the ‘determined’ prince was unwavering in his belief that it was time to take out insurance on the Firm’s biggest risk.”
A few days after the meeting, it was announced the Queen had stripped Andrew of his remaining patronages and honorary military roles, a move the book says Charles agreed with.
But the author of Endgame does concede claims William took the lead were dismissed by one source close to Charles as being “off the mark” and part of a personal agenda.
Andrew later came to an out of court settlement, reportedly in the millions, with Virginia Giuffre who was suing the Queen’s son in a New York civil court for damages, alleging sexual abuse.
Mr Scobie believes the King’s decision to let Andrew wear his Order of the Garter robes to the coronation showed his “soft spot” for his brother.
Earlier this year, the Duke of York was also among the guests at a Windsor Caste service for the Royal Victorian Order, honours that are bestowed by the sovereign, independently of Downing Street, for services to the monarchy.
“Andrew’s mere presence in ceremonial royal garb was dramatically out of step with public opinion. More than that, it exposed Charles as weak-kneed when it comes to his brother (and his family in general),” wrote Mr Scobie.
Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace declined to comment.
