Prince William has ’embraced the blindingly obvious’ about Prince Andrew

St Margarets Church, Westminster Abbey: Service of Thanksgiving for the Life and Work of The Right Honorable The 1st Earl of Snowden GCVO

As we discussed, Prince William’s aides clearly wanted it on the record in the Sunday Times that William considers his uncle, Prince Andrew, to be persona non grata. “Sources close to William” had a lot to say about how William is “triggered” by Andrew’s lack of gratitude and grace with his royal position. As I said, it’s like William thinks being a royal buffoon is somehow MORE disgraceful than being a human trafficker and rapist. While many commenters noted that William seemed to be projecting his feelings about Harry onto Andrew, one of the things I found interesting is that the quotes clearly came directly from William, because William lives inside his own ass and thinks that he’s making some kind of strong argument when he says sh-t like “No, you don’t understand, this is something bothers ME! Peter Hunt wrote a piece for The Spectator which underlines the point: William is coming for Andrew.

Andrew’s efforts, especially his attempt to wear the uniform of an admiral on the day of the funeral, raised eyebrows – not least amongst some senior royals. Their concern, hidden for months behind palace walls, is on very public display in the Sunday Times. We now know that William, a king in waiting, sees his uncle as a ‘threat’ to the royal family.

His intervention will add a frisson to the family Christmas gathering. For make no mistake, this article is giving us an insight into William’s thinking. While he’s afforded plausible deniability, the ‘sources’ and ‘friends’ who provided the stark assessment of the risk posed by Prince Andrew, won’t have gone rogue. When a William ‘source’ or ‘friend’ goes off piste or off message, they also go off into the wilderness. The prince maintains a message control that Alastair Campbell would envy.

It’s clear William has embraced the blindingly obvious about the permanence of Andrew’s removal from the world of walkabouts and plaque unveiling. He’s said to be particularly perturbed by his uncle’s perceived ‘ungracious and ungrateful’ attitude towards his position which the younger prince sees as a ‘risk’ and a ‘threat’.

While the cause of William’s concern is obvious, the timing of his ‘no fingerprints’ public briefing is less so – Andrew will be preoccupied, for months to come, with more pressing matters than an entry about him in the Court Circular.

…Andrew is fighting battles on several fronts as his catastrophic failure of judgement over his enduring friendship with Jeffrey Epstein takes its toll. His nephew has opened a new front and it’s one where the uncle will be the vanquished, not the victor – retirement, not return is the future that awaits Andrew in the royal firmament where William holds sway.

The Sunday Times article serves as a fresh reminder of the tried and tested way the royals disseminate their views on sensitive or controversial topics. TV interviews are eschewed in favour of off the record conversations with journalists, via third parties.

[From The Spectator]

This was my favorite part: “It’s clear William has embraced the blindingly obvious about the permanence of Andrew’s removal from the world of walkabouts and plaque unveiling.” That too is something we should discuss. It’s not like William is taking some bold stance at this point. We’re coming up on the second anniversary of Andrew’s disastrous BBC Newsnight interview, the one which led to Charles demanding that the Queen force Andrew to step away from public life. William, the future future king, is a follower, not a leader. He doesn’t take bold moral stances. He only takes a position on something as important as “there’s no coming back for a rapist human trafficker with a dead pedophile BFF” years after everyone else.

Additionally, royal commentator Russell Myers said words on Monday about how William is now seen as the Queen and Charles’ “lieutenant.” Myers said on Lorraine:

“Prince William will obviously be taking over one day. I think we’ve seen him really come to the fore in his new role of being trusted lieutenant of the Queen and Charles. Not only does he think he is a threat but what really gets him, the source said, is his sense of entitlement and the way he has handled himself throughout this saga, he is no fan of his uncle Andrew. That says a lot about the relationship between them and he wants to sort this business before he damages the monarchy even further.”

