The Rude Behavior That Landed Andrew On Prince William's Bad Side Years Before Scandal

With his name being found all over the Jeffrey Epstein files, it wasn't too shocking that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested on his 66th birthday in February. The brother of King Charles III had already been stripped of his royal title due to the scandal; Andrew's actions created the biggest scandal the British royal family has suffered in over a hundred years. And while King Charles III initially tried to protect his little brother for a time, William, Prince of Wales, was privately calling for his uncle's banishment before the world knew the depths of Andrew's alleged crimes.

According to Russell Myers, an editor of the Daily Mirror and author of "William and Catherine," Prince William was calling for Andrew to lose his title as far back as 2019. As Myers explained to Fox News, William's stance was solidified after Andrew gave a "disastrous" interview to the BBC in 2019, with William reportedly telling his grandmother the queen and his father that Andrew "must be banished before the rot sets in." It wasn't until October 2025, as more information about Andrew's friendship with Epstein came to light, and well after Queen Elizabeth II's death, that King Charles finally stripped his brother of his titles and land. And while Prince William was surely happy that his father finally took his advice, his issues with his disgraced uncle initially started with a much more mundane problem: the way Andrew treated the help.

William and Catherine, Prince and Princess of Wales, famously do not have any live-in staff, preferring that the daily chores be done by them and their children to stay grounded. Adding to Prince William's feelings about the royal staff, Myers' book reveals that the prince was especially upset by how his brother, Harry, and his then-fiancée, Meghan, reportedly treated the staff as they prepared for their wedding. According to Myers, Harry and Meghan's attitudes were leading to a high turnover of staff, and Prince William couldn't apologize to the remaining staff for his brother's actions enough. 

William reportedly saw a similar trait in his uncle. In William's eyes, Andrew acted entitled and privileged, going against everything the prince and his wife stood for. To the couple who will one day be king and queen, it is important to create a positive working environment for everyone, and that means every member of the staff should be treated with respect. This is something William apparently picked up from his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II. Royal biographer Robert Lacey explained to the Royal Observer that William and Catherine "treat their staff like family."  

While Prince William works to treat everyone around him with respect, it's clear that the last few years have weighed him down; he told Bafta officials that he wasn't in a "calm state" in 2026 (per GBN). Along with the frayed relationship with his brother Harry and his uncle's actions damaging the royal family's standing, William has been there to help two family members deal with illness. Both his wife, Kate Middleton, and his father, King Charles III, were diagnosed with cancer in 2024. And while the Princess of Wales has gone into remission, King Charles III was still receiving treatments as of December 2025.