Andrew won’t ever return to the royal fold after the discharge of paperwork detailing sexual assault allegations, insiders stated final evening.
Papers launched by a New York court docket within the early hours of yesterday thrust the Duke of York’s relationship with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein again into the highlight with claims that the prince dedicated ‘acts of sexual abuse’ and took half in an ‘underage orgy’.
Andrew has vehemently and repeatedly denied all allegations in opposition to him. Yesterday well-placed sources informed the Mail that whereas the court docket claims weren’t a shock, they are going to have served to ‘crystallise’ King Charles’s willpower to unravel the ‘Andrew drawback’ decisively.
Plans have been already in practice to evict him from Royal Lodge, his ten-bedroom Windsor residence since 2003, and transfer him to a smaller residence in line with his ‘downgraded’ standing.
The newly launched court docket paperwork are believed to have strengthened the King’s resolve that Andrew won’t ever be allowed to renew royal duties.
Prince Andrew pictured strolling with Jeffrey Epstein in New York’s Central Park in 2011
Prince Andrew and King Charles III communicate following a vigil in reminiscence of Queen Elizabeth II at St Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh in September 2022
A supply stated: ‘When it involves any public function for his brother, there isn’t a approach again.
‘There has at all times been an settlement that Andrew can be permitted to attend personal and household occasions, as is his proper. But not public or official ones. That has not modified.’
Andrew has refused requests by Charles to maneuver into smaller Frogmore Cottage, which had belonged to Harry and Meghan earlier than they left for the US.
It is now understood the King will redouble his efforts to maneuver his brother within the coming months.
A supply stated: ‘When it involves household, it’s troublesome. But this affiliation is simply by no means going to go away. And which means he [Andrew] has to.’
The newly unsealed paperwork relate to a Manhattan defamation case introduced in 2015 by the duke’s accuser Virginia Giuffre, nee Roberts, in opposition to Ghislaine Maxwell, who acted as Epstein’s ‘madame’.
Andrew, who has spent years making an attempt to rebuild his shattered public picture, is talked about 69 instances within the new information, together with dozens of high-profile associates of the late paedophile financier.
They embrace a deposition from Jane Doe 3 – who was later recognized as Ms Giuffre – who claims she was pressured to have intercourse with the duke on three events, together with when she was 17.
She claims Epstein ordered she ‘give the prince no matter he demanded’, together with ‘an orgy with quite a few different underaged women’ on the financier’s Caribbean island Little Saint James.
Prince Andrew with Virginia Giuffre and Ghislaine Maxwell at Maxwell’s London residence
She alleged that British socialite Maxwell, the daughter of Robert Maxwell, ‘facilitated Prince Andrew’s acts of sexual abuse by appearing as a ‘madame’ for Epstein’.
In an additional blow to Andrew, the paperwork from the case are anticipated to be launched on a ‘rolling foundation’, which means he may doubtlessly face days of embarrassing headlines about his friendship with Epstein.
Among yesterday’s explosive court docket paperwork are claims that:
- Andrew put his ‘hand on the boobs’ of one other alleged Epstein sufferer;
- Money was supplied to disprove the declare that Professor Stephen Hawking ‘participated in an underage orgy’;
- Epstein as soon as claimed former US president Bill Clinton ‘likes them younger’;
- Paedophile Michael Jackson was among the many company at Epstein’s personal island;
- Magician David Copperfield requested one alleged sufferer if she knew women have been being paid to obtain others.
Mr Copperfield denies all allegations of wrongdoing, whereas a spokesman for Mr Clinton reiterated a earlier assertion that he knew nothing of Epstein’s ‘horrible crimes’ throughout their previous friendship.
Following the discharge of the paperwork, Ms Giuffre triumphantly posted to X, previously Twitter, noting that so many individuals have been downloading the brand new court docket information that the system had crashed. She wrote: ‘We broke the web site.’
Andrew was lately stated to have been ‘at a loss, completely tormented’ by the prospect of the scandal being dragged up once more.
