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Prince William’s hatred and resentment of his uncle, Prince Andrew, was etched all over his face today as he was forced into uncomfortably close quarters with the disgraced royal, accused of pedophilia and sex crimes.
What was equally intriguing was that William seemed to be boiling with anger towards his father, King Charles, as well.
Charles, of course, met William’s brother Prince Harry just days ago—defying William, who has refused to reconcile with him—and creating an unprecedented public split between monarch and heir.
A friend of William told the Daily Beast this evening that it was a “disgrace” Andrew had been seated directly behind William and Princess Kate at a Windsor family funeral.
The friend said William was “furious” at being “ambushed” by his uncle, as pictures and footage of a scowling William standing alongside Andrew and the king emerged after the funeral of the Duchess of Kent.
They noted that William has for years been at pains to avoid being photographed alongside Andrew, refusing to allow him to appear at events such as the Garter Day procession.
The images, with Andrew seated so close, will be deeply unwelcome.
The presence of Andrew caught the global media by surprise. The expectation had been that he would be kept firmly out of sight, particularly with President Donald Trump about to arrive in the U.K. for a state visit.
Trump has well-documented links to Jeffrey Epstein, and historian Andrew Lownie once described Trump, Epstein, and Andrew as “the three amigos.”
Andrew, however, has a history of inserting himself into royal occasions, often using funerals as stages for self-promotion.
After his father, the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral, he was accused of thrusting himself into the cameras’ line of sight, and he appeared to be doing much the same today.
This time, the awkward seating arrangements compounded matters: Andrew was directly behind William and Kate. Kate looked unamused; William, known for his volcanic temper, looked absolutely furious.
In several photographs, William can be seen glaring at Andrew with contempt, while in others he deliberately looks away as King Charles chuckles with his disgraced brother.
William believes Charles made a huge error in allowing Andrew back into the fold—and that he is making the same mistake again with Harry.
The photographs underline not only William’s contempt for Andrew but also his growing disapproval of his father’s “weak” management of problematic royals.
A source recently told the Daily Beast William considers his father “weak” for indulging Andrew and Harry. When he becomes king, he intends to “course correct” and will never allow either to be pictured alongside senior royals.
It’s hard to imagine Queen Elizabeth II, who died in 2022, permitting such public dissent.
Her authority ensured discipline. Without her, tensions within the Windsor family—always simmering in such a competitive, public-facing dynasty—are spilling more frequently into the open.
What makes these pictures all the more striking is the context. Charles has been, in William’s view, politically reckless in choosing to meet Harry despite his searing public attacks in his book Spare and in his Netflix series.
Harry accused the royals of racism and branded Queen Camilla as dangerous. While he did not directly name Charles when discussing “concerns” about his children’s skin color, it later emerged that Charles was among those implicated. Now, Charles faces criticism from William on two fronts: for welcoming Harry back, however briefly, and for allowing Andrew to reappear in public life.
William’s hand was strengthened by the fact that just hours after meeting his father, Harry gave an unrepentant interview insisting he was right to write his book.
Both Harry and Andrew remain central in the line of succession—Harry is fifth, Andrew eighth. These are not peripheral players. To William, who has worked diligently to keep Andrew out of sight, the photographs represent a public humiliation at the hands of his father.
The question now is whether William can keep his temper in check during day one of Trump’s state visit tomorrow.
Queen Camilla pulled out of the funeral at the last minute, citing sinusitis. Palace sources said they “hope” she will appear for the state visit for Donald Trump.
That carefully chosen word—“hope”—will do little to dampen speculation that Camilla may be pre-baking an excuse to avoid appearing alongside such a controversial president.
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The post William’s Disdain for Epstein Pal Andrew on Full Display appeared first on The Daily Beast.
