Prince William awkwardly avoids answering Prince Andrew question

A reporter has put Prince William on the spot with a question about his disgraced uncle, just days after he was stripped of his royal status.

Prince William dodged the drama surrounding his own family during his first royal engagement since the Queen cast Prince Andrew out of the working fold.

The Duke of Cambridge ignored a TV crew asking if he “supported” his uncle, who was last week stripped of his royal and military titles amid growing anger at his sex assault lawsuit, reports The Sun.

During his visit to London’s Foundling Museum, joined by wife Kate, a reporter asked William: “Do you support Prince Andrew?”

The prince leaned in closer to hear but then walked past without commenting.

Stay up to date with the latest news on the British Royals on Flash, Australia’s biggest news streaming service. New to Flash? Try 14 days free >

Prince William pretended he couldn’t hear the reporter. Picture: ITN

Both he and the Duchess kept up appearances throughout the engagement while Andrew comes to terms with life out of the royal spotlight.

The Queen stripped him of his “His Royal Highness” status and military honours during a face-to-face showdown last week before Buckingham Palace made it official later that day.

He is accused of sexually assaulting Virginia Roberts Giuffre when she was just 17 and must now face his US case as a “private citizen”, meaning he can’t hide behind royal privileges.

But the allegations against Andrew didn’t cast too much of a shadow over Kate and William’s day out in London.

Prince William reportedly played a significant role in Prince Andrew’s demotion. Picture: Hannah McKay/Pool/AFP

The couple were all smiles as they met with staff at the museum, which tells the story of the Foundling Hospital – Britain’s first home for children at risk of abandonment – which Kate became patron of in 2019.

They also met with people who have direct experience of living in care, including author and poet Lemn Sissay and former sprint and field athlete Kriss Akabusi.

Kate, who last year set up her Centre for Early Childhood, spoke with charity bosses who discussed homelessness, mental health impact and helping young people in care who fail or slip through the cracks.

Taking their seats, Kate asked the experts: “From your experience what makes the difference between a young person succeeding after leaving foster care and when they do not?”

They heard about “challenges for young people” when they regularly move home and are sometimes exploited by the criminal world.

William added: “If you keep moving a child around when they are an adult their relationships are so short and shallow.”

The couple were said they also worried about the “consistency in care”.

William and Kate participated in a therapy session with people who have experienced the care system, during a visit to the Foundling Museum. Picture: Alastair Grant - WPA Pool/Getty Images

They looked relaxed and happy as they chatted outside the building. Picture: Chris Jackson/Getty Images

Women who had previously been in care then joined the couple in an icebreaker armed with three-foot long pencils.

They drew on a canvas what they could see in front of them without looking down at the floor.

Kate – who scored a master of arts degree in art history at St Andrews University – laughed as she struggled with the artwork, which had the look of a vast doodle when it was finished.

The Duke laughed and said: “I enjoyed it. The kids would really enjoy that.”

“Viewing their masterpiece, he added: “That’s beautiful.”

Keeping up appearances

As well as the crisis surrounding Andrew, the Cambridges also dodged any mention of Prince Harry’s legal action against the UK over the government’s decision to take away his police bodyguards.

The Duke of Sussex and his wife Meghan Markle were stripped of their around-the-clock protection when they stepped back from royal duties two years ago.

The couple is claiming it is unsafe for them to return to the UK under the current security conditions. Picture: Gotham/GC Images

But the couple, who are said to want to visit Britain to introduce their baby daughter to her royal relatives, claim it is unsafe to travel without them.

A legal representative for the Duke said: “Prince Harry inherited a security risk at birth, for life.

“He remains sixth in line to the throne, served two tours of combat duty in Afghanistan, and in recent years his family has been subjected to well- documented neo-Nazi and extremist threats.

“While his role within the institution has changed, his profile as a member of the royal family has not. Nor has the threat to him and his family.

“The Duke and Duchess of Sussex personally fund a private security team for their family, yet that security cannot replicate the necessary police protection needed while in the UK.

“In the absence of such protection, Prince Harry and his family are unable to return to his home.”

‘Beyond appalling’

A police task force, the Royal and VIP Executive Committee, handles a list of essential public figures and royals who have around-the-clock protection funded primarily by the state.

A source told The Mail on Sunday: “Harry’s argument in a nutshell is: ‘You got the law wrong.’

“He feels the decision to remove his security was wrong.”

If the case proceeds, it will lead to a battle in the High Court between Harry and the government.

A royal biographer who spent a year with the Prince later blasted his decision to take legal action as “beyond appalling”.

Angela Levin said she believes the duke’s behaviour has become “very challenging” and he’s “hurting” his grandmother.

This article originally appeared in The Sun and was reproduced with permission.