Prince Andrew: Banished is the perfect documentary for anyone who wants to understand how Prince Andrew ended up losing his reputation and Royal and military titles. No new revelations come to light in the new Peacock documentary, however, there’s plenty of entertainment present in the comprehensive portrayal of his associations with sex offenders Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.
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Sex and greed
The documentary, if needed, can be summed up in this one statement from journalist Annette Witheridge:
This entire sorry saga boils down to sex and greed.
After his cavorting with notorious sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his close personal relationship with Ghislaine Maxwell came to light, Prince Andrew took part in a hugely embarrassing BBC interview that decimated his image further instead of clearing his name.
Maxwell and Andrew knew each other from their college days in England and when she was forced to move out of the country, Andrew maintained their friendship by frequently visiting her in New York. Their friendship was also subject to rumours that they’re dating, confirms The Daily Beast.
It was in New York that Andrew acquainted himself with Epstein and Banished takes a look at how these two were an ideal match for each other. According to the documentary, Andrew provided Epstein with contacts and an entry to other powerful figures, meanwhile Epstein offered the disgraced Duke wealth, privacy and most essentially – a sense of importance and made him the centre of attention – something that Andrew had always wanted.
His friendship with Epstein was thus needed and desired. Journalist Helen Kirwan-Taylor believes that Andrew is a man with ‘acquired situational narcissism’ and added:
The talk of the dinner parties was he couldn’t keep his trousers closed.
Everything as it is
The documentary – which is currently streaming on Peacock – uncovers the ugly reality of the relationship that Andrew shared with Maxwell and Epstein. New York Post reports that many palace insiders, journalists and members of Andrew’s social and legal circle were interviewed about his life of privileges and that never seemed to stop even after the sex abuse case.
However, Prince Andrew: Banished also suggests that the privileges may now come to an end. Dickie Arbiter, former spokesperson for Queen Elizabeth II and media manager for the then-Prince Charles, describes Andrew as the ‘runt of the litter,’ and the King is not as sympathetic towards him as his mother was.
Indeed, it has been reported recently that King Charles may remove the titles of Princess Beatrice and Eugenie due their father. It remains yet to be seen how the King will handle this latest PR nightmare now the Queen is no longer around.
Sources Used
The Daily Beast: Prince Andrew’s Creepy Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell Ties Are Exposed in ‘Banished: Prince Andrew’
NewYork Post: ‘Prince Andrew: Banished’ doc exposes scandalous world of ‘sex and greed’
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