Prince William Called Uncle Ex-Prince Andrew to Offer Condolences After His Titles Were Stripped, Book Claims
Andrew lost his royal titles in October 2025 amid renewed scrutiny around his ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(988x641:990x643):format(webp)/Prince-William-Prince-Andrew-101925-03-84dc7d6fc4fd4bd0a2e39fc985dd5574.jpg)
Ex-Prince Andrew and Prince William in 2025.Credit :
Samir Hussein/WireImage
Prince William reportedly offered condolences to his uncle, the former Prince Andrew, after Andrew’s royal titles were stripped.
In a new biography of the late Queen Elizabeth, Elizabeth II: In Private. In Public. The Inside Story, author Robert Hardman reported that William called Andrew on the night that he lost his titles to “offer condolences.”
The book claims that the former Duke of York, 66, was “very touched” that Prince William, 43, was “one of the few people” who reached out to him.
Kensington Palace had no comment when reached by PEOPLE, and PEOPLE has reached out to Andrew for comment.
King Charles stripped his brother’s royal titles in October 2025 as Andrew faced renewed scrutiny around his ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The increased criticism came amid the publication of Virginia Giuffre’s posthumous memoir and newly unveiled documents that shed light on the pair’s relationship.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(776x438:778x440):format(webp)/prince-andrew-duchess-of-kent-funeral-101725-3a2b5ae67a594085861be3fc589ab186.jpg)
Andrew was arrested on Feb. 19 and detained for 11 hours on suspicion of misconduct in public office linked to allegations that he improperly shared information with Epstein during his time as the U.K.’s trade envoy. He was later released and is currently under investigation.
Prince William has previously been reported to favor taking a harder line against Andrew than others in the royal family.
“William wants it all cleaned out before he gets [on the throne],” royal biographer Andrew Lownie told PEOPLE in a March cover story. “He wants it dealt with now.”
There have also been reports that Prince William has held a longstanding grudge against Andrew for the former Duke of York’s past treatment of William’s wife, Kate Middleton.
In August 2024, more than a year before the King stripped Andrew of his royal titles, journalist Richard Kay spoke with the Mail Online about the animosity between Prince William and his uncle.
“Differences between monarch and heir do remain, especially when it comes to the Prince Andrew scandal,” Kay said. “William has long held a grudge against Andrew for being unwelcoming when he first introduced the then Kate Middleton to the royal family and feels that his father has been too soft on him.”
Additionally, Lownie previously told PEOPLE that Andrew “wasn’t nice when Kate came into the family. He thought she wasn’t posh enough” and referred to the Princess of Wales’ “commoner” upbringing.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(750x218:752x220):format(webp)/princess-of-wales-prince-andrew-030326-1-c4823ce052324d6caf9ceaba86800d07.jpg)
Another book, William and Catherine: The Monarchy’s New Era: The Inside Story by Russell Myers, claimed that Prince William had voiced concern about Andrew’s role within the royal family long before he was stripped of his titles.
In the book, Myers wrote that Prince William spoke to his father, King Charles, in the wake of Andrew’s bombshell 2019 interview with the BBC about his ties to Epstein, asking Charles and Queen Elizabeth to take action.
“Once you understand the fact that everything that happens in the here and now, affects everything in the future, William’s future, it is very easy to put yourself in his shoes,” a source said. “He never much liked his uncle and wanted him out of the picture immediately before the rot further set in.”
The source added: “William’s view was that [Andrew] got himself into the whole mess, so he should be left to his own devices to sort it out away from the family.”
