(NewsNation) — There is reportedly tension within the royal family, and this time it has nothing to do with Meghan and Prince Harry.
Prince William and King Charles are at odds over how to move forward with the monarchy, with the future king worried that the institution is out of step with the rest of the world, royal biographer Andrew Lownie exclusively tells NewsNation’s Paula Froelich.
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“There are always tensions between the Prince of Wales and the Monarch,” Lownie says. “They’re different, you know, there are different generations.”
Charles still believes in the “pomp and ceremony” of the royal family, while “William’s view is, actually, ‘We’re becoming irrelevant. People are just laughing at us,’” Lownie says.
Royal family took time dealing with Andrew, says biographer
William was also seemingly peeved that the situation involving his uncle, the now former Prince Andrew, was not moving fast enough.
“This is a problem that should have been dealt with years ago. They knew about Andrew. They were briefed,” Lownie says.
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – NOVEMBER 3: Prince William, Prince of Wales meets participants of the Generation Earthshot Programme, at Maracana Stadium on day one of his visit to Brazil for the annual Earthshot Prize Awards on November 3, 2025 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Aaron Chown – Pool/Getty Images)
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – SEPTEMBER 16: (EMBARGOED FOR PUBLICATION IN UK NEWSPAPERS UNTIL 24 HOURS AFTER CREATE DATE AND TIME) Prince Andrew, Duke of York, King Charles III and Prince William, Prince of Wales attend Katharine, Duchess of Kent’s Requiem Mass service at Westminster Cathedral on September 16, 2025 in London, England. Katharine, Duchess of Kent was married to Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, a first cousin of Queen Elizabeth II. She died on September 4 at the age of 92 at Kensington Palace surrounded by her family. Having converted to Catholicism in 1994, her funeral takes place at Westminster Cathedral and is the first Catholic funeral to be held for a member of the royal family in modern British history. Her Royal Highness will be laid to rest at the Royal Burial Ground at Frogmore, Windsor. (Photo by Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)
Britain’s King Charles III attends a reception at The Pontifical Beda College in Rome, Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
“The queen was told about Andrew. I think one of the shocking things in my book was that she didn’t do anything about it. Diplomats, politicians and others, members of the security services, came to her with extraordinary stories about Andrew’s behavior, and she basically turned a blind eye.”
Andrew’s troubling relationship with Jeffrey Epstein has been a persistent headache for the royal family, years after he stepped down from his royal duties.
Sarah Ferguson stayed in touch with Jeffrey Epstein for years: biographer
He was stripped by Queen Elizabeth II of his responsibilities in 2019 after he sat down for a disastrous BBC interview with “Newsnight” to address his friendship with Epstein and quell public criticism.
During his interview, Andrew was questioned as to why he maintained a relationship with the financier following his 2009 release from prison after pleading guilty to charges of soliciting a prostitute and of solicitation of prostitution with a minor under the age of 18.
Watch more of the exclusive interview above.
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