Marie Claire Marie Claire
  • Celebrity
  • Fashion
  • Beauty
  • Culture
  • Power
  • Nice Talk
  • Style At Large
  • More
    • Politics
    • Career & Money
    • Health & Fitness
    • Power Play
    • Travel
    • Promo Codes
    • Food & Cocktails
    • About Us
    • Subscribe
    • Sex & Love
  • Newsletter SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Marie Claire
    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!


    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    You are now subscribed

    Your newsletter sign-up was successful


    Want to add more newsletters?

    Marie Claire Daily

    Delivered daily

    Marie Claire Daily

    Get exclusive access to fashion and beauty trends, hot-off-the-press celebrity news, and more.

    Marie Claire Self Checkout

    Sent weekly on Saturday

    Marie Claire Self Checkout

    Exclusive access to expert shopping and styling advice from Nikki Ogunnaike, Marie Claire's editor-in-chief.

    Maire Claire Face Forward

    Once a week

    Maire Claire Face Forward

    Insider tips and recommendations for skin, hair, makeup, nails and more from Hannah Baxter, Marie Claire's beauty director.

    Livingetc

    Once a week

    Livingetc

    Your shortcut to the now and the next in contemporary home decoration, from designing a fashion-forward kitchen to decoding color schemes, and the latest interiors trends.

    Homes & Gardens

    Delivered Daily

    Homes & Gardens

    The ultimate interior design resource from the world's leading experts - discover inspiring decorating ideas, color scheming know-how, garden inspiration and shopping expertise.


    An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
    Trending
    • Coco Gauff's New Balances
    • Dyson
    • Postpartum Texts
    • Ayan Broomfield
    • Everyday Handbags
    1. Celebrity
    2. Royals

    Crisis Consultant Shares How Princess Kate and Prince William Can Fix the "Royal Family's Reputation" Problem After Andrew's Epstein Scandal

    "The heavy weight of this burden lies with William and Kate and what they're going to do."

    Amy Mackelden's avatar
    By Amy Mackelden
    Published 22 February 2026 In News

    When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

    LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - SEPTEMBER 16, 2025: William, Prince of Wales, Catherine, Princess of Wales and Prince Andrew, Duke of York attend Requiem Mass service at Westminster Cathedral for the Duchess of Kent who died aged 92 earlier this month in London, United Kingdom on September 16, 2025. The service was the first Catholic funeral held for a member of the Royal Family in modern British history. (Photo credit should read Wiktor Szymanowicz/Future Publishing via Getty Images)
    (Image credit: Getty Images)
    • Facebook
    • X
    • Pinterest
    Share this article
    Join the conversation
    Follow us
    Add us as a preferred source on Google
    Subscribe to our newsletter

    In recent months, the Royal Family has faced a multitude of challenges, particularly due to renewed interest in Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's friendship with Jeffrey Epstein. According to one crisis consultant, the general public will be looking to Princess Kate and Prince William to rehabilitate the Royal Family's "reputation" following the former Duke of York's scandal.

    Speaking to the Daily Mail, crisis consultant Mark Borkowski alleged that, as the future King and Queen, the Prince and Princess of Wales need to "establish the integrity of the Royal Family."

    The consultant continued, "Really, what do William and Kate do? What do their generation do with the Crown, with all its soft power, its affairs of state, it's beginning to feel a little bit like a European monarchy."

    Latest Videos FromMarie Claire
    Watch full video here:

    Princess Kate wearing a blue sequin dress and Queen Victoria's tiara walking into a banquet with Prince William

    The Prince and Princess of Wales need to "establish the integrity of the Royal Family."

    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    As a result, Prince William will reportedly be faced with an immense challenge, especially since his disgraced uncle Andrew was arrested.

    "The pressure on William to communicate what the Royal Family is going to be over the next 50 years falls squarely on his shoulders," Borkowski said. "The heavy weight of this burden on the Royal Family's reputation lies with William and Kate and what they're going to do."

    You may like
    • Princess Kate princess Charlotte bracelet Why Princess Kate Is Carrying a "Huge Burden"
    • Prince Harry,  Meghan Markle, Princess Kate and Prince William walking in a row Prince William and Princess Kate Have a "Very Difficult Hill to Climb" With Harry and Meghan
    • Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis, Prince George, Prince William, and Princess Kate in Scotland on August 1, 2026 Princess Kate and Prince William Aren't "Lazy"

    The crisis consultant isn't the only expert to suggest that the Royal Family might struggle to fix the mess Andrew's Epstein scandal has created.

