The Princess of Wales was the first member of the royal family to quietly distance herself from Prince Andrew long before he formally stepped down from royal duties, according to royal author Christopher Andersen in a recent interview.
Princess Kate reportedly broke off ties with Prince Andrew for the first time, author claims
In an exclusive interview with The New York Post’s Page Six, Andersen claimed that Kate Middleton deliberately refused to interact with Andrew at family gatherings and holidays, long before the Duke of York was formally stripped of his remaining royal titles and privileges.
“Kate Middleton was the first royal to wash their hands of the disgraced former Prince Andrew,” Andersen told the publication, adding that “the Princess of Wales refused to speak to Andrew at family functions and holidays.”
The claims, while not verified by Kensington Palace, add fresh attention to Prince Andrew’s increasingly isolated position within the royal family after years of controversy surrounding his links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and Virginia Giuffre’s allegations.
Andrew’s public profile has been in sharp decline since his widely criticized BBC Newsnight interview in 2019, in which he attempted to open up about his relationship with Epstein. The interview sparked widespread public backlash and led to his withdrawal from public royal duties shortly afterwards.
His legal problems escalated further after Virginia Giuffre accused him of sexually assaulting her when she was 17, which Andrew repeatedly denied. In 2022, he reached an out-of-court settlement with Giuffre without admitting liability.
The controversy continued to cast a long shadow over the monarchy, with King Charles III. reportedly moved to further distance the institution from his younger brother. In October 2025, Andrew was formally stripped of his remaining honorary military affiliations and royal titles, a move widely seen as an effort to protect the monarchy’s public standing from continued scrutiny.
Andersen’s comments suggest that the Princess of Wales may have been one of the first senior royals to signal discomfort about Andrew’s continued presence at private family events.
Andrew was also detained by authorities on February 19, 2026 – his 66th birthday – on charges of misconduct in public office linked to his historical association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
He was reportedly questioned for 11 hours before being released while the investigation is ongoing.
Neither Kensington nor Buckingham Palace have publicly commented on the claims.
