Prince William ‘wishes shamed uncle Andrew would “vanish” from royal family
A friend of Prince William has revealed that the Duke of Cambridge wishes his shamed uncle would ‘vanish’ from royal life.
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Prince William wishes his disgraced uncle Andrew would “vanish” from the royal family, according to The Sun.
An insider alleges the heir would have cut the Duke of York loose “long ago”, but Wills tries to temper his opinions out of respect to the Queen.
The friend told the Daily Mail: “He feels very strongly about this and if it had been up to him he would have pushed for things to have happened a lot faster than they did.”
Her Majesty is increasingly relying on William and Charles, and gives both men a say in “big” decisions - including on Andrew’s future, it’s understood.
The heirs recently “blocked” Andrew from joining senior royals for the Garter Day procession at Windsor Castle, with William allegedly warning he wouldn’t attend if his uncle did.
Father and son are also believed to have held a summit with the monarch before Andrew was effectively banished from the family earlier this year.
However, William acknowledges the situation is “complicated” because of the Queen’s love for her middle son.
He visits his grandmother frequently and speaks to her on the phone several times a week, it’s said.
Their close relationship has hastened the Cambridges’ move to Windsor this summer.
William also remains “very close” to cousins Beatrice and Eugenie.
However, he wants their father out and believes he could be “dangerous” to The Firm, the source claimed.
“He has strong views on the Duke of York and believes his insistence in trying to cling on to a public role is highly dangerous for the institution,” the friend said.
“He would have cut him loose a long time ago if it had been up to him.
“He understands that when it comes to mother and son the situation is complicated, but honestly I think he just wishes he would vanish from public view.”
Andrew was stripped of his titles and honours in January - weeks before he settled a lawsuit with sex accuser Virginia Giuffre.
The settlement is not an admission of guilt, and the duke has vehemently denied any wrongdoing.
He has made attempts to return to the public eye, but attracted huge criticism when he accompanied his mother to a service of remembrance for Prince Philip.
Unlike Andrew, William - who turns 40 on Tuesday - is enjoying huge popularity among Brits.
The Duke of Cambridge attended every major Jubilee event with Kate Middleton and the couple’s three children.
Days after he was cheered on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, he went undercover on the streets of London to sell copies of the Big Issue.
And yesterday, the family released a new portrait of Wills with Charlotte, George and Louis to mark Father’s Day.
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