[From The Daily Mail]

Myers slams Andrew for making some kind of PR/power play to use Philip’s death as a way to come back to public life, yet Myers is describing William using the same kind of manipulative PR/power play so that William can look big and important as he suddenly had a road-to-Damascus moment about Andrew. I mean, I’m not defending Andrew either – he can rot – but William is really overselling this idea that he alone has some authority to push Andrew out.

Duke of Cambridge visit to Dulwich Hamlet FC

Trooping The Colour Ceremony 2015

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

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90 Responses to “Prince William has ’embraced the blindingly obvious’ about Prince Andrew”

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  1. CherHorowitz says:

    So blindingly obvious it’s taken years to even publicly say anything even through a source. SO OBVIOUS GUYS WILLIAM IS SO ASTUTE AND MORAL

    • Mac says:

      This is some kind of bizarre damage control since the news broke that the queen is footing Andrew’s legal bills. Are they putting William out front so the press doesn’t do a brother vs brother bit with Charles and Andrew?

  2. Moderatelywealthy says:

    This dude is literally praising William for accepting the obviious which is so weird …

    What if William’s team decided his macho image of incandescent rage needed a softening and is taking a page from Kkate infalization tactics? Because being praised by stating the obvious seems to be the same as being praised by wearing a dress…

    • Layla says:

      Over the course of just three years both him and his wife have been embarrassingly infantilised. Why this country wants a tantrum-throwing man-child as king I will never know

    • Eurydice says:

      I don’t know about praise, unless it “damning with faint praise.” It looks to me like the classic British snark. William has finally embraced the blindingly obvious – like he’s the last on the bandwagon. And anyone who goes against William in any way gets banished to the wilderness – which supports what we’ve been saying all along about his incandescently autocratic ways. Yes, indeed – it gives insight into the way William thinks.

      • Lorelei says:

        The Gold Standards strike again! It didn’t occur to anyone on William’s team that his deciding that Andrew was bad THIS late in the game was worse than never directly addressing it at all?
        Just letting the public assume that of *course* William thought Andrew was a disgusting criminal who was damaging the monarchy; it goes without saying because it’s so obvious.

        Even if what @Eurydice said is right, and I agree there’s some shade in there, how much of their audience will pick up on it? Honestly WILLIAM himself doesn’t seem as if he’d pick up on it; he seems like the type who takes things very literally, and probably needs sarcasm explained to him. The royals nor their loyal defenders are exactly seen as brain trusts (they are definitely not as intelligent as the commenters on CB!). They all probably think this article was a home run which reflects William’s “statesmanship.”

        It was jumping off the page how so many of his comments were indirectly about Harry.

      • Amy Too says:

        I found the repeated insistence that any quotes or comments that purport to come from the Cambridges really do come from them, that they’re very autocratic about making sure no one speaks for them unless they have direct permission to do so, and that they’re MO is these types of little leaks and snide comments from “sources” very interesting and telling. It’s like the press wants us to know that all that stuff they wrote about the Sussexes and how the Cambridges feel about the Sussexes was 100% coming from the Cambridges, it was exactly what they were saying and feeling, and if it wasn’t we would have seen a bunch of firings. This article, that seemed to be about summarizing the other article about William’s thoughts on Andrew, was really more about letting us know how the KP comms team operates by leaking.

      • Eurydice says:

        @Lorelei – I think it depends on who is the intended audience. Maybe an American audience won’t pick up on it, but there’s a definite way the British deliver shade – especially among those of a particular class and educational background. I’ll bet William gets it, if he bothers to read it – I imagine his offices screens everything.

    • Belli says:

      I don’t know that it’s praise… He talks about William accepting the “blindingly obvious”, questions the timing of this “leak” and talks about how the royals get their message out in a straightforward way I’ve not seen in the mainstream press.

      I think where there’s praise, it’s a very thing veneer over what the article is really about.

      • Couch potato says:

        Yeah, the sentence about hiding behind “sources” and “friends” instead of doing interviews reads as shade to me. He’s telling Willnot DO talk to reporters about his views, but aren’t man enough to stand by his own statements and meanings. And that’s clearly the case with all the royals.

