TW: Mentions of abuse
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Prince Andrew has been coming under a lot of fire again over his connection to the notorious criminal Jeffrey Epstein. Earlier this month, documents from court cases following the trafficking ring run by Epstein and his longtime companion Ghislaine Maxwell were released to the public. Prince Andrew’s name appeared over 70 times, with depositions from victims claiming he was very much aware of - and involved in - the systematic abuse of young girls.
Now, there’s a lot of speculation over how the rest of the Royal Family are viewing this ongoing scandal. Over Christmas, King Charles invited Prince Andrew to spend the festivities with the rest of the family. Sources have claimed that royals won’t reject Andrew completely for two key reasons.
Prince Andrew ‘could be far more damaging’ as an outcast
Virginia Giuffre accused Prince Andrew of having assaulted her three times back in 2001 when she was 17. He settled with Giuffre in 2022, paying her an estimated £12 million. This brought her civil trial in the US to a halt, but stories surrounding Prince Andrew’s connections to Epstein continue to surface.
The Royal Family have faced, by extension, a knock to their reputation. However, there is some logic to keeping the Duke of York ‘in the fold’. As explained by Robert Hardman in his new biography of Charles III, Prince Andrew will likely never return to royal duties but he will also never be abandoned by his family. Mr Hardman said:
Andrew could be far more damaging outside the loop.
The idea is that, for now, the Duke of York is doing his best to make up for his wrongdoings, and is keen to please. If he were rejected by his own family, there is some speculation that relations could turn bitter, therein hurting everyone involved.
Fears over Prince Andrew’s health
After Prince Andrew had been accused of taking part in Epstein’s dark trafficking circle, he did an interview with Newsnight in 2019. Despite being warned about the potential for this to become a PR disaster, he was adamant he wanted to do it. The interview was a disaster, and painted Prince Andrew in an even worse light. This reportedly had an enormous impact on his mental health, and he was apparently ‘almost incoherent’ after he stood down from royal duties following the backlash from the interview.
The King reportedly feels a need to stand by his brother, after promising his late mother Queen Elizabeth that he would look after him. One source told the Daily Mail:
The King will not just cast his brother adrift. He is very fond of his nieces [Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie]. And at least [Andrew] hasn't been disloyal.
But any return to public life is out of the question. His legal problems are not resolved, the public don't want him and many people still remember his rudeness last time round.
It seems that the Royal Family will be sticking together as more stories about Epstein break to press.
Read more:
⋙ Prince William and Kate Middleton: What is this rare privilege the couple is rumoured to receive?
⋙ Prince Harry and William: The 'secret code' the royal brothers use in extreme crisis revealed
Sources used:
Daily Mail: Prince Andrew could be 'far more damaging outside the loop' were he to be cast out of the royal fold
Mirror: Fears for Prince Andrew’s well-being as Duke was 'almost incoherent' following royal exile
