Prince William "has had enough" of one Royal Family member - and it isn't Prince Harry or Meghan Markle. The Prince of Wales wants his uncle, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, to abandon legal action against Thames Valley Police.
Author Rob Shuter claims a "Palace insider" told him: "William has had enough. He wants Andrew to stop fighting, stay out of sight and stop putting Epstein and the Royal Family back into the headlines." The source is quoted in Shuter's Naughty But Nice Substack newsletter as saying that for the prince "every new legal battle damages the Crown".
Royals divided over Andrew's legal action
Shuter's source claimed the royals appear divided over Andrew's legal action against the police. The former prince was arrested on his 66th birthday earlier this year on suspicion of misconduct in public office amid allegations he shared sensitive information with his late pal Jeffrey Epstein during his time as the UK's trade envoy.
The former Duke of York is launching a bid to quash search warrants which led to his arrest. Andrew has been granted permission to challenge whether Thames Valley Police acted lawfully over the searches linked to his arrest in February.
King Charles 'staying out of it'
Writing in his newsletter, Shuter cited his source as claiming King Charles is staying completely out of it, but privately believes his brother has a right to challenge the warrants if he thinks they weren't obtained properly. The source told Naughty But Nice that the King won't defend Andrew publicly or "drag" Buckingham Palace into the fight. They said William, however, sees "a continuing threat to the monarchy".
The former duke, who now lives on the King's private Sandringham estate in Norfolk, was interviewed under caution on February 19 before being released under investigation. Police began their searches of Andrew's residence on the Sandringham estate and his former Windsor home, Royal Lodge, on the same day he was interviewed under caution. Thames Valley Police confirmed on February 24 that they had ended.
High Court hearing due
A judicial spokesperson has confirmed a private hearing in Andrew's legal claim is due to take place at 2pm on Thursday at the High Court before Mr Justice Hilliard. Andrew has been warned not to use the King's private money to fund his legal action. He receives an annual stipend – the amount of which has not been disclosed – provided by Charles from his private funds, but a palace source said it has been made clear this money should not be used to fund the judicial review.
A judge at the Old Bailey had issued the warrants which allowed police to search Andrew's current and former residences. The Telegraph on Tuesday (October 6) reported that he claimed officers had removed "private and confidential material" not connected to the investigation. The King stripped his brother of both his right to be a prince and his dukedom late last year over his association with Epstein, a convicted sex offender who was found dead in a jail cell in New York in August 2019. Andrew told the BBC in November of the same year that suggesting he and Epstein were close friends was "a stretch".