    • Emily says:

      Unless there are two royal reporters named Peter Hunt, this guy is regularly shady towards the royals on Twitter. (He’s pretty much the only one who I haven’t unfollowed at this point 😆.) It seems unlike him to parrot palace talking points without any sort of hint of irony.

      • Becks1 says:

        He’s definitely being ironic/shady. The line about William embracing the “blindingly obvious” about Andrew reads to me more like – “well, its taken William long enough, but he’s finally come around to what his father knew two years ago.”

      • Moderatelywealthy says:

        But this is a other problem IMO: journalists using snark instead of respectfully but assuderely criticizing a royal. They do this all the time, backhanded compliments and all, and it seems to me they receive a palace directive and just add an ironic touch as to not appear such lapdogs and call it a day.

        If it can be interpreted as a compliment, in the world of RR, it will be sold as a compliment- unless is something as egregious as Top CEO Kkate(good times )

      • Jais says:

        Idk I didn’t really find anything in this article that was really complimentary to William. Like Peter Hunt is probably not getting invited to any royal garden parties. But agree with your overall sentiment in regards to the RR; it’s more propaganda than journalism. And maybe we’re just conditioned to see any slight snark as criticism. But this snark comes with some acknowledgment of the invisible contract.

      • ModeratelyWealthy says:

        @Jais I mean, at this point any person with brains disregard anything Wooten writes because it is so unhinged as to be a dream sequence in a David Lynch movie…but to the usual reader? I doubt as this snark, all the backhanded compliments, all the irony behind the lines register.
        I think Peter Hunt is more critical on his twitter account, when he writes my impression is, again, he heard something the Palace wanted him to hear and just spins a bit, but do not report, as in really report.

        Who knows? Maybe he is afraid of receiving the Bradby, who is now publically disowned by Willie.

      • Jais says:

        @moderatelywealthy- I’m literally working down the street from a Krispy Kreme today and your David Lynch dream sequence reference has me all in some twin peaks and doughnuts feels! I mean I think we’re all hungering for someone to just state outright and get mad traction on what the -f William has been up to. Peter plays around with this and it’s fun to decode. But yeah we’re still waiting for the good stuff.

      • Nic919 says:

        Peter Hunt used to be more obsequious when he was the BBC royal correspondent but now that he’s independent he is not holding back on criticism. He may not be a member of the Sussex squad, but he has been far more critical of William and Charles, especially in terms of how they have dealt with Andrew, than almost every other person in the Uk who covers the royals.

  3. Eurydice says:

    My favorite part is “The Sunday Times article serves as a fresh reminder of the tried and tested way the royals disseminate their views on sensitive or controversial topics. TV interviews are eschewed in favour of off the record conversations with journalists, via third parties.”

    If we include tabloids and “royal experts” under the umbrella of “journalists” and “whatever we don’t like” under “sensitive topics,” then we see exactly what Harry was talking about.

    • Couch potato says:

      That’s my favorite part too! They don’t have the balls to face peoples reaction to their actions and opinions, so they hide behind others. Another good sign of great leadership!

    • Jais says:

      Yeah…getting out their message “via third parties “ vs tv interviews. Again, the sussexes put their name to their words while the rest use their 3rd party sources. It’s so sneaky and slimy. And then they shrug and say, “never explain, never complain” which is a lie and a technicality. They just get their servant sources to do the work of complaining for them by authorizing them to speak with the Sunday times. It’s cowardly and lazy.

      • Lorelei says:

        Exactly! They look down at people who give interviews, but in reality, those people are braver than they are— brave enough to come out and speak for themselves (even if what they say turns out to be a trainwreck, like Andrew on Newsnight). They own their words. I have more respect for people who don’t try to hide behind anonymous “sources.” Especially when half the time, in royal reporting, that “source” is the writer’s ass.

  4. Hell Nah! says:

    Goddamn, this is tiring. To hell with the lot of them!

