As a new tell-all threatens to reignite the Prince Andrew scandal, royal insiders say William and Kate have had enough
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The royals have weathered many storms over recent years, but with Virginia Giuffre’s posthumous memoir, Nobody’s Girl, set for release next week, insiders say the family are fearing the worst – especially Prince William and Kate Middleton.
The publisher has promised ‘intimate, disturbing and heartbreaking new details’ about Giuffre’s time with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, as well as Prince Andrew, about whom she speaks publicly for the first time since their 2022 settlement.
As they prepare themselves for all the lurid details that could emerge, sources say the future King and his wife Kate, both 43, have closed ranks and are united in their plan to push Prince Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson out for good.
Fergie and Andrew have recently found themselves at the centre of another scandal ©Karwai Tang/WireImage
‘This is the chapter William and Kate have dreaded,’ a source tells Closer. ‘Even if the lawyers are ready, the sheer humiliation of reliving all this is unbearable. They want Andrew permanently off the stage.
‘Together, William and Kate are said to have drawn up what aides privately call the final line: no royal role, no funding, and no future public appearances for Andrew. It’s the firmest position yet and one that could finally banish the Yorks from the royal inner circle for good.’
Giuffre’s long-standing allegations – that she was trafficked to have sex with Andrew, 65, in London, New York, and on Epstein’s private island – are detailed in her 2021 civil case, which was later settled without admission of liability. Prince Andrew was stripped of his royal titles as a result.
William and Kate are fearing the worst ©Samir Hussein/WireImage
The 400-page memoir – which will be released on 21 October, six months after she tragically took her own life at the age of 41 – revisits those same encounters and, according to legal filings, will include her first-person account of those events.
It also reportedly returns to the now-infamous Tramp nightclub night – the same event Andrew awkwardly addressed in his 2019 Newsnight interview with Emily Maitlis, claiming he had no memory of meeting Giuffre.
Another detail to supposedly resurface is Giuffre’s already public allegation that Andrew used a Spitting Image caricature ‘sex puppet’ of himself to grope her breast, an account referenced in unsealed court material years ago and is said to appear in her manuscript. Andrew has always denied wrongdoing.
Virginia Giuffre made a number of allegations about Prince Andrew ©Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images
Meanwhile, Andrew’s ex-wife, Fergie, 65, found herself embroiled in the scandal after damning emails between her and Epstein were released last month. They showed her apologising directly to the financier, who died in August 2019, while he awaited trial on sex-trafficking charges and branded him her ‘steadfast, generous and supreme friend’.
However, a spokesperson for the Duchess recently said that email was only sent to Epstein in a bid to placate him after he threatened to sue Fergie for defamation. In a statement, the spokesperson added, ‘The Duchess spoke of her regret about her association with Epstein many years ago and, as they have always been, her first thoughts are with his victims’.
It came after Sarah admitted in a 2011 interview that she’d made a ‘terrible, terrible error of judgement’ in accepting £15,000 from Epstein – who, by then, was a convicted child sex offender – to pay off her debts.
Leaked emails between Fergie and Jeffrey Epstein recently came to light ©Tim Clayton/Getty Images
Our source explains that the royals are holding crisis meetings in the run-up to the publication of Giuffre’s book. ‘Statements are being discussed, schedules adjusted, and media advisers put on standby. It feels like the calm before the storm,’ the insider says. ‘Everyone’s just waiting to see what the book says – and how bad it gets.’
For daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, the looming publication ‘feels like déjà vu’. Our source adds, ‘They’re beside themselves. Beatrice worries her father won’t survive another public flogging. Eugenie’s terrified for her mum – she’s seen how much this has cost Sarah emotionally. She’s breaking down with the news of more scandal and is struggling to cope.’
As Closer previously reported, the Duchess of York – who has been let go from at least seven charities in the wake of her leaked emails – was ‘falling apart’ over her current situation. And with sources revealing William sees no option but to ‘draw a line’ under the former couple’s association with the royals, Fergie has good reason to worry. ‘William has no intention of allowing Andrew or Sarah to undermine the monarchy any further. He’s determined to draw a line under decades of scandal – no matter how painful the personal cost,’ our insider says.
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But inside Clarence House, King Charles, 76, is said to be deeply conflicted. ‘He knows history will judge him on how he handles Andrew. But family loyalty is in his DNA. It’s agonising,’ our insider continues.
‘Charles feels torn. He knows Andrew has disgraced the Crown, but he still sees him as his brother. That instinct to protect runs deep.
‘Charles is cautious, perhaps even weak, when it comes to Andrew. William is the opposite – decisive, ruthless when necessary. He’s thinking about the next 50 years, not the next five.’
Our insider adds, ‘For William and Kate, it’s the moment they prove they can lead with clarity. William believes the monarchy cannot afford half-measures. He wants to protect the future, not patch over the past. It sounds ruthless but they see no other way. They have to draw the line now or risk losing control forever.’