    Prince William and Princess Kate sitting at a table

    The general public will be looking to Kate and William to rehabilitate the Royal Family's "reputation"

    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Speaking to People, royal author Robert Jobson explained, "When these things went on, he was Prince Andrew, Duke of York." Jobson continued, "He was right at the heart of the Royal Family and appointed by the late Queen and the government. It is one thing kicking him out now and saying he is a bad apple, but they didn't have due diligence in place."

    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!

    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    Furthermore, Jobson said, "The problem will be—who knew what and when and why was nothing done?" Essentially, Kate and William seemingly have quite a long road ahead of them when it comes to mending the damage caused by Andrew's saga.

    Explore More
    Prince William Princess Catherine Prince Andrew
    Amy Mackelden
    Amy Mackelden
    Social Links Navigation
    Weekend Editor

    Amy Mackelden is the weekend editor at Marie Claire, where she covers celebrity and royal family news. She was the weekend editor at Harper’s BAZAAR for three years, where she covered breaking celebrity and entertainment news, royal stories, fashion, beauty, and politics. Prior to that, she spent a year as the joint weekend editor for Marie Claire, ELLE, and Harper's BAZAAR, and two years as an entertainment writer at Bustle. Her additional bylines include Cosmopolitan, People, The Independent, HelloGiggles, Biography, Shondaland, Best Products, New Statesman, Heat, and The Guardian. Her work has been syndicated by publications including Town & Country, Good Housekeeping, Esquire, Delish, Oprah Daily, Country Living, and Women's Health. Her celebrity interviews include Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Chastain, the cast of Selling Sunset, Emma Thompson, Jessica Alba, and Penn Badgley. In 2015, she delivered an academic paper at Kimposium, the world's first Kardashian conference.

    Read more
    Prince Harry,  Meghan Markle, Princess Kate and Prince William walking in a row
    Royals Prince William and Princess Kate Have a "Very Difficult Hill to Climb" With Harry and Meghan
    By Kristin Contino
    Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis, Prince George, Prince William, and Princess Kate in Scotland on August 1, 2026
    Royals Princess Kate and Prince William Aren't "Lazy"
    By Amy Mackelden
     
     
    Prince William and Prince Harry standing back to back
    Royals Prince Harry's Move Will Make it Hard for William to "Duck a Reconciliation"
    By Kristin Contino
    Prince William wearing sunglasses  in the stands at Wimbledon
    Royals Prince William Could Follow in One European Queen's Title-Stripping Footsteps
    By Kristin Contino
     
     
    Latest in Royals
    Queen Elizabeth wears a lilac coat and matching hat with a green feather and drops a bouquet given to her by a royal fan in 2010 at Eton
    Royals Fan's Gift Caused Queen Elizabeth to Make a Rare Faux Pas
    Meghan Markle wears a white dress with a matching hat, while Prince Harry and King Charles wears suits and top hats at Royal Ascot in 2018
    Royals Charles Reveals His Position on Harry and Meghan's Return
     
     
    King Charles, And Queen Camilla, And King Harald Attending An Official Dinner At The Royal Palace In Oslo in 2012
    Royals One Royal Will Miss King Harald's Funeral After Being Hospitalized
    Prince Harry, Prince William, Meghan Markle, and Kate Middleton join King Charles on Commonwealth Day on March 9, 2020.
    Royals King Charles Displays "A Unique Form of Watchful Attention"
     
     
    Latest in News
    Queen Elizabeth wears a lilac coat and matching hat with a green feather and drops a bouquet given to her by a royal fan in 2010 at Eton
    Royals Fan's Gift Caused Queen Elizabeth to Make a Rare Faux Pas
    Alexandra Leclerc wearing a red Ferrari dress, she has long brown hair and is pregnant while wearing sunglasses
    Celebrity Style Alexandra Leclerc's Italian Grand Prix Dress Is Red Hot
     
     
    Meghan Markle wears a white dress with a matching hat, while Prince Harry and King Charles wears suits and top hats at Royal Ascot in 2018
    Royals Charles Reveals His Position on Harry and Meghan's Return
    Lili Reinhart pays tribute to Kate Hudson's yellow dress in How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days while promoting The Love Hypothesis, she is a woman with blonde hair
    Celebrity Style Lili Reinhart Recreates Rom-Com History in Kate Hudson's Gown
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Marie Claire
    RSS
    • About us
    • Contact Future's experts
    • Contact us
    • Advertise Online
    • Newsletter
    • Terms and conditions
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookies policy
    • Careers
    Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google

    Marie Claire is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

    © Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.