Prince William and Kate Middleton aren’t going to let anyone tarnish the crown under their reign as Prince Andrew’s ties to Jeffrey Epstein continue to pile up.
“Prince William and Princess Catherine’s zero-tolerance blueprint is already transforming royal family dynamics,” British royals expert Hilary Fordwich told Fox News Digital in an interview published Monday.
“They’re proactive behind the scenes to specifically address scandals, enforcing a far better level of discipline, all intended to protect the monarchy’s future by excluding those who threaten its reputation in any way, shape or form,” Fordwich explained.
The Prince and Princess of Wales are allegedly working to uphold the palace’s reputation and stand by King Charles III in the wake of the unfolding scandal.
“Prince William, in particular, is not satisfied with how the Prince Andrew situation has been handled at the moment,” British broadcaster Helena Chard told the outlet.
Chard noted that William is looking to the future with a “solution-focused lens.”
“He is far more ruthless than his father,” Chard claimed, comparing William to the King of England.
“He always takes the harder line,” Chard continued, adding, “He can see reputational damage escalating for the royal family and is reviewing a decisive way forward to combat further scandals.”
William, 43, allegedly feels it is easier to reprimand his uncle than it is for Charles.
“He realizes it’s harder for the king to deal with his brother than it will be for him to deal with his uncle in due course,” Chard said. “However, he feels his father has teetered too long with the kid gloves approach.”
William and other members of the royal family are allegedly “fully supportive” of Charles drawing a harder line against Andrew.
“William would prefer a swift, clean break with Prince Andrew before things decline further,” Chard said. “He also hopes to shield the king from the damage.”
Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams agrees that William is enforcing a “scorched-earth policy” in regards to Andrew, 65, and his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, 66.
“This matter should surely have been resolved by the time William becomes king,” Fitzwilliams said, asking, “Who knows by then where Andrew and Sarah Ferguson will be residing?”
However, how the royal family plans to handle Andrew’s daughters — Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie — is much more complicated.
“Only four working royals are under 70. There was potential for [Beatrice and Eugenie], which now seems unlikely, but anything could happen in the weeks and months ahead,” Fitzwilliams said, calling their situation “extremely tricky.”
Royal expert Ian Pelham Turner weighed in with claims that there is “immense pressure” to oust Andrew as a way of sanitizing the monarchy.
“Andrew thinks it’s too quiet. Sarah hates the heat. But their days are numbered,” Turner told Fox.
Andrew and Ferguson, who were married from 1986 to 1996, lost their royal titles last week in response to a flurry of new scandals related to Epstein’s sex-trafficking ring.
The former Duke of York agreed that “continued accusations” against him “distract from the work of His Majesty and the Royal family,” he wrote in a statement released by Buckingham Palace.
“I have decided, as I always have, to put my duty to my family and country first. I stand by my decision five years ago to stand back from public life,” he continued. “With His Majesty’s agreement, we feel I must now go a step further. I will therefore no longer use my title or the honours which have been conferred upon me.”
Andrew noted that he “vigorously” denies the accusations leveled against him.
Three years after stepping back from his royal duties in 2019, the disgraced royal was stripped of his military titles, royal patronages and the use of the “His Royal Highness” style in January 2022,
This week, news surfaced that Charles wants Andrew and Ferguson to move out of their Royal Lodge residence.
Meanwhile, William has barred Andrew from attending all royal events — including his pending coronation ceremony.
Andrew is currently being investigated for allegedly asking a police protection officer to dig up information about the late Virginia Giuffre.
Giuffre accused Andrew of sexual assault and alleged that he was involved in Epstein’s sex trafficking ring and raped her when she was a minor.
The Victims Refuse Silence founder sued Andrew in 2021, though the case was settled outside of the courtroom for an estimated $12 million in 2022. She died by suicide in April 2025.
Andrew has continuously denied her allegations.