The duke stepped down as a working royal in 2019 after his ‘automotive crash’ Newsnight interview with Emily Maitlis, by which he was ridiculed for denying Ms Guiffre’s claims the pair had intercourse in London when she was 17 by saying he had been at Pizza Express in Woking on the evening in query.
In 2021 Andrew then confronted a sexual assault lawsuit introduced in opposition to him in New York by Ms Giuffre, now a mother-of-three residing in Australia. In February 2022, he settled the case, paying her a reported £10 million, whereas denying all her claims and sustaining he didn’t keep in mind ever assembly her.
His mom the late Queen had, by that time, already stripped him of his royal patronages and navy titles. But there was hypothesis that current appearances at main public occasions, such because the late Queen’s platinum jubilee and at church with the Royal Family on Christmas Day, may sign a thawing on that place.
However, sources have prompt this isn’t the case.
One supply, who has handled Andrew extensively, stated: ‘The Palace cannot ignore it, this is not going away. He paid that huge amount of cash to Virginia Roberts. If he thought the cash was going to make it go away, it is had the other impact. It’s given it legs. People assume ‘no smoke with out fireplace’.’
They added: ‘This younger girl, supposedly powerless, has had the final chortle. She’s acquired his cash and located a option to publicly title and disgrace him by way of authorized court docket paperwork he has no redress in opposition to as soon as once more.
The then-Prince Charles and Prince Andrew share a phrase from the balcony of Buckingham Palace whereas their mom Queen Elizabeth II appears on throughout Trooping The Colour in 2019
‘He’s responsible of bringing the establishment into disrepute.’
Another supply added: ‘Forty years in the past he was a hero naval officer, charming and good trying. What a meteoric downfall. He was by no means intelligent in regards to the firm he saved. In reality he isn’t very intelligent, full cease.
‘He does not like taking recommendation and has a extreme lack of judgment, in addition to traditionally surrounding himself by individuals who informed him he may stroll on water. If you might be surrounded by sycophants like that, you imagine your individual Press.
‘The Palace must get a grip on this. It’s troublesome for the household. He continues to be their flesh and blood. But King Charles should act.
‘Of course, if [Andrew] was a totally good chap, then folks can be extra prepared to contemplate all sides. But he isn’t.
Prince Andrew at Sandringham on Christmas Day, 2023. He is alleged to have prevented prosecutors questions in 2019 regardless of publicly vowing to help with the investigation into Epstein
‘It’s a basic instance: in case you are not very good to folks in your approach up, watch out in your approach down… It’s uncommon that you just discover somebody who so few folks have one thing good to say about.’
Royal biographer Tom Bower urged the Royal Family to ‘bury and neglect’ Prince Andrew as he was in ‘self-denial’ about his affiliation with Epstein. He stated: ‘It’s a hazard for the Palace, they do not know what extra bombs will probably be dropped. He’s not telling them.’
Meanwhile, stress was mounting after anti-monarchy campaigners reported the duke to the Metropolitan Police final evening.
The drive had beforehand acknowledged in August 2022 that it will take no additional motion over allegations made in opposition to Epstein and stood by its resolution in 2015 to not examine Ms Giuffre’s claims that she was intercourse trafficked to London.
Graham Smith, of the group Republic, stated: ‘I’ve reported Andrew to the police, nicely conscious that the Met claims to have appeared into this earlier than.
‘I’m calling on the Met police to re-open this case, I’m calling on MPs to debate this affair in Parliament, and I’m calling on Charles to make a public assertion.
‘At the time of the alleged offences, Andrew was a authorities commerce ambassador and an lively member of the Royal Family.’ Buckingham Palace has declined to touch upon the most recent revelations and couldn’t even say who was now representing Andrew, since he’s now not a working royal.
Documents launched this week claimed Andrew known as financier Jeffrey Epstein (pictured) weekly and jetted to his personal Caribbean retreat
His most up-to-date solicitor didn’t reply to a request for clarification or remark.
Many of the mentions of the duke within the paperwork are discovered within the testimony of Johanna Sjoberg, one other of Epstein’s ‘intercourse slaves’ who has informed how she sat on Andrew’s lap whereas he fondled her breast at Epstein’s Manhattan mansion in 2007.
