When Prince William recently declared his commitment to the Church of England and spoke of his ‘quiet faith’, it may have been something of a sting for the former archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby.

Sarah Mullally was last month installed as the 106th spiritual head of the Church of England, with William and the Princess of Wales attending her enthronement ceremony.

But according to royal experts, the Prince of Wales, 43, was disengaged from the Church during her predecessor’s tenure, due to his close relationship with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

Speaking on Times Radio, Roya Nikkhah, said: ‘Justin and his team, for many years at Lambeth Palace, did try very hard to get meetings with William and there was just a wall of silence that came down.’

She added: ‘William is someone who does hold a grudge, he does choose sides. If someone picks the other side, he remembers that.’

Harry and Meghan, Nikkhah explained, went to Welby for guidance and confided in him – and in their 2021 Oprah Winfrey interview the Duchess claimed that he married them in private a few days prior to their 2018 wedding.

And according to royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams, Welby isn’t the only one to feel the chill after displeasing the heir to the throne.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, he said: ‘William is our future king. Thank goodness he has a ruthless streak, as this is needed in today’s world, especially with the monarchy among its most closely watched institutions.

‘He is clearly an excellent judge of character and has deservedly won praise for his diplomatic skills.

‘An example of his perspicacity has been the way he handled contacts with Lambeth Palace during the tenure of Justin Welby as archbishop of Canterbury.

‘Welby became close to Harry and Meghan during the run-up to their marriage in 2018. However, Meghan claimed on Oprah that he had married them first in a secret ceremony in their “backyard”.

‘He chose an interview with the Italian paper La Repubblica to deny this, considering it less explosive than a British one.

‘Welby had to resign after failing to report the appalling John Smyth, the Church’s most prolific abuser, to the police.

‘His bizarre resignation speech in the House of Lords was condemned as “frivolous” and “disgusting”, and he had to apologise.’

Mr Fitzwilliams added: ‘William was absolutely right to keep him at arm’s length, ensuring his contacts are with his successor, Sarah Mullally, who may one day crown him. William’s “quiet faith” will resonate with contemporary Britain.’

After working closely with Meghan and Harry, journalist Tom Bradby suffered a similar fate, explained the royal expert.

William once appeared close to the former royal correspondent and political editor for ITV, granting him the first interview alongside Kate following the couple’s engagement in 2010.

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Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Prince William at Westminster Cathedral after the state funeral for the Duchess of Kent

Tensions flared, however, after Bradby interviewed the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for ITV coverage of their tour of southern Africa in 2019.

Mr Fitzwilliams explained: ‘The journalist Tom Bradby was once a close friend of William’s.

‘However, in his documentary made during Harry and Meghan’s tour of South Africa, where they represented the Queen, he chronicled their first publicly expressed dissatisfaction with royal life, which went viral, telling the world the brothers were on “different paths”.’

The journalist also interviewed Harry about his memoir, Spare.

‘Bradby, who had been given an exclusive interview by William and Catherine when they were engaged and attended their wedding, was regarded by William as having betrayed him. He has reportedly cut off all contact for obvious reasons.’

It’s not just the public that William has cut off, but also family members, including Meghan and Harry, his uncle, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, plus Andrew’s ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson and their daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie.

Mr Fitzwilliams explained: ‘He and Catherine have not seen Harry and Meghan since Queen Elizabeth’s Funeral.

‘The brothers are not thought to have spoken since then. The rift resulted from the way they trashed the Monarchy for personal gain after they stepped down as senior working royals.

‘This was appalling and he rightly has not forgotten or forgiven what was both damaging and outrageous.’

The royal expert added that Andrew has received similar treatment: ‘William was reportedly pushing for Andrew’s titles to be stripped earlier. He has been taking a strong line all along, especially given Andrew’s insensitive and bovine attitudes.

‘At the Duchess of Kent’s funeral, his disgust at his uncle’s behaviour was visible,’ Mr Fitzwilliams added.

Gathering on the steps of Westminster Cathedral after the Requiem Mass service on September 16, the former prince appeared to be visibly shunned by his relatives as he stood there grinning alongside his ex-wife, Sarah.

The disgraced royal’s joyful appearance seemed to embarrass William, who warned his uncle that his laughter at such a solemn occasion was ‘not a good look’, a source previously claimed, before appearing to shut down any further chat with Andrew.

Footage of the frosty exchange showed William looking deeply uncomfortable – and revealed publicly for the first time the Prince’s true feelings towards Andrew, who was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office on his 66th birthday in February.

But it wasn’t only William who made his feelings known. Kate also displayed a chilly attitude towards the former Duchess of York following the private memorial service, according to body language expert Judi James.

In an exchange captured as the royals stood outside the cathedral, the Princess appeared to deliberately ignore Fergie by refusing to engage in any conversation, while also turning her head as she walked past.

Mr Fitzwilliams continued: ‘[William] has never been close to Beatrice and Eugenie, Andrew and Sarah’s daughters. He is only too aware that their brand is toxic and that it urgently needs to be totally separated from the Royal Family.

‘This may well, when he ascends the throne, extend to preventing them from using their titles.’

In November 2025, William was said to be urging his cousins to allow an ‘ethics’ check on their finances, while the King, determined to protect his nieces from being tarnished by their father’s misdemeanours, offered the services of one of his senior advisers.

Yet formal offers of help – and scrutiny – are said to have been politely declined by the sisters.

Then came the recent tranche of the Jeffrey Epstein files, raising serious questions about how much the York daughters knew of their parents’ corrupt dealings with the paedophile financier.

One email sent by Epstein in 2015 – after he was convicted for soliciting sex from girls as young as 14 – boasted to a friend that Beatrice ‘liked’ him.

It also emerged that Beatrice helped advise her mother on how to placate Epstein after Fergie called him a paedophile while apologising for accepting a £15,000 bailout from the convicted sex offender in a 2011 interview.

She also played a key role in facilitating her father’s 2019 Newsnight interview, and Beatrice and Eugenie must now face the possibility that the drip-feed of Epstein revelations could see them ousted from royal life as well.

The future king now must evaluate his relationship with Beatrice and Eugenie, and assess whether they have a future within the Firm – a decision no doubt fuelled by the pre-existing tension in his relationship with the York sisters.