By Marisa Laudadio
2:44pm PST, Mar 3, 2026
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Prince William and
Kate Middleton are facing a defining moment for Britain's monarchy in the wake of his uncle
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's spectacular fall from grace. Adding to the pressure? Experts believe the royal family's reputation now rests with the Prince and Princess of Wales.
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As Britain's royal family moves to distance itself from Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor following his recent arrest on suspicion of misconduct in public office amid renewed scrutiny of his ties to predator
Jeffrey Epstein, attention has shifted to
Prince William and Kate Middleton. The couple must find a way to "establish the integrity of the royal family," public relations and crisis consultant
Mark Borkowski told the
Independent.
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King Charles III may be the current monarch, but public relations and crisis consultant Mark Borkowski believes the burden of shoring up the integrity of the royal family is ultimately
Prince William's responsibility. "Really, what do William and Kate [Middleton] do? What do their generation do with the crown, with all its soft power, its affairs of state?" Borkowski said, noting how "it's beginning to feel a little bit like a European monarchy." According to Borkowski, "The pressure on William to communicate what the royal family is going to be over the next 50 years falls squarely on his shoulders. The heavy weight of this burden on the royal family's reputation lies with William and Kate and what they're going to do."
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In recent weeks and months, King Charles III has taken decisive steps to mitigate the harm, including stripping his brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor of his royal titles and honors in late 2025 and evicting the former Duke of York from his Crown Estate mansion, Royal Lodge, in January. The king also issued an unprecedented statement within hours of his brother's February arrest, promising authorities they "have our full and wholehearted support and cooperation," further insisting that "the law must take its course."
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Recent reports claim that not only do
Prince William and Kate Middleton approve of King Charles III's recent moves to dismantle Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's royal legacy and leave him at the mercy of the law, but that the Prince of Wales has been pushing for his uncle's ouster for years. In the new book
William and Catherine: The Monarchy's New Era: The Inside Story, author
Russell Myers writes that William asked his father and the late
Queen Elizabeth II to take action against the former Duke of York back in 2019. "Once you understand the fact that everything that happens in the here and now affects everything in the future, William's future, it is very easy to put yourself in his shoes," a source told Myers. "He never much liked his uncle and wanted him out of the picture immediately before the rot further set in."
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Andrew Lownie, who wrote 2025's
Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York, sees evidence that
Prince William "is beginning to call the shots," the author told Britain's
Channel 4. "He's much more ruthless than his father — and I think he can see the huge reputational damage that's being done."
