Prince William is on his way to becoming ‘the toughest ruler’ the royal family has ever seen – and it’s not good news for Harry and Andrew, a royal expert has said

Prince Harry and Prince Andrew both have very strained relationships with the rest of the royal family. And as a result, they are said to be “wary” of the future king Prince William, who is under “huge generational pressure” to maintain the monarchy, according to an expert.

William is said to have completely ‘cut ties’ with his younger brother Harry as a result of his numerous public attacks on the monarchy.

Similarly, he reportedly feels his uncle Andrew has jeopardised the Royal Family by being embroiled in a number of scandals over the years – most notably his links with Jeffrey Epstein.

In an interview with Fox News Digital, royal commentator Hilary Fordwich explained: “Prince William is dedicated to duty, as imbued in him by Queen Elizabeth II, who tutored him every Sunday regarding his royal duties. He’s also under huge generational pressure since the increasing public popularity of the monarchy ranks highest for both him and Princess Catherine.”

However, she also claims that despite the challenges he may face with the responsibility of his impending royal role, William “as a millennial… won’t and can’t risk public association with disastrous members of the family who merely serve as distractions from public duty”.

According to Fordwich, William believes this includes both Prince Andrew and Prince Harry, whose autobiography Spare acted as the ‘final straw’ for his older brother. And speaking of his decision to keep both at a distance, she further noted that the two are now likely “wary” of the future monarch.

A source recently told In Touch that William is not scared to assert himself, and that this will be evident when he eventually takes the throne. The insider claimed: “It’s no secret that anyone who pushes back against him will be swiftly shown the door. He’s not willing to take any nonsense, and the word is he’s already on his way to being the toughest ruler the family has ever seen.”

But while Harry and Andrew are out, other family members are likely to step up into more prominent roles once William becomes king – including Zara and Mike Tindall.

Royal reporter Jennie Bond told the Mirror that while the Tindalls “don’t have titles”, “they obviously have the cachet of being so much part of the extended Royal Family”. Not having titles isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as the royal couple “have managed to use that commercially without getting into too much bother”.

As far as their relationship with the Prince, the Tindalls “are both very close to William, and if he calls on them again (as he did at a garden party last year), they will definitely agree,” Bond continued. They won’t step into “an official working role, nor do I think the public would want to fund any more working royals,” the royal expert added.

Meanwhile, the Times has reported that “palace insiders believe that under the next reign, William V will be eager for his aunt and uncle, Sophie and Edward, to play a more prominent role in public life.”

Sophie and Edward reportedly “get on very well” with William and Kate, a palace source explained. “She’s tough, she knows her own mind and will argue her corner. There was always a danger people underestimated her but she stood up for herself, for Edward, for them as a couple,” a former palace aide told the publication.