Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Prince William may be related, but it seems any relationship they had is very strained. While William, 43, has made his discontent with his uncle clear over the last few years, it has been claimed that tensions between the two men have been brewing for some time.
Andrew, 65, reportedly once made rude remarks about William’s wife, Princess Catherine. This was a claim made by Andrew Lownie in his book Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York, which was released this year and contributed to Andrew’s downfall.
In the book, Lownie said that he had been told by a source that the relationship between William and his uncle Andrew began to suffer when Andrew first started facing accusations linked to his previous friendship with the late convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Andrew has always denied these accusations.
It is then believed that Andrew made an offensive and disrespectful comment about Princess Catherine, which plummeted the tension between the two royal men even further.
It is not known exactly what comment Andrew made, with the Prince and Princess of Wales never commenting on the matter.
However, it is clear they do not approve of Andrew as they tried to avoid him when he stood beside them outside the Duchess of Kent’s funeral in September.
It is also believed that William had a part to play in Andrew losing his titles and being served an eviction notice on his Royal Lodge home just months ago.
It is not known whether William and Catherine engage with Andrew at private family events behind closed doors.
However, this is not something they will have to worry about this Christmas, with Andrew not invited to Sandringham to spend it with the Royal Family.
Instead, it is believed he will either spend the day at Royal Lodge – while he still lives there – or with friends.
