Reports have been swirling that Prince William met with his cousins Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie regarding their father Prince Andrew’s decision to move out of Royal Lodge.
However, Us Weekly understands that the meeting never actually took place.
Journalist Emily Maitlis — who famously interviewed Andrew, 65, for the BBC’s Newsnight in 2019 — was first to bring up the alleged meeting during the Monday, October 27, episode of “The News Agents” podcast.
She speculated during the episode that William, 43, offered an alleged ultimatum to Beatrice, 37, and Eugenie, 35.
Will Princess Eugenie and Beatrice Lose Titles After Dad Andrew Gives Up His?
Maitlis, 55, claimed that William put “pressure” on his cousins.
“‘You guys have got to get your dad to move out of Royal Lodge, otherwise we will start reexamining the state of your own titles,’” she alleged that William told them. “Obviously, you can see why Andrew, as a father, would want to kind of keep his daughters happy and keep their titles in place, come what may.”
As the week has continued, several royal sources have offered multiple outlets more insight into what actually went down as the fallout from Andrew’s decision to give up his royal titles continues.
One royal source called reports of the meeting “nonsense” to Page Six earlier this week. “Anyone who knows William knows he is not that venomous and is fond of his cousins,” they added.
A second insider noted that William “cannot take anybody’s titles away” when addressing Maitlis’ claims.
Royal watchers have been anxiously awaiting a decision to be made about Andrew’s living arrangements as his connection to late convicted billionaire sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein continues to make headlines.
Andrew has been living rent-free in Royal Lodge for 22 years. While no decision has been made just yet, it’s been widely reported that Andrew is in talks to move out of the home.
Prince Andrew Is Reportedly in Talks to Move Out of Royal Lodge Amid Scandal
Earlier this month, Andrew announced that he would be giving up his royal titles amid the ongoing Epstein scandal.
“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,” Andrew said in a statement to Us Weekly on October 17. “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.”
He continued, “With His Majesty’s agreement, we feel I must now go a step further. I will therefore no longer use my title or the honors which have been conferred upon me. As I have said previously, I vigorously deny the accusations against me.”
Andrew’s connection to Epstein first went public in 2019 when Virginia Giuffre alleged that she and the former Duke of York had a sexual encounter in 2001 when she was underage. He has continued to deny the accusations.
Giuffre sued Andrew for sexual abuse in 2021 and they settled out of court the following year. She died by suidice at age 41 this past April. Giuffre’s memoir, Nobody’s Girl, was published posthumously earlier this month and offered more allegations into her apparent interactions with Andrew and Epstein.
