Prince Andrew has been accused of sexually abusing underage girls several times in the past, most notably by Virginia Giuffre, who claims she was forced to have sex with the prince three times when she was 17 years old. The prince has always denied those accusations. The documents that were made public on Thursday contain few serious new revelations, but do contain so-called ‘juicy’ details that the British press is eager to pick up.
Andrew retired from all public positions as a member of the royal family in 2020 – after a disastrous television interview – but had been hoping and trying to become a full member again all along. There also seemed to be some rapprochement recently: for example, the prince was allowed to walk to church in public with the royal family on Christmas Day.
“The final nail in his coffin”
But the (limited) new revelations and renewed attention to the case immediately seem to put an end to that cautious thaw: several British newspapers are increasing the pressure on King Charles again, and shout on their front pages for a definitive break between Andrew and the Royal family.
For example, The Mirror emphasizes that Prince Andrew is “mentioned no less than 69 times” in the documents. “The prince (63) has once again plunged the royal family into a scandal”, with the story that he took part in an “orgy with minors”, and the new revelation that he “groped a woman’s breast while she sat on his lap like Santa Claus”.
“This is the final nail in the coffin,” the newspaper quotes their royalty watcher Phil Dampier. “If Andrew had the slightest hope of returning to the stage, this has dashed his last hope.”
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© The Mirror
“The pimple must be pushed out once and for all”
In The Sun, royalty expert Robert Jobson writes that “the king would be wise to completely cut ties with his brother,” because “Andrew is a risk, and this scandal will not go away.” And former Home Secretary Norman Baker says in the same newspaper that “this needs to be fixed, the pimple needs to be popped once and for all”.
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© The Sun
“The Palace cannot ignore this, this will not go away,” the Daily Mail quotes a source. “He paid Virginia Giuffre a tremendous amount of money. Well, if he thought that money would make all the problems go away, he was wrong. It has had the opposite effect: now people think that ‘there is no smoke without fire’. That young woman, who supposedly had no power, has the last laugh. She has his money, and she has found a way to publicly shame him.”
“The prince was always good at putting pressure on his mother: he was her weak spot,” a source said in the same newspaper. “And yes, she buried her head in the sand when it came to him. And this king loves his brother and hates arguments, but has to make a business decision. Andrew has damaged the institution’s reputation. Forty years ago he was a celebrated hero, handsome in his army uniform. But it crashed like a meteorite.”
“Andrew was never very smart about the company he kept,” the source said. “He was never actually very smart, period. He doesn’t like to listen to advice or make smart decisions. He likes to surround himself with people who tell him he can walk on water. The Palace must now take this into its own hands. That is difficult for the family, because he is still their flesh and blood. But King Charles must act.”
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© Daily Mail
Pressure to reopen police investigation
British police had already conducted an investigation into possible crimes committed by the prince in the past, but this was dropped in 2021 after Andrew paid compensation to Giuffre in the United States. However, author Nigel Cawthorne, who wrote a book about the case, is now calling on British police to reopen that investigation. “He used Mom’s bank to escape the Virginia Giuffre case. But it is clear from these documents that more evidence is on the way. The police must investigate this.”
That call is also echoed by US attorney Spencer Kuvin, who has defended several of Epstein’s victims. “Andrew still refuses to take full responsibility for his association with Epstein. The British police must do their duty and reopen the investigation into his conduct.”
A republican group also formally filed a complaint with police on Thursday, asking for the investigation to be reopened.
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© Metro
Pressure to evict prince from home
Andrew has lived in the Royal Lodge, a country house on the grounds of Windsor Castle, since 2004. Last year, King Charles tried to have his brother move to the smaller Frogmore Castle, but the prince refused. The renewed fuss could also bring this matter to the surface again.
According to the Daily Mail, Charles is already planning to evict his brother from the royal property. “The case was left blue for a while because Andrew was mourning his deceased mother, and because Sarah Ferguson (the prince’s ex-wife who lives in the same country house, ed.) is struggling with breast cancer. But royal patience is finite. His Majesty is determined to persevere and will ask his brother to leave the Royal Lodge for a smaller home on the royal estate,” it said.
De Royal Lodge — © CAMERA PRESS/David Dyson