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Prince William is reportedly restarting conversation with his father, Prince Charles, about Prince Andrew as renewed scandal over alleged sexual abuse has ushered in fresh scrutiny of the Duke of York.
“First and foremost, Charles and William are united; there will never be a return to public life for Andrew,” a source told the Mirror on Thursday.
The source added that the direct heirs to the throne, “along with members [of the royal family], are undoubtedly increasingly concerned about the effect all of this turmoil could have on the Queen.”
William, 39, was previously involved in discussions around Andrew’s step back from royal duties, so it’s no surprise the Duke of Cambridge — who is third in line to the throne behind Charles — would play a key role in decisions impacting the monarchy.
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Members of the royal family have been steadily arriving at the Queen’s Balmoral estate in Scotland this week as scrutiny escalates in the wake of lawsuit Monday alleging sexual abuse by Prince Andrew
RELATED: Prince Andrew Makes Shocking Move to Quit Royal Duties After Explosive Jeffrey Epstein Interview
“Senior members of the family were involved” in Andrew’s decision to “step back” from public duties in 2019 when the scandal first emerged, one palace source told PEOPLE at the time.
And since Virginia Roberts Giuffre filed a lawsuit in New York on Monday claiming Andrew had repeatedly forced her to participate in non-consensual sex when she was under the age of 18, senior royals are increasingly concerned the fallout will create “unwelcome reputational damage to the institution” of the monarchy, a source close to Charles told the Times of London on Thursday.
For his part, Andrew, 61, has consistently claimed Giuffre’s accusations could not be true.
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Alexander Koerner/Getty; Emily Michot/Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Prince Andrew; Virginia Roberts
On Friday, Charles appeared to be joining a growing royal summit at Queen Elizabeth’s Balmoral estate in Scotland (where she typically spends the month of August). He and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall arrived at Birkhall, their home on the estate, according to photos obtained by the Daily Mail.
The Queen, 95, traveled to Scotland a few weeks ago and was officially welcomed to Balmoral Castle on Monday just hours before news of Giuffre’s lawsuit filing broke. (In the latest case development on Thursday, the judge ordered the first hearing in the civil suit via teleconference on Sept. 13, according to court documents obtained by PEOPLE.)
As the week has progressed, Prince Andrew and his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, joined the Queen at Balmoral on Tuesday, followed by Princess Eugenie, the Duke and Duchess of York’s younger daughter, who arrived with her family on Wednesday.
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TOLGA AKMEN/AFP/Getty Images Prince Charles, Prince William and Prince Andrew
On Thursday, it was reported that Charles, 72, was growing more resolved in the decision that Andrew would not return to life as a working royal.
The Prince of Wales “long ago concluded that it is probably an unsolvable problem,” a source close to the future king told the Times of London.
“This will probably further strengthen in the prince’s mind that a way back for the duke is demonstrably not possible, because the specter of this [accusation] raises its head with hideous regularity,” added the source.
RELATED: Jeffrey Epstein Accuser Virginia Giuffre Is ‘Holding Prince Andrew Accountable’ with Lawsuit
In a statement shared with PEOPLE on Monday, Giuffre said, “As the suit lays out in detail, I was trafficked to him and sexually abused by him.”
The statement continued, “I am holding Prince Andrew accountable for what he did to me. The powerful and rich are not exempt from being held responsible for their actions. I hope that other victims will see that it is possible not to live in silence and fear, but to reclaim one’s life by speaking out and demanding justice.”
Spokespeople for Prince Andrew have repeatedly declined PEOPLE’s request for comment, though Andrew did tell the BBC in 2019: “I have no recollection of ever meeting this lady, none whatsoever. It just never happened.”