    The machinations, behind-the-palace-walls backstabbing, rumour-mongering and degree of PR play they employ to secure or denigrate one’s position in the royal firmament is so damn distasteful. And let’s not anybody forget their elitist, corrupt, racist leanings. I hope William will never see a Coronation Day.

    Fcuk – #AbolishTheMonarchy already!

  5. Ariel says:

    So much taking about – not much. William is worthless.
    The rapist of teen sex slaves is…. Ungrateful and has a bad attitude.
    William isn’t even on a relevant planet.
    Worthless. Useless. More irrelevant by the minute.
    Tell me again what the point of giving them state money, attention and power is ?

    • Snuffles says:

      William, The Worthless. That shall be his name once the history books are written.

      • SnoodleDumpling says:

        There have looooong been rumors of the aristos whispering that the monarchy began with a William and will end with a William, and it’s only in the last four or five years that I really understood WHY.

        I doubt history will agree with us quite so perfectly to refer to him as worthless, but I suppose William the Last is good enough for me.

  6. Layla says:

    Day by day we are all beginning to witness the depths of the rabbit hole that is William’s delusion.
    The Narcissism of this man.
    No wait.
    Calling Willileaks a man is an insult to real men (like his brother)

    • Agreatreckoning says:

      Yep. Trying to sell him as a man in charge when he is just a giant petulant peckerhead of a boy.

  7. Jane says:

    Perhaps I’m just very petty, but I wonder how much of William’s ire is to do with Andrew and the sex-trafficking rape and connection with paedophiles and procurers, and how much of it is to do with Eugenie’s ongoing support of Harry and Meghan, and even Fergie’s support of Meghan such as teaching her to curtsey to the Queen. Also since William and his mouthpieces can’t bring themselves to utter any specifics about Andrew’s situation that aren’t to do with William himself, I wonder if Andrew’s ‘ingratitude’ has its origins in William asking him to vacate the Royal Lodge so he (and Kate and the kids) can live there, and Andrew, not knowing which side his bread is buttered, refusing.

    • Couch potato says:

      Ohh, I think that’s bingo @Jane! That’s why Willnot’s going for Andrew after all this time. He wanted the Royal Lodge and was told NO. Andrew would be giant fool to give it up, unless they pay him out with a VERY hefty sum.

    • Lizzie Bathory says:

      Yes, this whole William gunning for Andrew seems connected to the recent “William wants Royal Lodge” business. William needs an ego boost after seeing the successes of the ones he bullied out. And for all his grumbling about skipping over his father to become king, that’s not going to happen. So instead he goes for Andrew & yet another property to make himself feel better.

    • Amy Too says:

      But also the irony of William saying he doesn’t like Andrew because Andrew isn’t grateful and gracious enough for his position. Is William grateful or gracious about his position? No, he thinks he’s better than every single one of the royals, including his father and grandmother who are above him in the hierarchy, but he’s mad because Andrew, someone who is lower than him in the hierarchy, won’t bow down to him and give up his home as a way of begging for protection and status within the family? It seems like he’s not mad at all about the trouble Andrew got into, he’s mad because Andrew isn’t sufficiently humbling himself enough when he’s asking for money, status, and that his royal status protect him from legal proceedings. And why would he humble himself and beg for those things? He doesn’t have to. The RF is going to protect him no matter how much of a pompous jerk he is, because it’s in their best interests. Just like William knows that the RF will always protect him without him having to ask nicely for it. But Will seems to think that *he* deserves that kind of protection, while Andrew should have to beg for it. I think Will is just mad that he, personally, is not getting anything in return for the RF rallying around Andrew. He’s not mad about having to rally, he’s just mad that Andrew isn’t kissing his feet for rallying. And of course Andrew isn’t. He’s an entitled blowhard who has had everything given to him because of his status, he’s basically an older version of William.

