Prince Andrew and Prince Harry have reportedly been given a truncated nickname by Buckingham Palace staff, reflecting the growing strain in their relationship with the monarchy.
The nickname comes as King Charles deals with the ongoing controversy surrounding his younger brother Andrew. At the center of the dispute is Andrew’s future at Royal Lodge, the sprawling Windsor estate he has called home for decades.
Andrew has been no stranger to controversy, particularly due to his associations with notorious financier Jeffrey Epstein and a Chinese businessman accused of espionage.
The issues reportedly led to his absence from the royal family’s traditional Christmas gathering at Sandringham, fueling speculation about his precarious position at the firm.
Meanwhile, tensions with Prince Harry are at an all-time high. Since stepping back as a working royal and moving to the United States with Meghan Markle, Harry has been vocal about his grievances with the establishment.
The whispered nickname of the two conflicting royal families encapsulates their contested status and the shifting dynamics within the monarchy.
After stepping down from royal duties and moving to America, Prince Harry released his barely-there memoir Spare and engaged in high-profile interviews discussing their family dynamics.
The fallout from these revelations, combined with Prince Andrew’s ongoing conflicts, reportedly led Buckingham Palace courtiers to dub the couple with an ominous nickname: the “Dukes of Hazzard.”
Addressing the Royals with Roya and Kate podcast, The Times Royal correspondent Kate Mancey revealed, “Some people have mentioned to me that Harry and Andrew have been called the ‘Dukes of Hazzard’ – two difficult dukes who are seen as problems for the monarch, although Andrew may have More than that.”
Neither Harry nor Andrew are working royals, and King Charles is reportedly treading carefully to avoid further family rifts.
“Maharaj doesn’t want to add to the family tension,” said a source. The Times. “By nature, he is a unifier, not a divider.”