LONDON — Prince Andrew could have given up his titles, however the questions on his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein haven’t given up on him — or Britain’s embattled royal household.
Seemingly on daily basis, damaging new experiences emerge about Andrew, 65, his friendship with the late pedophile financier, and allegations the prince had intercourse with trafficked Epstein sufferer Virginia Roberts Giuffre when she was 17, which he denies.
In her posthumous memoir “Nobody’s Girl” launched Tuesday, Giuffre, who died by suicide in April at age 41, stated Andrew acted as if having intercourse together with her “was his birthright.”
Andrew, who in February 2022 reached a authorized settlement with Giuffre after she filed a civil case in opposition to him in a New York court docket, has repeatedly denied having met her.
However the rolling scandal refuses to go away, and has the potential to inflict additional injury on a monarchy whose popularity continues to dwindle after the demise of the extensively beloved Queen Elizabeth II in 2022.
King Charles III has sought to insulate “the Agency” from the cloud over his youthful brother. Andrew stated in an announcement final week that with Charles’ “settlement,” he would “now not use my title or the honours which have been conferred upon me,” together with Duke of York.
However there are nonetheless unanswered questions on what the palace knew, and when, with calls from lawmakers and others for the royals to oust Andrew completely.
“The deep and broad assist for the queen meant the household was capable of higher climate all of the controversies that would emerge — and it is a unhealthy one,” stated Craig Prescott, who teaches regulation at Royal Holloway, College of London and specializes on the constitutional and political function of the monarchy.
“These particular allegations are, in fact, terribly damaging within the first place, however additionally they run counter to a number of the causes that members of the royal household take up,” he stated.
Friday’s settlement for Andrew to relinquish his titles got here after emails printed in paperwork for a court docket case not involving the prince confirmed he had been involved with Epstein for longer than he beforehand admitted.
That “makes him look, in black and white, a liar,” NBC Information’ royal contributor Daisy McAndrew instructed “TODAY” on Sunday. “And so how are you going to belief the rest he says?”
Then Sunday, London’s Metropolitan Police stated it was investigating experiences that Andrew had requested certainly one of its officers to dig up grime on Giuffre. A Buckingham Palace official instructed NBC Information these experiences needs to be “examined within the acceptable method.”
Monday introduced two additional revelations: First that Andrew had not paid hire on his Royal Lodge residence for 20 years, revealed in a Freedom of Information request by The Times newspaper to the Crown Property, which handles royal funds. Neither Andrew nor Buckingham Palace have responded to the report.
Then got here the publication of Giuffre’s posthumous memoir.
She wrote that she had intercourse with the prince on three events, together with an “orgy” involving “eight different younger ladies” who “gave the impression to be beneath the age of 18 and didn’t actually communicate English.”
She then suffered three weeks of “irregular bleeding,” earlier than waking up in a “pool of blood” and being taken to hospital by Epstein, she wrote.
Epstein, who died by suicide in jail in 2019 shortly after he was arrested on federal sex trafficking charges, later instructed her she had suffered a miscarriage, and she or he suspected him of conspiring with the physician to maintain it quiet, Giuffre stated.
On seeing a photograph of Andrew and Epstein strolling in New York’s Central Park in 2010 — after Epstein was convicted of soliciting prostitution of somebody beneath the age of 18 — Giuffre wrote she was “revolted to see two of my abusers collectively, out for a stroll.” However “largely I used to be amazed {that a} member of the Royal Household can be silly sufficient to look in public with Epstein.”
Andrew has beforehand denied these allegations, saying that he has “no recollection of ever assembly this girl, none in any way.” In his assertion saying the relinquishment of his titles, he stated, “I vigorously deny the accusations in opposition to me.”
The civil intercourse abuse lawsuit introduced by Giuffre in opposition to Andrew was settled out of court docket for an undisclosed sum.
Although Buckingham Palace routinely says it doesn’t communicate for the prince, Andrew has loved a distinguished function at some current royal occasions, together with the queen’s funeral.
Some lawmakers are demanding that Andrew be formally stripped of his titles by an act of Parliament — a uncommon foray into regal issues by Britain’s supposedly separate authorities.
The final time this occurred was in 1917, when Parliament used the Titles Deprivation Act to strip German members of the British royal household of their titles throughout World Conflict I.
That’s not with out dangers, in keeping with Prescott at Royal Holloway.
“If in case you have laws eradicating the dukedom from Prince Andrew, may a cheeky MP wish to desk an modification and take away the dukedom of Sussex from Prince Harry?” he stated.
The federal government indicated it doesn’t assist this. Training Secretary Bridget Phillipson stated Monday that whereas “our ideas need to be with the victims of Jeffrey Epstein, these “are issues for the royal household.”
The nuclear choice would contain the king himself utilizing one thing referred to as “Letters Patent” to strip Andrew of his designation as prince.
In doing so, the palace should weigh distancing itself from Andrew with guaranteeing the blowback from any additional censure doesn’t do much more injury to an establishment that requires public buy-in.
“It’s true that the monarchy isn’t voted in,” Prescott stated. “But when the general public temper shifted and folks now not wished to have the monarchy, you then think about that politics would comply with.”
