Prince William is considering formally stripping Prince Andrew of his Prince, HRH and Duke of York titles when he ascends to the throne, it’s claimed.
The Prince of Wales is understood to be unhappy with the compromise brokered by his father King Charles last week which would see the disgraced Duke of York voluntarily give up using his titles – but not lose them formally.
Prince Andrew’s enduring proximity to the Royal Family is said to be infuriating to Prince William who was seen apparently ignoring his uncle’s attempts to chat at the funeral of the Duchess of Kent last month.
So one of his first moves on becoming King may be to issue an executive order using so-called ‘letters patent’ to legally remove the titles from Andrew, according to royal author Tom Sykes, editor of The Royalist on Substack.
Mr Sykes told the Daily Mail: ‘William is deeply unhappy with what he sees as a bodged agreement on Andrew – he wants him out and he is likely to do this as soon as he can.’
He added: ‘Almost as soon as he becomes King, William is planning to formally banish Andrew from the Royal Family.’
It was reported earlier this week that William is exploring whether there are legal means of forcing Andrew out of his 30-bedroom Royal Lodge mansion in Windsor – which is just four miles from the home William is moving his own young family into.
Now it seems that he is further considering forcing through Parliamentary banishment for Andrew – who is seen as too toxic to rehabilitate because of his notorious closeness to paedophile billionaire Jeffrey Epstein.
Prince William is considering formally stripping Prince Andrew (pictured together at the Duchess of Kent’s funeral last month) of his Prince, HRH and Duke of York titles when he ascends to the throne, it’s claimed
The letters patent affecting the Duke of York would be likely to be ratified by Parliament in the early weeks of William’s reign, Mr Sykes said.
He also suggested that letters patent could even be used in a more far-reaching remodelling of the Royal Family.
This more radical plan, which Mr Sykes claims is also under consideration, could see a number of other members of the wider royal family also lose titles.
The idea of such a slimmed down royal family akin to that in Denmark is increasingly in William’s thoughts, according to Mr Sykes.
‘As King, William would immediately strip Prince Andrew of his title,’ Mr Sykes said.
‘But might also consider removing the titles from a number of others.
Mr Sykes, who is also European Editor-at-Large of the Daily Beast added: ‘He is looking at the whole family and wondering if it should be streamlined and if so how. But currently there are no decisions beyond one: Andrew is almost certainly going.
‘The question of potentially trimming others is still in its early stages of discussion though.’
William is understood to have previously lobbied hard for Andrew to have his Prince title removed and was dissatisfied with the settlement announced last Friday.
As it stands, despite Prince Andrew’s announcement to give up using his titles, he still retains his dukedom, and his title of Prince.
Just this week, the king’s own aides were briefing the media that it was not worth removing the dukedom, as ‘prince’ sounded grander than ‘duke’ anyway.
A friend of William’s reportedly told The Royalist: ‘It should have been done by Charles this last week… William won’t be afraid to take the next step.’
Fellow royal writer Robert Jobson told The Daily Mail on Wednesday: ‘It’s no secret that William abhors his Uncle and does not want him anywhere near his family either publicly or privately.’
He went on: ‘The bigger idea of a slimmed down Royal Family along the lines of what is being called “the Danish model” is currently being discussed in Prince William’s circle – and it has considerable appeal.
‘The pluses are that it’s seen as being more appetising to the public to have fewer titled – and sometimes seemingly entitled – members of the family.
‘The downside would be the potential awkwardness and bad feeling around those affected.’
It was also reported earlier this week that William is exploring whether there are legal means of forcing Andrew out of his 30-bedroom Royal Lodge mansion (pictured) in Windsor
In 2022, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark removed princely titles from four of her grandchildren – Nikolai, Felix, Henrik, and Athena. The Queen said the decision was made to allow her grandchildren greater freedom to shape their own lives.
A source quoted by The Royalist added: ‘William thinks about the example of Queen Margrethe of Denmark a lot.’
The King would require Parliament to formally withdraw Andrew’s titles – or his use of HRH, which he voluntarily gave up several years ago.
Although Andrew has agreed not to use the title of Duke of York it can only be officially removed by an Act of Parliament and despite Friday’s statement, Andrew remains a prince.
A letters patent is a legal document authorised by the monarch, usually on ministerial advice.
Letters patent can be used to make public appointments, confer honours, grant city status or signify Royal Assent to legislation.
When Andrew was born in 1960, he automatically became a prince, as the son of a monarch. And this can only be changed if a letters patent is issued by the ruling
The news came after the Sunday Times reported that Andrew will be excluded from William’s coronation, that he considers his uncle a ‘threat’ to the monarchy, and is deeply concerned about the message Andrew’s presence at royal events sends to victims of sexual abuse.
In a recent interview with the Canadian actor and comedian Eugene Levy, William said he wanted to ensure the institution he will one day lead was ‘fit for purpose,’ saying: ‘Change is on my agenda. Change for good. I don’t fear it.’
One former Buckingham Palace staffer told The Royalist that William strongly opposed Friday’s statement being issued in Andrew’s name and Andrew’s defiant tone.
