Ex-Prince Andrew Was 'Unwelcoming' to Kate Middleton, Prompting Longstanding 'Grudge' from Prince William
Ex-Prince Andrew Was 'Unwelcoming' to Kate Middleton, Prompting Longstanding 'Grudge' from Prince William
Meredith KileThu, March 5, 2026 at 5:41 PM UTC
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Prince William, Kate Middleton and Prince Andrew at the Duchess of Kent's funeral on Sept. 16, 2025Credit: Karwai Tang/WireImage
Prince William wants the former Prince Andrew "dealt with" before it's his time to take the throne, a royal biographer claims, and some say it's the result of a longstanding grudge.
In August 2024, more than a year before King Charles stripped Andrew of his royal titles, journalist Richard Kay spoke with the Mail Online about the animosity between Prince William and his uncle, believed to stem from Andrew's past treatment of Kate Middleton.
"Differences between monarch and heir do remain, especially when it comes to the Prince Andrew scandal," Kay said. "William has long held a grudge against Andrew for being unwelcoming when he first introduced the then Kate Middleton to the royal family and feels that his father has been too soft on him."
Royal biographer Andrew Lownie previously told PEOPLE that Andrew "wasn’t nice when Kate came into the family. He thought she wasn’t posh enough," referring to the Princess of Wales' "commoner" upbringing.
In speaking with PEOPLE for this week's cover story on the former Duke of York, Lownie says that Andrew's life in the royal bubble defines him.
“Status is everything to him — it’s his only sense of identity," Lownie says.
The royal expert also notes that Andrew's latest scandal — he was arrested on Feb. 19 on suspicion of misconduct in public office — has once again motivated William to call for a tougher approach toward his uncle. The arrest came amid an investigation into claims that Andrew disclosed confidential information to Jeffrey Epstein while serving as a trade envoy; it does not appear to be related in any way to allegations of sexual misconduct.
“William wants it all cleaned out before he gets [on the throne],” Lownie says. “He wants it dealt with now.”
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King Charles is said to remain “very fond” of Andrew's daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, according to royal author Ingrid Seward. The sisters, who do not have positions as senior working members of the royal family but retained their titles despite their father's being stripped, attended Christmas with the royal family without their parents.
The former Prince Andrew and Prince William attend the funeral of Katharine, Duchess of Kent, on Sept. 16, 2025Credit: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty
In October 2025, King Charles announced that he was removing his brother's royal titles as interest in Andrew’s ties to Epstein mounted. In addition, Andrew was forced to give up the lease on his longtime Windsor home, Royal Lodge. However, Prince William reportedly wanted action taken far earlier, even before the trove of new Epstein files further linked the former Duke of York to the disgraced financier. Andrew has denied any wrongdoing in connection with his relationship to Epstein.
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Last month, royal biographer Russell Myers shared an excerpt from his new book, William and Catherine: The Monarchy's New Era: The Inside Story, out March 10, in which he claims that William began campaigning for Andrew to be cut off from the royal fold in the aftermath of the former prince's disastrous 2019 Newsnight interview about his ties to Epstein.
A source 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. He never much liked his uncle and wanted him out of the picture immediately before the rot further set in."
“William’s view was that he [Andrew] got himself into the whole mess, so he should be left to his own devices to sort it out away from the family," the source added. "The Prince of Wales was adamant the whole episode would never go away and, despite how others may have felt, there was absolutely no upside in Andrew being protected."
"His view was crystal clear: Andrew shouldn’t be anywhere near the family under any circumstances, not by association, not at family functions, anywhere...Every single time there was a new revelation, which no one knew when it was coming or what the next one would be, it was a stain on all of the family."
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
