Prince William’s relationship with his uncle has reportedly been strained for years, largely due to the controversy surrounding Mountbatten-Windsor’s connection to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and allegations involving Virginia Giuffre, which he has consistently denied.
Daily Mail royal editor Russell Myers addressed the situation in his book William & Catherine: The Intimate Inside Story, writing that William took a firm stance regarding his uncle’s future within the royal family.
Myers claimed the prince had urged Andrew to settle the civil case brought by Giuffre to avoid further damage to the monarchy.
“Talks gathered at pace concerning Andrew’s ‘ultimate gamble’ of demanding to be tried by a jury in the case,” he wrote. “In private, William again voiced his concerns to his father that his disgraced uncle should seek to settle the case to avoid further scandal.”
“The duke would eventually choose to settle with Giuffre for £12 million ($16 million) on 14 February, £2 million ($2.7 million) of which was set as a donation to her personal charity for sex-abuse victims,” he added.
Myers also claimed William went further by suggesting that his uncle should not attend royal events at all. However, the idea was reportedly rejected by then–Prince of Wales Charles.
According to the author, William respected his father’s decision but remained firm in his own views. He was “privately adamant that when he became king, the Duke of York would have absolutely no place within the royal fold, publicly or otherwise”.
Mountbatten-Windsor was eventually stripped of his royal titles following growing scrutiny over his association with Epstein.
On February 19, 2026, Thames Valley Police took him into custody as part of an investigation into allegations of misconduct in public office. He was released after 11 hours.
