Last month, Prince Andrew announced that he would be stepping back from public duties following the 'car crash' BBC interview where he addressed his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, the multimillionaire businessman and registered sex offender who died in an apparent suicide earlier this year.
He said in a statement: 'I have asked Her Majesty if I may step back from public duties for the foreseeable future, and she has given her permission.
'It has become clear to me over the last few days that the circumstances relating to my former association with Jeffrey Epstein has become a major disruption to my family’s work and the valuable work going on in the many organisations and charities that I am proud to support.'
It has been reported that Prince Charles played an influential role in the decision, and he is said to have visited Prince Philip at Sandringham to seek advice following the interview with Emily Maitlis.
The Telegraph now reports that Philip, Charles and Andrew also organised crisis talks.
An insider told the paper: 'It was a tense meeting, and Philip told his son he had to take his punishment. There was no screaming or shouting, but Philip told him in no uncertain terms that he had to step down for the sake of the monarchy.'
Charles reportedly stepped in to inform his brother that there was 'no way back'.
'It was all very civilised, but Charles calmly read him the riot act and told him there was no way back for him in the near future,' the insider said.
'Andrew thought he was being treated harshly as nothing has yet been proved against him, but he accepted the decision.'
While the source claims that Philip was sympathetic, their focus was on the royal family, adding: 'Philip doesn’t like trial by the media, but he is realistic enough to realise that Andrew’s actions were a danger to the very fabric of the royal family.'
