King Charles III and Prince William appeared to realise it was best to cut their losses with Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor over his controversial friendship with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein when the decision was made to strip the former prince of his titles and evict him from his Windsor home last year.
But a source close to the York family says the monarch and his heir also received “some kind of forewarning” that the scandal surrounding Andrew’s association with Epstein was far from over.
The source, who is said to be a friend of Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, told the Daily Mail: “It seems clear that William and the King were given some kind of forewarning in the intelligence briefings late last year about what was still to come.
“They obviously couldn’t share that, and when they evicted Andrew and Sarah from Royal Lodge, some people thought it was too harsh. In light of what’s now come out, it looks a more appropriate sanction.”