    • Lorelei says:

      @Jane, you’re not petty, William is, which is exactly why a lot of us agree with you! ITA that the whole Royal Lodge thing was all about Bill’s ego.

      And if it’s true that William now views Eugenie as an “enemy” because she dared to not ostracize or bash the Sussexes….idk, that’s just sad. William and Kate’s kids will miss out on getting to know so many of their cousins because of their parents’ petty little (one-sided) feuds.

      @AmyToo: William is one of the least self-aware people I’ve ever seen. He honestly reminds me of Michael Scott, with his constant, nonsensical pronouncements which always miss the point.
      Except Michael Scott is a better person than William because his intentions are always good, and he’s not the least bit mean-spirited.

  8. Matthew says:

    I live for them turning on Andrew

  9. Belli says:

    Yes, let’s not forget the real victim in all of this… Prince William.

    It’s good to see the tight behind-the-scenes control the royals keep on their messaging though, especially actually using the phrase “plausible deniability” outright.

    • Jais says:

      Yeah, it’s interesting when he says “the prince maintains a tight message control that Alastair Campbell would envy.” The acknowledgment of this message control is just a reminder that there is so much going on with William that doesn’t get discussed. Does he actually have a loyal circle then or is it just his tight rein on messaging in the press? For all that, then he comes out with his 3rd party sources and sounds like a giant *sshole. But he can always claim plausible deniability cause he didn’t actually say it.

    • Becks1 says:

      I thought that was one of the more interesting lines in the piece. Peter Hunt is saying that if something is said to be from someone “close to william” or whatever, then its fully sanctioned by William. When we think back over the past 6 months (since Oprah) about how many things have been shared by someone “close to William”, it really paints an interesting picture (in a negative way.)

      And it also of course serves as a reminder of what ISN’T shared – the line about “tight message control” just reminds people that there is a lot that isn’t said.

      • Jais says:

        Lol becks1, do you mean interesting/negative in that he seems to be talking a lot? I think he might have wanted to do his own interview after Oprah but instead chose the royal way via sources.

      • Becks1 says:

        @Jais – yes, in part. He can’t seem to keep his mouth shut (or his “sources” mouths shut lol.) but also as I’m thinking back over the last 6 months, a lot of the things that are from his inner circle aren’t really that flattering towards him, even if he thinks they are. Like a lot of the updated quotes and such given to Robert Lacey made William look like a bully who hated Meghan from the get go – so its interesting to me that William apparently thinks those stories make him look strong, or like a leader?

        I do absolutely think he wanted to do his own interview and was shot down, so now he’s doing it the “royal way” and I think that Hunt knows that.

      • Jais says:

        Hmm that’s true that the stuff he reveals through sources doesn’t land in the way he thinks. At least not for certain audiences.

  10. Amy Bee says:

    Well, he pushed out Harry so why wouldn’t William believe that he can push out Andrew?

    • Lady Digby says:

      Kate is also on his marginalize and then exile list!

      • Eurydice says:

        I was thinking this same thing when I read the bit about how his “friends” end up in the wilderness if they go off message.

    • Eurydice says:

      Exactly. He pushed out Harry with Charles’ help and Charles already doesn’t want Andrew around. Will doesn’t even have to push all that much – just a nudge.

      • Lady Digby says:

        Brother Will has the list for who has been naughty or nice and once TQ goes he’ll be checking it twice and then everyone who has triggered him will get the bullet!
        No wonder Mumbles and Mom has been PRing like crazy how essential they are to the brand as if that will save them from the WRath!

  11. Lizzie says:

    Did anyone else hear Aaron Burr singing ‘I want to be in the room where it happens’ while reading this?

    • Liz version 700 says:

      Yes!!!! I want to be in the room Where it happens…even if I’m too thick to understand it completely…also I’m triggered …

  12. Feeshalori says:

    It seems “triggered” is the new “incandescent.”

    • Lorelei says:

      “Triggered” isn’t even really the right word to use here, I thought? Like…seeing Andrew might trigger him but how often does he have to see him? At the moment I’m super overtired and can’t think of what the precise word would be, but it feels like triggered is wrong for what William is trying to get across here.

