Prince William is reportedly set to break Royal protocol with his stance on his uncle Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's connection to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.
As previously reported, the latest release of 3.5 million documents from the Epstein files included previously unseen images alleged to be of the former Prince on all fours over a woman.
The three images show a man, thought to be Andrew, crouching on all fours over a woman lying face-up on the floor, with their arms spread out.
In one photo, the man appears to be looking directly at the camera, while in another, he has placed his left hand on the woman's stomach.
Emails and messages between Andrew and Epstein also showed the men planning to meet, including one email from September 2010 which reveals that Andrew invited Epstein to dinner at Buckingham Palace just days after Epstein's house arrest ended.
In the email, Epstein requested "private time" during his visit to London, to which Andrew responded: "We could have dinner at Buckingham Palace and lots of privacy."
It remains unclear whether the dinner took place.
Since being stripped of his royal title, Andrew's relationship with the rest of the royal family has remained under scrutiny.
In September last year, Prince William appeared to give his uncle a frosty reaction when Andrew tried to speak to him at Katharine, the Duchess of Kent's funeral - an exchange which was caught on camera.
Following the latest releases from the Epstein files, Prince William and his wife Kate Middleton shared a statement through a spokesperson.
It said: "The Prince and Princess of Wales have been deeply concerned by the continuing revelations. Their thoughts remain focused on the victims."
According to royal expert Hilary Fordwich, Prince William is allegedly ready to break one key protocol - that royals "never complain, never explain" any controversy related to them - and share his stance on Andrew.
Fordwich told Fox News: "Prince William, with the major influence of Princess Catherine, is modernizing the monarchy by clarifying their position — which is with the victims.
"This demonstrates William’s moral authority. We can expect that he will not do anything to defend his despicable uncle."
Fordwich added that William appears to "[view] silence as both damning and dangerous for the monarchy."
Andrew was stripped of his royal titles by his brother, King Charles III, in October, a decision which was largely sparked by Andrew's association with Epstein.
Fordwich added: "There is no way to completely shut down this nightmare. They have already shifted Andrew out of the public spotlight, stripped him of his titles and patronages — all of which William wanted from the outset."
William and Kate are apparently "aligned with the public disgust towards [Andrew's] behavior," and his tough moral stance on his uncle is an indicator of the "early framework of his future reign."
British broadcaster and photographer Helena Chard told the outlet: "If it were up to Prince William, he would have dealt with the Andrew fallout a long time ago.
"He is furious with the negative impact on the royal family’s standing due to his uncle Andrew’s despicable behavior. He has no allegiance to his uncle."