“I think there’s much more still to come out. And I think that was what was worrying them that they were best to distance himself before, before these new allegations arose.”

Lownie specifically named William, who he claimed felt the former Duke of Kent had become “a distraction from the wider work of the royal family”.

Andrew and William were pictured together at the Duchess of Kent’s funeral last month, with royal watchers speculating the future King had rebuffed his uncle’s attempts at conversation.

The relationship between the two has reportedly been strained since Andrew was accused of sexual assault by Virginia Roberts Giuffre in 2015, implicating him in Epstein’s infamous sex trafficking ring.

Giuffre’s memoir, set to be released next week, is expected to detail her allegations against the disgraced royal.

He reiterated a denial of the accusations in yesterday’s statement.

Lownie speculated Prince Andrew’s ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, is likely to be most affected by his demotion.

Without the title of Duchess of York, he said, “for her money-making activities, it’s going to be a bit of a blur”.

The former couple’s daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, will retain their titles.