  13. Snuffles says:

    Andrews biggest sin in Williams eyes was that Andrew didn’t kiss his ass, bend a knee and recognize his supremacy. The same “sin” that Harry committed. Anyone that doesn’t prostrate themselves in his presence is seen as a threat and will be exiled.

    I said it before, if this was the olden days of the monarchy, William would be executing people left and right. (Henry VIII executed tens of thousands of people).

    • notasugarhere says:

      When he was a kid, he kept threatening to chop off the heads of little kids who didn’t give him what he wanted. He has not gotten better with age.

      • Snuffles says:

        Yup. He was a little monster. Even Diana nicknamed him Billy the Basher and thought Harry had the better temperament to be king. William is going to be an absolute TYRANT when he becomes King. I’m sure Harry saw it coming and realized he needed to get out while the getting is good. William would have controlled every inch of Harry’s life.

  14. Jais says:

    “his road-to-Damascus moment about Andrew”
    Ok, that’s funny.

  15. Merricat says:

    I laughed so hard when I saw the bit about the burger king being pressed because of Andrew’s “entitlement.” As Peewee Hermon might say, “I know you are, but what am I?”
    All of the leftover royals marinate in entitlement. William is trying to hurt Eugenie.

  16. Becks1 says:

    What I think is funny about this is….does it really matter what William thinks re: Andrew? Charles is the one calling the shots now and Charles has made it clear that Andrew is not going to be a working royal again, despite how desperate Andrew is to get back to “plaque unveiling” lol.

    If we assume that William won’t be king for 25 years, that puts Andrew in his mid to late 80s, whether or not he’s going to be a working royal at that point will be a non-issue, since he’ll have been benched for decades by then.

    sure, William can influence things behind the scenes at this point, but I don’t think Charles is pushing for Andrew to come back and William is the one saying “no.” My guess is that this is just about William wanting to jump on the anti-Andrew train and to get credit for being opposed to his problematic uncle.

    • notasugarhere says:

      Didn’t we get an article about this months ago? William leaking that HE was responsible for saying Andrew had to go, and the Queen and Charles were following his lead. He’s been trying to spin the idea that he’s in charge for months.

      • Becks1 says:

        @Nota yes I think so. Honestly so much of this is just blending together in my head at this point lol, but I do remember a story about how William was the one behind Andrew being benched – and I think that was for the same reason, William wants credit for this bc he is seeing that the public actually does not like Andrew, royal blood or not. But at the time of the Newsnight interview it was all about CHARLES taking control and CHARLES telling his mother Andrew had to go etc. I don’t think William had a damn thing to do with it but at this point he wants to act like he did.

      • The Hench says:

        It was definitely Charles who benched Andrew.

        About a week after the disastrous interview he was hauled into Buckingham Palace and given a dressing down by Charles. Camilla listened at the keyhole – I know this from somebody who works in BP.

      • Becks1 says:

        HENCH!!!! I love your stories but damn you always leave me wanting to know more lol.

        Camilla listened at the keyhole….LOL.

    • Lorelei says:

      @Becks imo this article was totally unnecessary, and only shows that William wants to make SURE everyone knows how “trusted” and powerful he already is. It’s not just Charles making decisions with the Queen, Statesmanlike Bill is there, too!

    • Jais says:

      Agree this is him wanting to be seen as taking a stand against the unpopular Andrew. It’s funny though that in the other article, Russel Meyers refer to him as the lieutenant to his father and the queen. Somehow, I don’t think William will like being referred to as a mere lieutenant, even though, as you said, who cares what William thinks about Andrew really.

  17. Harper says:

    Hunt seems to suggest that Andrew is too busy with his defense to notice what the Burger King is saying in the press about him, which seems way off the mark. This was the Sunday Times and in big headlines. I’m laughing because it says right there in the article that Andrew already feels that the family is not standing by him, coupled with the other tidbits that Andrew is a terrible cow and extremely nasty.

