No sweat: Prince Andrew breaks cowl and reunites with associates

Prince Andrew broke cowl as we speak to host a taking pictures celebration in Windsor for his associates – days after the humiliating Jeffrey Epstein courtroom paperwork precipitated the duke to ‘lock himself away in a room’.

The Duke of York, 63, was pictured on the wheel of a inexperienced Range Rover as he made a uncommon outing from Royal Lodge within the wake of the Epstein papers being launched.

Andrew didn’t even enterprise out for his weekly horse using journey final Saturday as he opts to gap up inside his 30-room mansion in Windsor Great Park after being thrown again into the limelight.

Having solely made one different outing because the recordsdata have been unsealed, a supply instructed the Mail final week: ‘He does not have the emotional bandwidth to cope with this. He has locked himself away in a room and has no thought find out how to reply. He’s devastated.’ 

It comes as hypothesis grows over whether or not Andrew will probably be evicted from Royal Lodge. A good friend of the duke instructed The Times this week that Charles will let his brother keep on the Crown Estate as a result of ‘blood is thicker than water’. 

The bombshell papers have thrust the duke’s relationship with Epstein again into the highlight with claims that the prince dedicated ‘acts of sexual abuse’ and took half in an ‘underage orgy’.

Andrew has been engulfed by scandal ever since intercourse abuse claims first emerged towards his good friend Epstein. In 2022, the royal settled out of courtroom with Ms Giuffre, one of many paedophile’s victims, after she claimed he sexually assaulted her. 

The duke has vehemently and repeatedly denied all allegations towards him.

The newest tranche of newly unsealed Epstein paperwork revealed that Ms Giuffre claimed Epstein paid her $15,000 to have intercourse with Prince Andrew when she was 17-years-old.

The 40-year-old made the allegations when she gave proof in 2016 whereas being questioned underneath oath.

‘I did obtain $15,000. I have no idea the equal to what that’s in kilos,’ she mentioned , earlier than she was quizzed by a lawyer on whether or not she paid tax on the quantity, with Mrs Giuffre replying ‘no’.

The papers additionally embody sordid claims Epstein secretly filmed the royal having intercourse.

Sarah Ransome, who gave a sufferer influence assertion forward of the sentencing of British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell for sex-trafficking, appeared to write communications claiming Andrew, Richard Branson and Bill Clinton have been all filmed.

A letter from Miss Ransome, seen for the primary time, states: ‘When my good friend had sexual activity with Clinton, Prince Andrew and Richard Branson, intercourse tapes have been actually filmed on every separate event by Jeffrey.

‘I personally can verify that I’ve, with my very own two eyes, seen the proof of those sexual acts, which clearly identifies Bill Clinton, Prince Andrew, Richard Branson having sexual activity with my good friend. I will probably be extra then [sic] prepared to swear underneath oath and testify in courtroom.’

Prince Andrew, Mr Clinton, Mr Trump and Mr Branson have all strenuously denied any wrongdoing, and the intercourse tapes declare was described as ‘baseless and unfounded’ by the Virgin tycoon’s spokesman. 

Although most of the accusations reported in them weren’t new, the papers make clear the uncomfortable closeness of the late Queen’s son to Epstein, accused of abusing dozens of underage women over a number of many years.

It has been claimed that Andrew spent ‘weeks’ at a time staying with the abuser, receiving ‘each day’ massages from his largely feminine employees.

Mrs Guiffre has beforehand claimed she was trafficked to the UK on the age of 17 by Epstein and Maxwell and compelled to have intercourse with Andrew.

She additionally says she slept with the royal at Epstein’s properties in New York and the Caribbean, the place an ‘underage orgy’ befell.

The furore has additionally as soon as once more raised questions on Andrew’s position throughout the Royal Family and his future life.

The King has made clear there’s now means again for his brother, already stripped of his royal duties and use of his HRH title by the late Queen, as a working royal.

But he’s nonetheless permitted to attend household occasions – such because the Coronation and the Christmas Day church service at Sandringham – in a non-public capability.

Last month, the disgraced duke was caught demanding to know why followers who had stood within the chilly to see the Royal Family at Sandringham on Christmas Day ‘have their cameras on‘.

It comes amid hypothesis over whether or not Prince Andrew will probably be allowed to remain in Royal Lodge. 

An affiliate of the duke claimed that whereas some palace officers would again the eviction, King Charles would by no means authorise it.

‘The King is any individual with a excessive degree of integrity,’ the supply instructed the Times. ‘There are individuals within the royal family who would take a extra aggressive stance, however in that household, blood is thicker than water.’

 The affiliate claimed that like all leaseholder, the duke has rights to the property and that the King wouldn’t favour withdrawing his brother’s safety and kicking him out.

Prince Andrew has lived on the 30-room mansion in Windsor Great Park for 20 years and is entitled to hold on till 2078 underneath his lease with the Crown Estate.

It has beforehand been claimed that the under-fire duke is going through calls to transfer to Frogmore Cottage, a five-bed house on the Windsor property the place Prince Harry and Meghan Markle used to reside.

The supply, who insists he has by no means seen Andrew do something ‘inappropriate’, doesn’t imagine that his long-time good friend will return to public life except public opinion of him dramatically modifications.

In the ultimate spherical of paperwork being launched, it was revealed that Epstein refused to reply questions over whether or not he tried to blackmail the Duke of York after his alleged sexual encounter with Ms Giuffre.

Epstein declined to reply nearly all the questions, also called pleading the fifth modification within the US, throughout his interview underneath oath as a part of Ms Giuffre’s civil declare towards disgraced British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell.

He was quizzed over whether or not he and Maxwell instructed Ms Giuffre to have intercourse with Andrew in 2001 and if the data gathered as a part of the authorized motion ‘has the potential to have an effect on the status’ of the duke.

Andrew stepped down from public life after the furore over his friendship with Epstein.

He was solid out of the working monarchy and now not makes use of his HRH model after Ms Giuffre, who was trafficked by Epstein, accused him of sexually assaulting her when she was 17.

The duke strenuously denies any wrongdoing.