Prince William reportedly argued with his father over his uncle (Image: Getty)
Prince William directly “challenged” King Charles over his approach to his disgraced brother, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, a new bombshell book has claimed.
As revealed in extracts from William & Catherine: The Intimate Inside Story, a new book by the Daily Mirror’s Royal Editor, Russell Myers, the Prince of Wales was angered by his father’s decision to extend the hand of goodwill to the then-Prince Andrew and his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, by inviting them to spend Christmas at Sandringham with the rest of the Royal Family in 2023.
However, his challenge to the monarch led to William being “very much put in his place”, and he decided not to “provoke” his father any further, according to extracts from Myers’ explosive book.
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Prince William reportedly challenged his father over Andrew (Image: Getty Images)
Writing in his book, which will be published on February 26, Myers explores how the King’s decision to include Sarah Ferguson, in particular, on the Firm’s Christmas Day walkabout prompted such a reaction from his eldest son.
Myers writes: “In a clear sign of his wish for further harmony in his family, Charles invited his former sister-in-law, Sarah, Duchess of York, to join the Royal Family and walk alongside her ex-husband, Prince Andrew, to church at Sandringham.
“It would be the first time she had participated in this tradition in 32 years. The King’s decision to bring his brother back into the family fold was an issue William fundamentally disagreed with, to such a degree that he challenged Charles directly.
“A source with knowledge of the conversation said that William was ‘very much put in his place’, and that while he did not agree with the view that Andrew’s exile should be limited, he did not provoke his father further.”
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Andrew and Sarah were invited to spend Christmas with the Royal Family in 2023 (Image: Getty)
William & Catherine: The Intimate Inside Story will be published on February 26 (Image: Ebury Spotlight)
While Andrew’s official departure from royal life followed his 2019 car-crash interview with BBC Newsnight, Myers explains that William’s frosty relationship with his uncle dated back much further and had long been one plagued by questions of Andrew’s purpose in the Firm.
The author continues: “William’s negative view of his uncle Andrew had predated the Duke of York’s fall from grace. For years the Prince of Wales had questioned what benefit his uncle was to the wider operation.
“‘Long before he was embroiled in the scandal [involving Virginia Giuffre], he’d always thought his uncle was a bit of an ignoramus’, a palace source revealed. ‘He would question ‘what does he actually do?’.
Prince William has long had a frosty relationship with his uncle (Image: Getty Images)
“But it was more than that. He’d seen how Andrew behaved in front of staff, ordering people about, the aggressive or dismissive manner, they’d never seen eye to eye. William has a relationship with his cousins [Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie] … so he takes no umbrage with them, but there’s no love lost for Andrew or Sarah.
“In an alternate dimension, Andrew probably thought there would be a way back into public life if the scandal or the headlines died down, but it would have always had to be while his brother was King. William didn’t think either of them [Andrew or Sarah] should be anywhere near the family, publicly or otherwise, but he was overruled by his father.”
Extracted from WILLIAM AND CATHERINE by RUSSELL MYERS, published by Ebury Spotlight on 26th February at £22. Copyright © Russell Myers 2025.