According to a new biography by The Mirror's royal editor Russell Myers, the relationship between the Prince and Princess of Wales and the disgraced Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor became 'terminal' after his 2019 BBC Newsnight interview. The book, titled William and Catherine: The Intimate Inside Story, reveals that the couple had long believed it best to keep their distance from Andrew, and that his failure to apologise for his connection to Jeffrey Epstein or acknowledge the victims of sexual abuse during the interview permanently damaged him in the public eye.
The biography also claims that William demanded Andrew be immediately banished from the royal fold 'before the rot set in' following revelations of his close relationship with Epstein. It states that William never saw eye to eye with his uncle, even before his fall from grace, and has made it clear that once he becomes king, there will be no mercy for Andrew.
In contrast, the late Queen Elizabeth II sought to protect her son from complete banishment, hoping he would one day be exonerated. King Charles III also attempted to honour his mother's wishes, stopping short of pushing for Andrew's complete banishment for a long time. However, William and Kate have consistently advocated for a firmer stance.
The book, which is the first joint biography of the Prince and Princess of Wales in over a decade, also covers their resilience amid media scrutiny, the controversies of their 2022 Caribbean tour, and the shock cancer diagnoses of both the princess and King Charles. It provides behind-the-scenes context on their reaction to the departure of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
William and Catherine: The Intimate Inside Story is published on 26 February by Ebury, Penguin Random House, and is available for pre-order.
