William's relationship with 'toxic' Prince Andrew after he 'pushed' for exile (2025)

Prince William, among other members of the Firm, is understood to have a 'strained' relationship with Prince Andrew and has been 'instrumental' in the Duke of York being stripped of royal responsibility

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The future King reportedly has "no time" for his uncle Prince Andrew, but their alleged rift goes back years.

The disgraced royal, 65, was welcomed back into the fold this Easter Sunday, despite being forced to step away from royal duties more than five years ago. Prince Andrew has been embroiled in a series of scandals after reaching an out-of-court settlement worth £ 12 million with Virginia Giuffre, a former sex slave of Jeffrey Epstein's who accused the royal of sexually assaulting her on three occasions in 2001.

The settlement, in February 2022, was made without any admission of liability and Andrew has consistently and vehemently denied any wrongdoing. Since then, he has dragged King Charles into an alleged Chinese spy scandal.

On Sunday, the Duke of York was seen grinning as he walked into church at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, for the Easter service alongside the King and Queen. However, he missed the Prince and Princess of Wales, who decided to skip the Windsor gathering to extend their break in Norfolk.

Despite seemingly being welcomed back, Andrew's relationship with family members, including Prince William, remains "incredibly strained" after a series of incidents, sources revealed. William is understood to be reluctant to spend time with his uncle at any gathering after the Duke has heaped shame on the family.

He was reportedly instrumental in Andrew's banishment from royal life, after his disastrous Newsnight interview in 2019 which exposed his relationship with the late billionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. A royal source said: "William has no time for his uncle. This Easter was about spending time with his own family, but he would far prefer a situation where he doesn't have to spend time with him."

Throughout Prince Andrew's downfall, it has been widely reported that both King Charles and Prince William have intervened to prevent certain appearances, such as at the Order of the Garter ceremony. However, reports suggest that any tension between the future king and his uncle stems from a longstanding 'grudge' dating back to the early days of William's relationship with the Princess of Wales.

Richard Kay's column in the Daily Mail 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." Responding to the claims, former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond told OK!: "I think William was quick to grasp that Andrew is toxic to the royal brand.

"And, in a pretty ruthless and business like way, I think William has pushed for Andrew to be excluded and to stay excluded from the official royal circle." Referring to reports in the Express that Prince Andrew and Prince William have always had a distant relationship, Jennie added: "I have no idea whether this dates back to some kind of grudge about the way Andrew treated Catherine in the early days. I certainly never heard anything to that effect."

"I do know that Diana liked Andrew very much and she found him good fun and very welcoming. So I don't know why he would have been any different with Catherine. But then, families are complicated!".

Following the Easter celebrations this Bank Holiday, a senior royal source added: "The Duke seems to be in the habit of being a significant contributor of headaches for the family and many have run out of patience with him." One of Andrew's remaining supporters continues to be his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, who he still lives with in Windsor.