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  "path": "/2026/02/14/prince-william-wanted-andrew-banished-royal-family-26899620/",
  "publishedAt": "2026-02-14T17:22:30.000Z",
  "site": "https://metro.co.uk",
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    "News",
    "UK",
    "Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor",
    "Catherine, Princess of Wales",
    "Prince William, Prince of Wales",
    "Royal Family",
    "disastrous Newsnight interview",
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  "textContent": "One of the last times Prince William and Andrew were seen together in public (Picture: Getty Images)\n\nPrince William allegedly wanted his ‘ignoramus’ uncle, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, banished from the royal family following his disastrous Newsnight interview.\n\nThe royal family is making headlines – and for all the wrong reasons from a PR perspective – as more details continue to emerge about Andrew’s friendship with the late paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.\n\nThe former prince Andrew, who lost his royal titles last year, could face a misconduct in public office investigation after he allegedly shared confidential government reports with Epstein.\n\nWhile the senior royals have taken steps to distance themselves from the former Duke of York in recent months, the family’s discussions about what to do about the disgraced Andrew go further back to the aftermath of his Newsnight interview with Emily Maitlis.\n\nTo view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video\n\nUp Next\n\nPrevious Page\n\nNext Page\n\n##  Sign up for all of the latest stories\n\nStart your day informed with Metro's **News Updates** newsletter or get **Breaking News **alerts the moment it happens.\n\nDuring the interview, Andrew was quizzed about his friendship with Epstein and why he went to visit him in New York even after the businessman was convicted of soliciting sex from girls as young as 14.\n\nHe denied ever having witnessed anything illegal or suspicious while visiting Epstein’s properties, and he has always denied accusations of any wrongdoing.\n\nHowever, in the court of public opinion, the 2019 interview was considered a trainwreck for Andrew and the royal family.\n\nPrince William reportedly pleaded with his dad, then Prince Charles, and the Queen to take immediate action, according to a new biography written by The Mirror’s royal editor, Russell Myers.\n\nAndrew was pictured riding his horse in Windsor just days before he was due to move out of the Royal Lodge to a ‘modest’ farm in Sandringham (Picture: REUTERS)\n\nA source claimed William was keen to get Andrew out of sight ‘before the rot set in, according to The Mirror citing the upcoming book.\n\nThey said: ‘Once you understand the fact that everything that happens in the here and now, affects everything in the future, William’s future, it is very easy to put yourself in his shoes.\n\n‘He never much liked his uncle and wanted him out of the picture immediately before the rot further set in.\n\n‘William’s view was that he got himself into the whole mess, so he should be left to his own devices to sort it out away from the family.’\n\nRoyal experts told Metro the Prince and Princess of Wales, William and Catherine, have been successful in distancing themselves from Andrew (Picture: Getty Images)\n\nSources claim William and Charles had a disagreement at Sandringham the following Christmas over whether Andrew should be banished.\n\nPrince William is said to have questioned the benefit of his uncle ‘to the wider operation’ long before Virginia Giuffre’s sexual abuse allegations involving Andrew became public.\n\nA source with knowledge of the family conversations claimed William thought Andrew was ‘a bit of an ignoramus’ and they had ‘never seen eye to eye.’\n\nWhile he has a good relationship with Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, he is said to have wanted to keep Andrew and his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, away from the family in public and private.\n\nBut this is said to have been overruled by Charles, the palace source added.\n\nDuncan Larcombe, a royal commentator and former royal editor of The Sun, told **Metro** that the Andrew-Epstein relationship has ‘bubbled up at times since before 2011.’\n\n‘And yet the royal family have thought that if they just shut their eyes and put their fingers in their ears it is all going to go away,’ he said.\n\nHe continued: ‘There have been many occasions along the route where the royal family could have taken the initiative on this.\n\n‘But they didn’t out of loyalty to Andrew and especially with the late Queen.\n\n‘They had many opportunities to properly nail this down, but they didn’t because they were loyal to Andrew. And this is why we’ve ended up in this situation we are today.’\n\nYou can read the royal expert’s analysis of what the next steps are for the royals amid the Andrew scandal here.\n\n******Get in touch with our news team by emailing us atwebnews@metro.co.uk.******\n\n**For more stories like this,****check our news page**.\n\nComment now Comments  Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source ",
  "title": "Prince William ‘wanted Andrew banished’ from the royal family"
}