Report Suggests Prince William May Have Urged Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie to Persuade Prince Andrew to Leave Royal Lodge

A new report has placed Prince William at the center of the alleged pressure surrounding Prince Andrew’s move from Royal Lodge, the Windsor mansion he has shared with his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, since 2008. The controversy comes amid renewed scrutiny of Andrew’s ties to Jeffrey Epstein.

On Oct. 27, journalist Emily Maitlis discussed the speculation on her podcast The News Agents, suggesting that William may have asked his cousins, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, to persuade their father to vacate Royal Lodge. Maitlis claimed that the princesses were allegedly warned their own titles could come under review if Andrew refused to move out.

“There was a question over whether there had been, earlier in the day, a meeting between Prince William and the princesses, Beatrice and Eugenie, saying, ‘You guys have to get your dad to move out of Royal Lodge, otherwise we will start re-examining the state of your own titles,’ ” she said.

Maitlis continued, “They are, at the moment, allowed to be princesses, but there was a bit of pressure, we understand, being put on the princesses to say, ‘You know, this is going to happen.’ Obviously, you can see why Andrew, as a father, would want to keep his daughters happy and keep their titles in place, come what may.”

It is understood that no such meeting between Prince William and his cousins actually took place.

While Prince William, 43, holds considerable influence as heir to the throne, he does not possess the authority to revoke royal titles. Any removal of Beatrice and Eugenie’s titles would require an Act of Parliament.

Maitlis also mentioned that tip-offs had suggested King Charles was expected to be seen arriving at Royal Lodge, symbolizing his direct involvement in the matter. However, when media helicopters and cameras gathered outside the estate, the palace reportedly decided to cancel the plan.

“So what we learned was going to happen on Thursday was that [Charles], fresh from the Vatican and his audience with the Pope, was going to come via Royal Lodge, to be seen, in other words, to be sort of reading the riot act to his brother,” Maitlis said. “What happened, I understand, was that the palace then got very nervous, and when they saw the choppers and helicopters, they thought, ‘This has all got too big, this has got out of control.’ They canceled the whole thing. The King just went straight home and never came by there.”

Maitlis previously conducted the 2019 BBC Newsnight interview in which Prince Andrew addressed his relationship with Epstein and the allegations brought by Virginia Roberts Giuffre — an exchange that ultimately led to his withdrawal from public life.

Prince Andrew is reportedly preparing to leave Royal Lodge following his Oct. 17 announcement that he would no longer use his Duke of York title or honors. The move follows renewed public interest in his association with Epstein, the convicted sex offender who died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial.

It is understood that Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie’s titles and royal positions remain unaffected by their father’s decision and that they will continue to attend future family events.

A recent report from The Sunday Times claimed, however, that Prince William intends to take a stricter approach toward distancing his uncle from royal life when he becomes king — including barring Andrew from both public and private royal events, such as his coronation.