Prince William is “pushing” for his shamed uncle Prince Andrew to be permanently and fully banned from all aspects of royal life as he prepares to assume greater responsibilities ahead of his 96-year old grandmother’s death.
In an extensive Daily Mail series ahead of William’s 40th birthday Tuesday, the paper’s respected royal reporter Rebecca English quotes sources saying that William is “on the same page” as his father when it comes to slimming down the royal family by reducing its numbers, and that he sees no way back ever for Andrew.
“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,” a friend is quoted as saying.
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Another source adds: “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. 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.”
The report also looks at William’s relationship with other family members and a source says that he while is “very close to his cousins, Beatrice and Eugenie,” he believes it is a “very good thing” that they have “their own families and careers.”
The source adds: “He is even closer to Zara (Tindall) and Peter (Phillips) and admires the lives they have built outside of the family. They will always all be included in family moments, but that’s very different from having royal roles.”
