If you only listen to the pro-Prince William royal commentators, you might believe that William is the authoritarian dictator of the left-behind Windsors, barking commands and pronouncements constantly. You might believe that William is Mr. Hardline, a big-boy monarchist who believes he alone understands how to banish rogue relatives for the good of the institution. Well, obviously, the royalist fan-fic doesn’t match the reality. Instead of actually showing leadership within the family, William mostly hides out at one of his many country homes and briefs against his father, who is actually making the tough calls. Instead of sticking to his principles, however unpopular, William often backs down immediately and shoots himself in the d–k. Take, for example, William’s alleged hatred of his uncle, Prince Andrew. For years now, William has ranted about Andrew and what needs to happen to his uncle: banish, destroy, cut him off, put him on an ice floe! Except that William has also, in that time, chauffeured Andrew to church, and chatted with Andrew at a funeral, and on and on. Now it turns out that William called Andrew right after King Charles took away Andrew’s titles.
Prince William reportedly offered condolences to his uncle, the former Prince Andrew, after Andrew’s royal titles were stripped.
In a new biography of the late Queen Elizabeth, Elizabeth II: In Private. In Public. The Inside Story, author Robert Hardman reported that William called Andrew on the night that he lost his titles to “offer condolences.”
The book claims that the former Duke of York, 66, was “very touched” that Prince William, 43, was “one of the few people” who reached out to him.
Kensington Palace had no comment when reached by PEOPLE, and PEOPLE has reached out to Andrew for comment.
King Charles stripped his brother’s royal titles in October 2025 as Andrew faced renewed scrutiny around his ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The increased criticism came amid the publication of Virginia Giuffre’s posthumous memoir and newly unveiled documents that shed light on the pair’s relationship.
This happened about six months ago, and I remember all of the events perfectly – William and Kate were on vacation, hiding out in Norfolk. William’s staff kept ranting to the press that King Charles was weak and dithering on Andrew. Then, everything shifted – Andrew agreed to be unroyaled and Charles released a statement. All of a sudden, we heard that William stood by his father’s decision and William was actually worried about Andrew’s mental health. Now it turns out that William actually called up his uncle around that time too. Yeah, I simply don’t want to hear any more bullsh-t about how William is such a tough guy and he’ll banish everyone when he’s king. I also don’t want to hear anything about how these people actually care about the victims.
The Duke of York has attended church in Balmoral with senior royals in an apparent show of unity which insiders say marks an end to any talk of a “family divided”
Find out more 👇 pic.twitter.com/NRn6ts02Pq
— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) August 28, 2023


Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images, Backgrid.
- Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Prince Andrew, Duke of York chat at the Royal Albert Hall for the Annual Festival of Remembrance on November 7, 2015 in London, England.,Image: 513691348, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR 48 HOURS – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Photoshot – sales@photoshot.com London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Florida: +1 239 689 1883 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251, Model Release: no, Credit line: – / Avalon
- Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Prince Andrew, Duke of York chat at the Royal Albert Hall for the Annual Festival of Remembrance on November 7, 2015 in London, England.,Image: 513691478, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR 48 HOURS – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Photoshot – sales@photoshot.com London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Florida: +1 239 689 1883 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251, Model Release: no, Credit line: – / Avalon
- London, UK, 16th Sep 2025. Prince William and Princess Catherine. HRH King Charles III, The Prince and Princess of Wales Prince William and Princess Catherine, and other senior members of the Royal Family. The coffin is carried to the hearse. Mourners, including members of the Royal Family, are seen paying their respects as the coffin is carried out and into the hears, then departing from Westminster Cathedral after the a requiem mass, a Catholic funeral service held for the Duchess of Kent, who passed away on 4 Sep.,Image: 1037872299, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Imageplotter/Avalon
