Prince William is concerned 'turmoil' over Prince Andrew scandal will hurt Queen

The lawsuit against Prince Andrew has brought on fresh troubles for the British royal family and the monarch, with Prince William growing concerned that the scandal will have a personal impact on Queen Elizabeth II.

According to a report in the Mirror, the Duke of Cambridge is restarting conversations with his father, Prince Charles, about Prince Andrew and the renewed public uproar over his alleged involvement with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. William was previously also involved in crisis talks when his uncle was asked to step down from royal duties in 2019, and would play a key role this time as well.

A source told the outlet that as far as the two future Kings are concerned, the Duke of York who has been charged with sexually abusing a minor, would never be able to make a return to "The Firm."

"First and foremost, Charles and William are united; there will never be a return to public life for Andrew," the insider said. They also said that William and Charles as well as other members of the royal family are "undoubtedly increasingly concerned about the effect all of this turmoil could have on the Queen."

The monarch's second son who is also her favourite child according to several reports, was already under investigation for his ties with Epstein and his girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell. However, he came under fresh scrutiny after Epstein's accuser Virginia Roberts Giuffre filed a lawsuit in New York on Monday, claiming the British royal had repeatedly forced her to participate in non-consensual sex when she was under the age of 18.

A source close to Prince Charles told Times of London that though Andrew has repeatedly denied the accusations against him, senior royals are increasingly concerned the fallout will create "unwelcome reputational damage to the institution" of the monarchy. The source said that the heir apparent "long ago concluded that it is probably an unsolvable problem," and it will probably only help strengthen his resolve that "a way back" for his brother is "demonstrably not possible, because the specter of this [accusation] raises its head with hideous regularity."

The fresh scandal comes at a time when the family has reunited at the Queen's Balmoral estate in Scotland for their annual summer holiday. Andrew was the first to arrive at the estate last week, along with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, followed by their younger daughter Princess Eugenie. Charles has also arrived at the estate with his wife Camilla since then.