Prince William Has “No Time” for Prince Andrew

Prince William is in Scotland this week enjoying some quality time with his father, King Charles, for what has become an annual father-son holiday.

Royal sources tell VF that the trip has become a “much looked forward to” date in the diary for both William and his father, who they insist are closer than ever, despite recent reports that the Prince of Wales does not see eye to eye with Charles over several issues regarding the royal family—principally over the King’s recent meeting with Prince Harry and the very public inclusion of the Duke and Duchess of York at a recent family funeral.

“They are both in Scotland and will see each other, but it’s in no way connected to recent family dramas,” a source tells VF. “They speak very regularly, and there has been no fallout.” Buckingham Palace declined to comment on speculation about the king’s relationship to his eldest son.

Their time in Scotland, a country they both love, will, however, give the king and heir a chance to discuss some important matters. VF has been told that the Prince of Wales is keen to come up with a solution for what is being referred to in palace circles as the “York problem.”

“It’s something that William is acutely aware of and wants resolved,” a family friend tells me. “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.”

This week, Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, was dropped by seven of her charities after an email from 2011 revealed that she continued corresponding with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein after claiming she had distanced herself from him. The king is under pressure to cut ties with his sister-in-law, according to royal insiders.

Andrew Lownie, author of Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of Yorks, which lifts the lid on Sarah and Prince Andrew’s close relationship with Epstein, says the king could face a backlash if he continues to be seen as supporting Andrew and Sarah, who still live at Royal Lodge in Windsor.

Despite Prince Andrew and Ferguson’s separation in 1992 and subsequent divorce in 1996, Charles still maintains a good rapport with the Duchess of York. Now their relationship is “causing problems for the King because of the optics of the royal family being so close to the Yorks,” Lownie says.

But Lownie tells me Charles and William disagree about what to do. “I’m told William’s view is that his father needs to take a firmer line with Andrew,” Lownie says. “I think this could cause real tensions between Charles and William. 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.”

Lownie adds, “He clearly recognizes that it’s very damaging for the royal family to be seen in public alongside the Yorks.”

During President Donald Trump’s state visit to the UK last week, an image of Andrew and Epstein was projected onto Windsor Castle. And at the recent funeral service for the Duchess of Kent, the Prince of Wales appeared reluctant to speak to Andrew and mindful of the cameras present.

“It’s not just the Sarah and Andrew problem; it’s becoming the William and Charles problem too, because the king and the heir have fundamentally different views about the family dynamics when it comes to Andrew and Sarah. They need to resolve it,” says Lownie.

Prince Harry is also said to be deeply irritated that Prince Andrew was given a police escort from Windsor to London for last week’s funeral service, considering Harry’s royal protection was axed after he stood down as a full-time working royal.

“You can see why Harry might be very annoyed,” Lownie adds. “Andrew is getting a police escort, but Harry has to fight for police protection. One assumes Andrew and Sarah’s police escort would have been signed off by the king. That’s not sending out the right optics.”

Buckingham Palace would not comment on security arrangements and does not comment on the Duke of York, while a spokesman for Prince Harry said, “We don’t comment on the security provision of other members of the royal family.”

Aside from living at the Royal Lodge, the 30-room mansion in Windsor Great Park that they’ve shared since 2003, in recent years, Andrew and Sarah have attended church services together alongside the royal family at Easter and Christmas, and have visited King Charles at Sandringham and Balmoral.

“The royals can’t seem to get rid of them, and the Yorks won’t disappear gracefully,” says Lownie. “It put the royals in a very difficult position, and I believe poses real reputational damage to the monarchy that Charles doesn’t seem to see.”

Lownie, whose explosive book details the Yorks’ close relationship with Epstein, adds, “Epstein was very upset when Fergie turned on him publicly. We know that in fact she continued her friendship with Epstein long after she claimed to have cut him off. There are still a lot of unanswered questions.”