    Whatever happens in the civil case, I’m suspecting that the Queen will guarantee that Andrew is taken care of financially until the day he dies. Andrew and Fergie will have no reason not to gun for William as sport in retaliation once the Queen is gone. They might also come for Kate as she burnt her bridges with Beatrice and Eugenie a long time ago. Beatrice got her slight revenge by wearing the fallopian tube hat to their wedding, but I suspect Andrew will be up for something stronger.

  18. Rapunzel says:

    Said it in another post, but I’ll say it again. I think Will is getting pestered by Andy for support. I think he’s wanted Will to back him up about returning to duties, and this is Wills’ way of saying, “go away.”

  19. Vivica says:

    FanFiction Time:

    My palace sources told me that Billy made a deal with Chuck. “You ’86 my spare, I’ll ’86 yours. We both know they are Mummy’s favorites, let’s get rid of them so they can’t outshine us anymore.” Chuck was so desperate to get some sort of affection from HMTQ that he went with it, not realizing how it would play out so poorly. Now he has come to collect and is holding Billy’s pending divorce over his head. If he can get rid of PA, then Billy will get the go ahead from the firm to cut Keen weight.

    ::end scene::

    • Lorelei says:

      @Vivica, when it comes to this family, I would not rule anything out!

    • swirlmamad says:

      This doesn’t even sound all that farfetched.

    • Liz version 700 says:

      Haha the only part of that gorgeous story I don’t believe is that it is fanfic. That is the whispered musing from PR specialist Royal Fergie Ihavenoshame whispering seeet nothings into Ophea’s ear to her her to give her an interview to exonerate her man from mean Billy The Balder

  20. Julia K says:

    You mentioned Andrew using Philip’s funeral to make a power play, only to be outdone by the power play of the bejewelled, overdressed and masked duchess. Perhaps Wm has more than one axe to grind here.

    • notasugarhere says:

      The line about Wm having absolute control of all leaks? He cannot control the rogue Middleton PR team, on the job for 20 years.

      • Becks1 says:

        He can’t, and the next line was about how William exiles you or whatever if you go rogue.

        As you know I like to say, seems like a bit of a warning shot.

  21. Athena says:

    The people around that family talk way too much. There’s no reason for the world to know that Andrew wanted to wear an admiral uniform at Phillip’s funeral.
    The mystic of the monarchy is gone. It would be better if they stopped leaking and stopped sharing their every thought.

  22. Wadsworth the Butler says:

    The more interesting part of the Times article was the part describing how Charles, Anne, and Edward met and decided amongst themselves that Andrew could never have a public role. I think William and his aides are trying to portray him as having more influence than he really does, when in reality the big decisions are still being made by the older generations in his absence.

    • kelleybelle says:

      They’re also trying to portray William as Mr. Integrity when he’s anything but. It’s all for his image. Dismal failure if you ask me.

  23. Over it says:

    William and Andrew are two heads of the same ass—-le. One with hair and the other without.

  24. SueBarbri says:

    This doesn’t surprise me–the RF doesn’t seem to encourage any of the nieces/nephews to be close to the uncles/aunts. I have rarely seen a photo of William or Harry engaging with Anne, Andy, or Edward. As a matter of fact, even before Meghan came into the picture, I can’t remember ever seeing a picture of Harry talking to any of William’s children. I always assumed they’d play up the “Fun Uncle Harry Hanging with George” angle, but they didn’t.

    • Lady D says:

      Rumour has it William’s extreme jealousy is the reason. He didn’t want anyone to think his kids liked Harry more than they liked him. Reading about narcissists on this site, makes me think they are never secure in any relationship, be it partner, child or parent.

