While the extended royal family was out in force to celebrate Easter, the Prince and Princess of Wales were noticeably absent from the annual church service at St George’s Chapel.
It marked the second Easter service in a row that the Waleses have missed, as last year Kate was undergoing treatment for cancer.
This time, it was claimed that they opted out of it as they wanted to spend time with their kids before school resumed.
However, New Idea’s palace insider suggests there might have been another deciding factor at play.
Indeed, our source says William, 42, does not want to be seen with his disgraced uncle, the Duke of York. Prince Andrew, 65, stepped back from royal duties in 2019 due to the outrage over his connection to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Yet, he was spotted grinning alongside The Firm outside the service, after arriving in a car with his sister, the Princess Royal, her husband, Sir Timothy Laurence, and his ex-wife, Sarah, Duchess of York.
“William has drawn a firm line. He has to protect his own reputation,” says the source.
“He won’t be seen alongside Andrew ever again unless he clears his name.”
This has put King Charles in a “difficult position” as he and Wills “don’t see eye to eye” on Andrew, says the source.
They add: “William told Charles it’s either Andrew or him – he won’t risk the embarrassment.”
To add insult to injury for Andrew, his daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, also seemingly avoided being photographed with him at the church.
