PRINCE Charles could “read Andrew the riot act” and “strip him of duties” once king, a royal writer has said.
The future monarch is said to have always had a rocky relationship with Prince Andrew – with the latest scandal over his brother’s friendship with Jeffrey Epstein making him “b****y furious”.
Prince Charles like to be furious about Prince Andrew’s TV interview, a family friend said
Charles is in New Zealand on a royal visit to the country
Christopher Andersen, author of Diana’s Boys, told the Daily Beast: “Charles does not want to inherit a crown that has been tarnished, scratched, and dented by a fresh round of scandals.
Once he is king, he will almost certainly read Andrew the riot act, if he hasnt already, strip him of many of his duties and responsibilities, and put him under the royal equivalent of might loosely be described as house arresta life of unlimited luxury and pomp, of course, but under the reign of Charles III, the Duke of Yorks freedom to pursue his personal appetites will be significantly curtailed.
Both Clarence House and Buckingham Palace declined to comment.
The revelation comes days after Prince Andrew gave an interview to BBC2 Newsnight’s Emily Maitlis about his links to Epstein.
He strongly denied he had sex with 17-year-old Virginia Roberts in 2001 after going to London’s Tramp nightclub, claiming he was at a Pizza Express with his daughter Princess Beatrice.
Royal experts were stunned by the Prince’s decision to appear on TV to discuss his paedophile billionaire pal, who died in jail in August.
And while the Duke of York, 59, is said to still have the Queen’s backing, Prince Charles could not be so forgiving.
He is currently away on a royal tour of New Zealand – causing concern the monarch is struggling with the fallout without her eldest by her side.
But a royal source told the Evening Standard: “His Royal Highness has the backing of the Queen and his close family, they believe in him totally and think he has shown strength for telling the truth and admitting the errors he has made.
“There is no question of him being ordered to reduce his duties. He just wants to get on with his job.
“He has told the truth in detail.”
Yesterday the first major sponsor of his Dragon’s Den-style charity initiative abandoned him – after the sponsorship expired last month.
Sky News reportedthe accountancy firm made the decision in the light of “adverse press scrutiny around Prince Andrew”.
Andrew is believed to be unaware of the worldwide outrage sparked by his interview, shown on Saturday night.
In a public show of support, the monarch stood by herfavourite sonas they attended church on the Windsor estate.
His pal revealed last night: The Duke went to church with the Queen and was heard telling her its all been a great success.
He thinks hes done the right thing and has put the criticism to rest. He was all smiles and was looking very buoyant and happy.
Epstein was first jailed in 2008 for procuring an underage girl for prostitution. He got an 18-month sentence, during which he was able to go on work release to his office six days a week. He was released on probation after 13 months.
This July he was arrested on sex trafficking allegations. On August 10 he was found hanged at the New York Metropolitan Correctional Centre three weeks after being found unconscious with neck injuries.
Checks were not carried out on the night in question, and CCTV appeared to have malfunctioned. Officials are investigating.
The Queen pictured riding today amid the fallout of her son’s Newsnight interview
Prince Andrew, pictured with Jeffrey Epstein in New York in 2010
The Queen pictured going to church yesterday – hours after Andrew told her the interview went well
