Dealing with problem prince now would help make William's accession to throne a lot easier

The Prince of Wales, who Buckingham Palace has said was "consulted" before Prince Andrew's dramatic statement, must have felt some relief at his uncle agreeing to relinquish the use of his titles and honours.

- Caroline Davies

At some point William will become king. His uncle, 12 years younger than King Charles, may be watching when he takes his coronation oath. The indications are, however, that Andrew may be watching from afar.

Charles cannot have been unaware that the "Andrew problem" is something William would not relish in his in-tray when that time comes. Friday's announcement that Andrew's dukedom, other titles and his Order of the Garter knighthood would be put in abeyance with immediate effect - extant but inactive, much as his HRH title has been since the Virginia Giuffre scandal broke six years ago - may be seen by some at the Palace as a solution. William, however, is reportedly prepared to take a more ruthless approach if required when he is king.

Only an act of parliament can remove the dukedom. King Charles is understood to have been of the opinion it would be a waste of parliament's time to focus on Andrew's titles, and putting them in abeyance was sufficient. The government says it will be "guided" by the family on any decision to formally strip Andrew of his titles.