Prince William's fury as Harry and Andrew make a royal reboot tricky, writes royal editor Emily Andrews

Pity the poor Prince and Princess of Wales.

There they are, gamely hugging children in the Welsh rain, pulling pints in south London, Kate dancing at a Hindu temple in Leicester and William selling pasties in Cornwall.

All to shore up the monarchy's popularity after the twin barrels of betrayal that Prince Harry and the former Prince Andrew have heaped on the Firm.

William was, I'm told, pretty furious that his headline tour to forge diplomatic links in Saudi Arabia earlier in the year was nearly derailed due to the allegations about Andrew's links with Epstein (the former prince denies any wrongdoing).

And, I'm told, he was equally annoyed by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex gallivanting round the world on pseudo-royal trips to Jordan and then Australia later this month (which had this royal correspondent wondering if the Crown needs them back in the spotlight, after all).

But, I believe, his real ire is reserved for Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's ex-wife Sarah Ferguson and her money-making schemes involving the late Queen's pet corgis.

The Prince and Princess of Wales are said to be 'appalled' at Sarah Ferguson's claim that Queen Elizabeth II 'spoke' to her from beyond the grave through her corgis.

Sarah Ferguson and her ex-husband Andrew ‘inherited' Muick and Sandy, after the Queen's death in 2022.

Not only did she tell friends and family that her mother-in-law was communicating with her through the dogs but that she could also feel her presence when she walked them to some of the late Queen's favourite spots in Windsor Great Park.

Prince William was then apparently 'furious' that she used this anecdote at a conference last year.

Speaking at the Creative Women Platform Forum she said, "I have her [the late Queen's] dogs… so every morning they come in and go 'woof woof' and I'm sure it's her talking to me."

She had also previously said what an "honour" it was to have the pets in her home.

William and Kate, along with other members of the family, thought it a crass and bizarre way in which to boast of her closeness to the late Queen.

They also apparently found it distasteful that Sarah told friends that she had been 'left' the dogs in the late monarch's will, when, in fact, they had been bought by Andrew (without consulting other family members) in 2021, and thus simply returned to the Yorks after the Queen's death.

To make matters even worse, it had recently been suggested that Fergie, 66, intended to clone the corgis for a reality TV programme.

Described by Hollywood producers as a 'bold and controversial business venture', the tasteless idea would have involved a fly-on-the-wall show following the former Duchess of York trying to make money by selling the genetically replicated corgis 'to other dog lovers around the world'.

Pet cloning is highly contentious, with experts warning it can produce horrible abnormalities. But it can be lucrative, with cloned dogs typically selling for up to £75,000 in the US, where the process is legal.

In a write-up of the idea, TV producers said the show would see Sarah navigate 'the complex world of genetics and royal protocol'.

It continued, 'Fergie finds herself like so many other people facing a dramatic change in economic outlook later in life - needing to make money.'

The idea never took off - and Fergie has since denied the reports - but one can only imagine William and Kate's reaction if it had.

Last month, the Pembrokeshire Welsh corgis were spotted being walked on the Sandringham estate where Andrew has been exiled over his links to paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.

He was stripped of his titles by his brother King Charles last autumn, and has since been arrested and questioned by police on suspicion of misconduct in public office, but denies any wrongdoing.

Prince William had pushed for something ‘more' to be done about his uncle and was said to be ‘unamused' that he was readmitted to royal life after the Queen's death.

He was particularly annoyed, I'm told, at being asked to drive Andrew to church at Balmoral in the summer of 2023, in the wake of Virginia Giuffre's sex claims against him (Andrew denied any wrongdoing).

Fergie's current whereabouts are unknown but she is believed to have fled the UK. She is now facing increasing pressure to give evidence in the US over her own links to Epstein.

Yet Fergie is said to be desperate to salvage her reputation - and has even been tipped to appear on the US version of The Traitors. Her money troubles have repeatedly made headlines.

In 2010 she was caught in a newspaper sting offering access to Andrew for £500,000. She later apologised, blaming a 'serious lapse in judgment'.

And if there's one thing for sure, William is livid and I'd imagine likely to want to fight back. Will he break rank?

This feature first appeared in Woman magazine. Subscribe now and get your first 6 issues for £1.