(NewsNation) — There is reportedly tension within the royal family, and this time it has nothing to do with Meghan and Prince Harry.
Prince William and King Charles are at odds over how to move forward with the monarchy, with the future king worried that the institution is out of step with the rest of the world, royal biographer Andrew Lownie exclusively tells NewsNation’s Paula Froelich.
“There are always tensions between the Prince of Wales and the Monarch,” Lownie says. “They’re different, you know, there are different generations.”
Charles still believes in the “pomp and ceremony” of the royal family, while “William’s view is, actually, ‘We’re becoming irrelevant. People are just laughing at us,’” Lownie says.
Royal family took time dealing with Andrew, says biographer
William was also seemingly peeved that the situation involving his uncle, the now former Prince Andrew, was not moving fast enough.
“This is a problem that should have been dealt with years ago. They knew about Andrew. They were briefed,” Lownie says.
“The queen was told about Andrew. I think one of the shocking things in my book was that she didn’t do anything about it. Diplomats, politicians and others, members of the security services, came to her with extraordinary stories about Andrew’s behavior, and she basically turned a blind eye.”
Andrew’s troubling relationship with Jeffrey Epstein has been a persistent headache for the royal family, years after he stepped down from his royal duties.
He was stripped by Queen Elizabeth II of his responsibilities in 2019 after he sat down for a disastrous BBC interview with “Newsnight” to address his friendship with Epstein and quell public criticism.
During his interview, Andrew was questioned as to why he maintained a relationship with the financier following his 2009 release from prison after pleading guilty to charges of soliciting a prostitute and of solicitation of prostitution with a minor under the age of 18.
Watch more of the exclusive interview above.
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