Prince William had allegedly threatened to reconsider the titles of Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie amidst the ongoing pressures surrounding their dad, Prince Andrew
Prince William’s threat to “remove” Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie’s title has been explained.
There had been reports that the Prince of Wales was encouraging his cousins to pressure their dad, Prince Andrew, into moving out of Royal Lodge on the Windsor Castle estate.
In recent weeks, the disgraced royal has come under pressure to move out of the home he has a “cast-iron lease” on, following his public fall from grace. The son of the late Queen Elizabeth has continued to find himself in the spotlight due to his links with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Andrew is said to have demanded two homes as part of a deal to move out. It’s claimed that he wants to live in Frogmore Cottage, the former home of his nephew, Prince Harry, while his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, is said to want Adelaide Cottage, where Prince William and Kate currently live, but they will be vacating the property in a matter of days.
He announced earlier this month he would be relinquishing his Duke of York title, as well as other honours bestowed on him by the late Queen. But it was later confirmed that this would not mean a change to Beatrice and Eugenie’s titles. Broadcaster Emily Maitlis, who sat down with Andrew for his infamous Newsnight interview, claimed: “There was a question over whether there had been, earlier in the day, a meeting between Prince William and the princesses, Beatrice and Eugenie, saying you guys have to get your dad to move out of Royal Lodge otherwise we will start re-examining the state of your own titles.
“They are at the moment allowed to be princesses, but there was a bit of pressure, we understand, being put on the princesses to say this is going to happen.” But speaking on ITV’s Lorraine, the Mirror’s royal editor, Russell Myers, revealed the truth behind this alleged conversation.
“She [Emily Maitlis] said that she understood that Prince William had been putting pressure on Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice to try and get Andrew out of Royal Lodge,” he said. Myers added: “And that he had threatened them with taking their titles away.
“I understand and Kensington Palace have said that no meeting took place of any sort between William and the girls. And certainly, he wouldn’t have the powers to do it anyway. That’s not his constitutional role, he wouldn’t be threatening them with anything to do with their father.
“Of course, he’s invested in Prince Andrew getting out of Royal Lodge, stop making all the headlines himself.” Russell continued: “In terms of Prince William, it’s very much an advisory role. The King has tried to settle this business, and the girls would not be drawn into it. A bit of unfortunate levelling at Eugenie and Princess Beatrice, I think.”
Currently, the Prince is said to be in talks with the King’s aides about leaving his home, where he has lived for more than 20 years. Andrew moved into Royal Lodge following the death of his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother and spent several million renovating the 30-room property.
Recently, an email from Andrew sent to Epstein in 2011 saw the Prince say they were “in this together”, despite telling Maitlis that he cut contact with him in December 2010. Earlier this month, the disgraced Prince said that the “continued accusations” around him have been distracting “from the work of His Majesty and the royal family. As I have said previously, I vigorously deny the accusations against me.”
In a rare statement shared by Buckingham Palace, he said: “In discussion with The King, and my immediate and wider family, we have concluded the continued accusations about me distract from the work of His Majesty and the Royal Family. 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.
“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. As I have said previously, I vigorously deny the accusations against me.”
But Andrew still retains his titles; he just won’t be using them publicly. He also legally retains his Prince title, as the son of a Monarch – but the government could step in, should his older brother, King Charles, issue Letters Patent to strip him of all his titles.
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