- London, UK, 16th Sep 2025. HRH King Charles III, The Prince and Princess of Wales Prince William and Princess Catherine, and other senior members of the Royal Family. The coffin is carried to the hearse. Mourners, including members of the Royal Family, are seen paying their respects as the coffin is carried out and into the hears, then departing from Westminster Cathedral after the a requiem mass, a Catholic funeral service held for the Duchess of Kent, who passed away on 4 Sep.,Image: 1037876760, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Imageplotter/Avalon
- London, UK, 16th Sep 2025. HRH King Charles III, The Prince and Princess of Wales Prince William and Princess Catherine, Anne the Princess Royal, Prince Andrew The Duke and Duchess of York, Prince Michael of Kent and other senior members of the Royal Family all pay their last respects as the coffin is carried to the hearse. They then depart from Westminster Cathedral after the a requiem mass, a Catholic funeral service held for the Duchess of Kent, who passed away on 4 Sep.,Image: 1037876903, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Imageplotter/Avalon
- London, UK, 16th Sep 2025. Prince Andrew, Prince William. Senior members of the Royal Family all pay their last respects as the coffin is carried to the hearse. They then depart from Westminster Cathedral after the a requiem mass, a Catholic funeral service held for the Duchess of Kent, who passed away on 4 Sep.,Image: 1037876936, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Imageplotter/Avalon
- London, UK, 16th Sep 2025. Prince William, Prince Andrew, Princess Catherine, Sophie Duchess of Edinburgh, Princess Anne, HRH King Charles III, The Prince and Princess of Wales Prince William and Princess Catherine, Anne the Princess Royal, Prince Andrew The Duke and Duchess of York, Prince Michael of Kent and other senior members of the Royal Family all pay their last respects as the coffin is carried to the hearse. They then depart from Westminster Cathedral after the a requiem mass, a Catholic funeral service held for the Duchess of Kent, who passed away on 4 Sep.,Image: 1037888603, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Imageplotter/Avalon
- London, UK, 16th Sep 2025. Prince William, Prince Andrew, Princess Catherine. HRH King Charles III, The Prince and Princess of Wales Prince William and Princess Catherine, Anne the Princess Royal, Prince Andrew The Duke and Duchess of York, Prince Michael of Kent and other senior members of the Royal Family all pay their last respects as the coffin is carried to the hearse. They then depart from Westminster Cathedral after the a requiem mass, a Catholic funeral service held for the Duchess of Kent, who passed away on 4 Sep.,Image: 1037888621, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Imageplotter/Avalon
- London, UK, 16th Sep 2025. Prince Andrew, King Charles, Prince William, Princess Catherine, Sarah Duchess of York. Senior members of the Royal Family all pay their last respects as the coffin is carried to the hearse. They then depart from Westminster Cathedral after the a requiem mass, a Catholic funeral service held for the Duchess of Kent, who passed away on 4 Sep.,Image: 1037888662, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Imageplotter/Avalon
-
USA Rights Only-London, England -7/10/15-75th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain
-PICTURED: Prince William, Queen Elizabeth, Prince Philip, Prince Andrew and Prince Michael of Kent
-PHOTO by: Photobeat Images/startraksphoto.com
-Startraks-XPX_OIC_BATTLE_OF_BRITAIN_FLY-5
Editorial – Rights Managed Image – Please contact www.startraksphoto.com for licensing fee
Startraks Photo
New York, NY
For licensing please call 212-414-9464 or email sales@startraksphoto.com
Image may not be published in any way that is or might be deemed defamatory, libelous, pornographic, or obscene. Please consult our sales department for any clarification or question you may have.
Startraks Photo reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this image. If you violate our intellectual property you may be liable for actual damages, loss of income, and profits you derive from the use of this image, and where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or statutory damages.
Featuring: Prince William, Queen Elizabeth, Prince Philip, Prince Andrew and Prince Michael of Kent
Where: London, England, United Kingdom
When: 10 Jul 2015
Credit: Photobeat Images/startraksphoto.com**USA Rights Only**
-
March 13, 2015: Sophie, Countess of Wessex, Prince Andrew, Duke of York, Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge attending a Service of Commemoration for troops who were stationed in Afghanistan at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, UK.
Mandatory Credit: INFphoto.com Ref.: infuklo-146Featuring: Sophie, Countess of Wessex, Prince Andrew, Duke of York, Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge
Where: London, United Kingdom
When: 13 Mar 2015
Credit: INFphoto.com
-
June 4, 2011: Catherine Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Andrew, Duke of York and Prince William, Duke of Cambridge attend the 2011 Epsom Derby at Epsom Racecourse in Epsom, UK.
Credit: Zak Hussein/INFphoto.com Ref: infuklo-108|sp|Featuring: Cathine Middleton, Kate Middleton, Prince Andrew, Prince William
Where: Epsom, United Kingdom
When: 04 Jun 2011
Credit: Zak Hussein/INFphoto.com