      • Layla says:

        @lady d those poor kids. You just know they’re going to be heavily influenced by their parents’ behaviour. Both Willileaks and Cathy keen have traits of narcissism. All three of them will inherit not just those traits but also be influenced by their parents’ attitudes towards their uncle, aunt and cousins. It makes me feel disgusted when I think about it

  25. Jaded says:

    The elephant in the room, which has been conveniently overlooked, is that NOBODY is saying anything about Charles’ lengthy friendship with Jimmy Savile and that he was probably part of the cover-up of Jimmy’s heinous crimes. Cozying up to sexual predators seems to run in that god-forsaken family.

    • ArtHistorian says:

      Philip’s uncle and Charles’ mentor Lord Mountbatten was a pedophile who abused young boys – I wouldn’t be surprised if it was through him that so many pedos entered the royal orbit.

      • SnoodleDumpling says:

        I would not be surprised if so, but there is also the colossal coverup regarding the “lost” Westminster pedophile dossier to consider…

        Then again, if the last four or five years have taught me anything about the House of Windsor it’s that they will ALWAYS find a way to make things worse than you thought possible, no matter how bad you think it might get. So they’re probably getting them in from the government, the Church, the aristocracy, maybe importing a few from overseas for the entertainment value, who knows!

  26. Lizzie says:

    Next on the Blindingly Obvious list; the smear campaign has backfired. Completely. 100%
    The Sussex’s are Times 100 most influential and making $$$ while the BRF is playing catchup and looking like sore losers while hiding a pervert.

  27. ModeratelyWealthy says:

    People have pointed out to me this seems to be a piece critical of William, so I re-read it and, although I am not native speaker and I did sense a veneer of criticism, especially when it concerned to Willie´s more, lets say ” dictatorial” nature, I do not think this is negative towards William, or rather…that William would FEEL this is a negative piece.

    It has sentences acknowledging his control over staff and friends (“The prince maintains a message control that Alastair Campbell would envy.”) it reiterates William follows the unspoken royal protocol of having his thoughts known indirectly (“tried and tested way the royals disseminate their views on sensitive or controversial topics. TV interviews are eschewed in favour of off the record conversations with journalists, via third parties.”) and the only thing really being questioned is “why now?(” While the cause of William’s concern is obvious, the timing of his ‘no fingerprints’ public briefing is less so ) , but even this is minimized by the author reciting the litany of Andrew´s problems right after , which gives the impression that William, although “right” is but a bit ” late” to the party- and that is all.

    I mean, he is basically saying William is playing the game as a King in waiting should d, but wondering why it took William so long to do so, which is really not a criticism in my eyes- or at least, it could be read by William´s cronies as ” look, he is saying you took your sweet little time, but you are right!”

    This, in turn, in William´s more saccarine PR is a good thing- he is the one being praised for basically placing Kkkate into a fridge as to not spoil while he considered his other options for marriage after all.

    • Lorelei says:

      @ModeratelyWealthy I said something similar upthread, but you explained it better. I can see the veiled snark — lots of us here can — but I don’t think WILLIAM would.

  28. Mslove says:

    The only thing I get from reading articles about this RF is how out of touch, ineffective, indifferent and inbred they are. Totally worthless, not making the world a better place. With their money and resources, they could do so much good without being political. The bast@rds.

  29. FluglyBear says:

    Does William have hair now? He definitely looks like he’s doing something about that huge bald head .

  30. 2cents says:

    Andrew is effectively holding his family hostage by dragging them into his lawsuit. It’s the only way he can get them to fund and support him.

    Andrew knows he must stand his ground against Charles and William because this is the endgame for him and his York family. It’s likely that they will be cast out of the slimmed down family.

    I wonder if Charles’ “money-for-favors”-scheme was leaked by Andrew as a warning shot if they try to cut him loose?

    No wonder Charles and William are showing a united front lately. Andrew has them both firmly by the balls. William is panicking and in damage control mode. Not a good poker player.

  31. Theothermia says:

    This Spectator piece is more shady than I expected! I kinda like it 😀

    Elegant Bill has all the trappings of leadership and none of the mettle. He’s not even decorative.