A royal expert says welcoming Prince Andrew back could be a huge mistake as 'he's the most dangerous'

As members of the Royal Family were enjoying the last few days of their Scottish holidays, a new controversy emerged. Indeed, the Waleses were seen driving Prince Andrew to Church which was perceived by many as a sign that the disgraced royal had been welcomed back into the fold.

This controversy is rooted in a long-lasting scandal about Prince Andrew’s involvement with Jeffrey Epstein’s sex scandal. The scandal saw Prince Andrew's Royal Highness title removed and he was suspended from any royal duties by his mother Queen Elizabeth II.

At the time, just a little under a year after the Queen’s death, it seemed like Prince Andrew had been welcomed back among other senior members of the Royal Family. Many questioned the Firm’s choice.

Prince Andrew wears a garter robe at King Charles’ coronation

Before getting into the scandal that took place in August 2023, one needs to look at previous events that sparked criticism over Prince Andrew’s treatment after his sex scandal.

For instance, looking back at King Charles III’s coronation in May 2023, many were surprised to see Prince Andrew wearing a Garter robe. At the time The Telepraph wrote that this was a show of a ‘softening in approach to dealing with’ the Prince. Indeed, the Garter robe is usually meant to be worn by working royals which Prince Andrew no longer is.

Moreover, another non-working royal was in attendance at the coronation: Prince Harry. Contrary to his uncle, the son of King Charles wasn’t allowed any sign of rank, including his military uniform. Instead he wore a simple suit and didn’t sit with his family.

The difference in treatment made waves at the time among royal watchers and brought up questions about the way the Firm is handling Prince Andrew.

Prince Andrew with the Waleses at Church

As stated above, in August 2023, Prince Andrew was seen being driven to Church by the Prince and Princess of Wales while the Royal Family was enjoying their annual family reunion at Balmoral. However, at the time, rumours and reports suggested Prince Harry, Meghan Markle and their children did not receive an invitation to join the reunion in Scotland.

The release of those pictures triggered a massive backlash. Of course, the sight of Prince Andrew close to the heir to the throne was ill-received by anti-monarchy group Republic whose members tweeted:

They really don’t care. All their previous efforts to keep Andrew away was for PR, to protect their privileges and status.

But unfortunately for the Royal Family, this backlash didn't just come from their direct opposition. Many have wondered if these pictures mean that there is a possibility that Prince Andrew could return to royal duties. So far, it seems like he won’t but the optics still weren't ideal.

In an opinion piece published in The Guardian in August 2023, Marina Hyde writes:

the picture of Andrew being driven last Sunday by William and Kate, the family’s biggest current stars, comes merely one year after the Duke of York finally settled a civil claim against him by Virginia Giuffre.

Giuffre was allegedly ‘treated as a sex slave’ by Epstein and she accused Prince Andrew of sexually assaulting her several times when she was 17. Prince Andrew and Giuffre allegedly settled their lawsuit for around £12million.

While you might think that Hyde’s column stands alone, it couldn’t be further from the truth. Express also talked to royal expert and author Clive Irving who states:

I think he's the most dangerous of the Royal Family. (...) I think that the problem with Andrew is that the Epstein phantom won't go away, but it's going to come back and bite him

Many people online were also not impressed with the images of closeness between Prince Andrew and senior members of the Royal Family.

Prince Andrew, Sarah Ferguson and the Royal Family

Since Prince Andrew was spotted with the Prince and Princess of Wales in August 2023, he has made other notable appearances. For instance, in December 2023, Prince Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, joined the Royal Family for the annual Christmas walkabout at Sandringham.

When this occurred, many were taken by surprise especially because Ferguson and Prince Andrew have been divorced since 1996 and separated since 1992. Though the two remained close, welcoming Ferguson back in an official capacity intrigued many. Reports said that her presence had more to do with King Charles' fondness for his nieces Princess Eugenie and Beatrice but others suggested that her presence was a distraction from Prince Andrew's.

Russell Myers, the Royal editor of Mirror explained in February 2023:

Seemingly unwilling to fade into the background, as the King and Prince William continue to hope following his very public demise, Andrew even took it upon himself to question royal fans who gathered at Sandringham at Christmas as to why they were gathered filming.

A couple of months later, in February 2023, Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson made another appearance together during a royal outing. Though since Christmas seeing them together isn't too surprising, what created backlash was the fact that he and Ferguson were leading the Royal Family. The two were walking ahead, smiling.

A victim of Epstein reached out the the US Mirror and said:

Anyone looking at those images would think Andrew had not done a damn thing wrong.

His Cheshire cat-like grin is galling. For years, we held onto the belief that we wouldn’t have to suffer this prince. It is shameful.

American attorney Spencer Kuvin, who represents victims of Epstein also condemned the situation:

Andrew being seen as he was at such an event is an insult to the victims of Jeffrey Epstein worldwide.

As time goes on, it seems like Prince Andrew's presence really cannot escape his past attachment to Epstein. Moreover, the Royal Family also cannot escape the automatic backlash that occurs when Prince Andrew is seen in public with members of the Firm.

Read more:

⋙ Prince Andrew ‘could be far more damaging’ if he’s thrown out of the royal family, claims insider

⋙ The Crown: The creator of the show will not touch Prince Andrew’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein

⋙ Royal Family's upcoming nightmare as Netflix unveils behind-the-scenes of Prince Andrew's famous interview

Sources:

The Telegraph: Prince Andrew wears Coronation garter robes despite not being working royal

Express: Prince Andrew is the 'most dangerous' member of the Royal Family, royal author claims

The Guardian: The Windsors are all about forgiving and forgetting – when it comes to Prince Andrew

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Mirror: Jeffrey Epstein victims blast grinning Prince Andrew for 'rubbing salt in the wound'