King Charles and Prince William in all-out war over the Andrew scandal

So far, Charles, 77, has resisted calls to remove his younger brother Andrew from the line of succession, despite the scandal surrounding Andrew’s ties to now-convicted child molester Jeffrey Epstein – and Andrew’s reported threats to take the palace with him.

But William, insiders say, is furious about what he sees as a dangerous hesitation.

“According to William, Andrew should have been immediately removed from the line of succession and completely removed from royal life,” confided a palace source.

“The fact that the situation with Andrew was not dealt with years ago scares him. As far as William is concerned, they cannot allow Andrew’s intimidation or threats of retaliation to dictate what happens.”

Andrew has denied any wrongdoing regarding Epstein.

There have been some very explosive rows in the palace, with a second insider revealing: “William was promised more responsibility and influence but that hasn’t materialised. He feels left out and openly complains about it. The tension between him and Charles is obvious to all – and it’s only getting worse.”