Prince William’s Ultimatum to Beatrice and Eugenie

A new report places Prince William at the center of the alleged pressure on Prince Andrew, regarding his move from Royal Lodge, the mansion he has shared with his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, since 2008, amid renewed scrutiny over his ties to Jeffrey Epstein.

On Oct. 27, journalist Emily Maitlis discussed the speculation on her podcast The News Agents that William may have urged his cousins, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, to encourage their father to move out of Royal Lodge, with the alleged warning that their own titles could be reviewed. She said British broadcasters had been tipped off that something might be happening at Royal Lodge on Thursday night, prompting reporters — including a BBC helicopter — to go to the scene.

“There was a question over whether there had been, earlier in the day, a meeting between Prince William and the princesses, Beatrice and Eugenie, saying, ‘You guys have to get your dad to move out of Royal Lodge, otherwise we will start re-examining the state of your own titles,’ ” she said.

“They are, at the moment, allowed to be princesses, but there was a bit of pressure, we understand, being put on the princesses to say, ‘You know, this is going to happen.’ Obviously, you can see why Andrew, as a father, would want to keep his daughters happy and keep their titles in place, come what may,” she continued.

PEOPLE understands that no such meeting took place between William and his cousins.

While Prince William, 43, holds significant influence as heir to the throne, he does not have the authority to strip his cousins of their royal titles. Removing Beatrice and Eugenie’s titles would require an Act of Parliament.

Maitlis also added that part of the tip-offs suggested King Charles was expected to be seen arriving at Royal Lodge, a move that would underline the monarch taking control of the situation. According to Maitlis, when helicopters and cameras were already on scene, the palace decided the moment had gotten too big and the plan was canceled.

“So what we learned what was going to happen on Thursday was that [Charles], fresh from the Vatican and his audience with the Pope, was going to come via Royal Lodge, to be seen, in other words, to be sort of reading the riot act to his brother. Nobody was going to film the conversation, clearly, no was going to see him stepping out the car, but there was going to be the moment, caught on camera, of King Charles’ car close to or heading towards Royal Lodge,” she said.

“What happened, I understand, was that the palace then got very nervous, and when they saw the choppers and helicopters, they thought, ‘This has all got too big, this has got out of control.’ They canceled the whole thing. The King just went straight home and never came by there,” Maitlis claimed.

Maitlis was the journalist who interviewed Prince Andrew, 65, for the BBC Newsnight interview in November 2019 about his involvement with Epstein and Virginia Roberts Giuffre’s allegations of abuse, which set his step back from public life in motion.

Prince Andrew is reportedly set to leave his longtime home of Royal Lodge after his Oct. 17 announcement that he will no longer use his Duke of York title or honors. The update came amid renewed interest around Andrew’s alleged connection to the late, disgraced Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted sex offender who died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial.

PEOPLE understands that Beatrice and Eugenie’s titles and positions are wholly unaffected as their father surrendered his royal titles, which won’t impede their attendance at future family events.

Can’t get enough of PEOPLE’s Royals coverage? Sign up for our free Royals newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more! 

However, a recent report from The Sunday Times claimed that Prince William will take a tougher stance about distancing his disgraced uncle from royal life when he is king, including banning Andrew from both public and private royal events, including his coronation.