A separate palace supply advised the writer: “The Prince of Wales was adamant the entire (Epstein) episode would by no means go away and, regardless of how others might have felt, there was no upside in Andrew being protected. (William’s) view was crystal clear – Andrew should not be wherever close to the household beneath any circumstances, not by affiliation, not at household features, wherever. Each single time there was a brand new (Epstein) revelation, which nobody knew when it was coming or what the subsequent one can be, it was a stain on all the household.”
One insider near William stated the prince now feels occasions have borne out his earlier warnings.
“Amongst these closest to William, there is a prevailing feeling that he anticipated this trajectory years in the past,” a supply advised us.
“Way back to the late 2010s, he was expressing considerations that Andrew’s continued proximity to the royal fold represented a slow-burning reputational danger. William did not see it as a one-off scandal that will fade – he noticed it as one thing that might resurface repeatedly and erode public belief over time.”
Now, with every new tranche of Epstein paperwork and recent headlines rising in waves, he can not help however really feel that his early instincts have been borne out.
“From his perspective, the continued revelations solely reinforce the view he held almost a decade in the past – that decisive separation would have spared the establishment years of renewed scrutiny and injury. There is a quiet sense of vindication, even when he takes no pleasure in how occasions have unfolded.”