Prince William wanted to remove Andrew Windsor from the royal family ten years ago

A separate palace source told the author: “The Prince of Wales was convinced that the whole (Epstein) episode would never go away and, despite how others may have felt, there was no benefit to protecting Andrew. (William’s) view was crystal clear – Andrew was not to be near the family under any circumstances, not by association, not at family functions, anywhere. Each time there was a new (Epstein) revelation, which no one knew when it would come or what would be next, it was a stain on the entire family.”

An insider close to William said the prince now feels events have confirmed his earlier warnings.

“There is a feeling among those closest to William that he foresaw this trajectory years ago,” a source told us.

As early as the late 2010s, he expressed concerns that Andrew’s continued proximity to the royal family posed a slow-burning reputational risk. William didn’t see it as a one-time scandal that would fade away – he saw it as something that could resurface repeatedly and undermine public trust over time.”

Now, with each new batch of Epstein documents and new headlines popping up in waves, he can’t help but feel that his early instincts have been confirmed.

“From his perspective, the continued revelations only reinforce the view he held nearly a decade ago — that a decisive separation would have spared the institution years of renewed scrutiny and damage. There is a quiet sense of vindication, even if he takes no pleasure in the way events unfolded.”