Prince William is in Scotland this week enjoying some quality time with his father, King Charles, for what has become an annual father-son holiday.
Royal sources tell VF that the trip has become a “much looked forward to” date in the diary for both William and his father, who they insist are closer than ever, despite recent reports that the Prince of Wales does not see eye to eye with Charles over several issues regarding the royal family—principally over the King’s recent meeting with Prince Harry and the very public inclusion of the Duke and Duchess of York at a recent family funeral.
“They are both in Scotland and will see each other, but it’s in no way connected to recent family dramas,” a source tells VF. “They speak very regularly, and there has been no fallout.” Buckingham Palace declined to comment on speculation about the king’s relationship to his eldest son.
Their time in Scotland, a country they both love, will, however, give the king and heir a chance to discuss some important matters. VF has been told that the Prince of Wales is keen to come up with a solution for what is being referred to in palace circles as the “York problem.”
“It’s something that William is acutely aware of and wants resolved,” a family friend tells me. “Charles is not a confrontational person and doesn’t want any more family feuds, but he recognizes that his brother poses challenges. William takes a harder line and has made it clear that he thinks his uncle and aunt could cause the monarchy real reputational damage.”
This week, Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, was dropped by seven of her charities after an email from 2011 revealed that she continued corresponding with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein after claiming she had distanced herself from him. The king is under pressure to cut ties with his sister-in-law, according to royal insiders.
Andrew Lownie, author of Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of Yorks, which lifts the lid on Sarah and Prince Andrew’s close relationship with Epstein, says the king could face a backlash if he continues to be seen as supporting Andrew and Sarah, who still live at Royal Lodge in Windsor.
Despite Prince Andrew and Ferguson’s separation in 1992 and subsequent divorce in 1996, Charles still maintains a good rapport with the Duchess of York. today their relationship is “causing problems for the King because of the optics of the royal family being so close to the Yorks,” Lownie says.
But Lownie tells me Charles and William disagree about what to do. “I’m told William’s view is that his father needs to take a firmer line with Andrew,” Lownie says. “I think this could cause real tensions between Charles and William. William, as future king, will have to discount with the fallout from this. He wants this problem solved and has no sentimental attachment to Andrew. He has no time for Andrew, and he can see how toxic the Yorks are.”
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