It has always been understood that things are going to change in the British Royal family once Prince William is King. For a while there, it just seemed like that future wasn’t all that close. But news of King Charles’ illness has led to more speculation about what the future will look like when Prince William is king. And though a lot is speculation, William and Kate Middleton have been taking on added responsibility due to the King’s illnesses, which gives us somewhat of a glimpse at what he might be as a King.
And one thing he has been clear on is his desire to modernize the monarchy and to move away from the recent scandals. That’s partly why reports indicate he’s ready to cut ties with his brother Harry and Meghan Markle, with whom he is said not to be on speaking terms at the moment. But another relative, William reportedly wants to cut out from the monarchy going forward, is his uncle, Prince Andrew.
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But Prince Andrew doesn’t seem to be happy with just doing what his nephew wants. The disgraced Prince has reportedly refused to vacate his home, Royal Lodge, despite King Charles cutting his annual allowance and withdrawing funding for his security detail, moves that were seen as the King putting pressure on him to downsize. Prince Andrew could have moved to Frogmore Cottage, where Prince Harry and Meghan Markle used to live, but reportedly has no plans to do so, according to GB News.
“He has refused to leave his lavish mansion and move to the significantly smaller Frogmore Cottage, believing it to be not grand enough for him,” property buying agent Robin Edwards told the outlet.
This, of course, means that Prince Andrew has had to figure out how to pay for security without the money from the crown. Edwards claimed that “he has apparently been forced to economise and hire a cut-price security firm to guard him and Royal Lodge.”
Considering Prince Andrew’s troubled past and the continued interest in his ties to Jeffrey Epstein, the prevailing thought is that once Prince William is in charge, he will also escalate the response to his uncle. This is not at all surprising, considering reports that he’s ready to do that against his own brother.
“Prince William has long had a strained and distant relationship with Andrew,” royal expert Hilary Fordwich told Fox News Digital, adding that the Prince holds “a grudge against his disgraced uncle.”
“Andrew’s future within the royal family is beyond bleak, since Prince William is firmly opposed to any public rehabilitation with no foreseeable path back,” Fordwich claimed. “He wants Andrew to vanish from public view.”
William’s issues with his uncle don’t extend to Princess Andrew’s daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie. Instead, the two, who are not working royals, are expected to take on larger roles once Prince William becomes King.
“When William ascends the throne, Beatrice and Eugenie will be valuable assets, and I’m certain they will get involved with royal duties. It makes perfect sense, because he will need them,” Ingrid Seward, royal author and editor-in-chief of Majesty Magazine, told Hello!.
So, at least some of the family is still on good terms and is expected to continue so. As for Prince Andrew, however, we probably won’t be seeing him with the rest of the family again.