In her first full account of the disputed episode, by no means made public earlier than, Ms Sjoberg – who was a 20-year-old scholar on the time – says: ‘I simply keep in mind the boobs half, the hand on the boobs.’
The newest file from the Epstein information runs to almost 1,000 pages and comes from a court docket case in 2016, when Ms Giuffre sued Maxwell for defamation after the heiress denied her little one intercourse accusations. As a part of that case, Ms Giuffre made claims about 187 Epstein associates and associates.
That case was settled in 2017, and the court docket ordered lots of the information be saved secret. But the Miami Herald newspaper efficiently utilized for them to be made public by the court docket.
REBECCA ENGLISH: The King WILL transfer ahead with plan to evict Andrew from residence at Royal Lodge
The King is ready to maneuver ahead with plans to evict Prince Andrew from his Windsor mansion by the top of the 12 months.
The Duke of York is anticipated to pay for the maintenance of the 30-room Royal Lodge – his residence since 2003 – out of his personal pocket.
But he’s stated to have offered little response to Charles’s questions over how he intends to cowl the prices wanted yearly now that he’s now not a working royal.
The problem has not been pressured whereas the beleaguered duke mourned his late mom and supported ex-wife Sarah, Duchess of York, who additionally resides there, by way of her breast most cancers battle.
But the King, who has reportedly been overlaying the £3million annual price of his brother’s safety, doesn’t have limitless pockets – and royal endurance is known to be sporting skinny.
Old residence? Prince Andrew has been residing on the 30-room Royal Lodge since 2003… however it’s stated to be in want of expensive repairs
This implies that Andrew, 63, faces stumping up the cash himself, which royal insiders imagine he merely doesn’t have.
His Majesty is set to press forward and ask his youthful brother to vacate Royal Lodge for a smaller, extra inexpensive and higher protected property on the royal property.
Following the most recent revelations over Andrew’s hyperlinks with Epstein, a number of sources indicated to the Mail yesterday that the King was poised to take decisive motion with reference to his brother.
One insider informed the Mail: ‘The proven fact that his title seems on the [Epstein] checklist will probably be no shock to anybody, least of all His Majesty.
‘But it would underline the necessity for him to take care of his [Andrew’s] ‘retired royal’ standing.
‘No matter how a lot he needs to return again, this affiliation is simply by no means going to go away. And which means he [Andrew] has to.’
First and foremost which means no return to royal duties, regardless of current hypothesis of a thaw within the prince’s exiled standing.
Another supply with understanding of the palace’s place on the matter says Charles has ‘lengthy been agency on his pondering’ over this, even earlier than he grew to become King.
They added: ‘The duke was at all times excellent at getting spherical their mom, the late Queen. Pressuring her quietly to help him. He was her achilles’ heel and she or he completely put her head within the sand over something to do with him.
‘The King loves his brother and hates confrontation however has needed to make a ‘enterprise’ resolution.’
There aren’t any plans to strip Andrew of his HRH title, his dukedom – given to him as a marriage current by his mom – nor different honours such because the Order of the Garter.
New residence? Andrew’s daughter Eugenie stayed at Frogmore together with her household after Harry and Meghan moved to California
However, he has been barred from utilizing HRH publicly and for the previous two years has been prohibited from becoming a member of senior royals for the Garter Day procession each June.
He is free to undertake personal charity work, ought to any want to work with him.
The largest remaining query mark, due to this fact, hovers over the Lodge, the final vestige of his once-favoured royal standing.
The King is unable to evict his brother, whose lease on the late Queen Mother’s residence reportedly has 80 years left to run.
But Charles is ready to demand that it’s maintained to a excessive commonplace – and it’s understood there’s a vital backlog of important repairs to be performed.
Andrew has up to now did not adequately reply to requests to show how he’ll in a position to afford these, in addition to the continued repairs of the huge home and gardens.
While the King hasn’t pushed the matter in current months on account of extenuating circumstances, it’s understood that he will probably be doubling down for a decision once more this 12 months. Events of current days have solely emphasised how essential it’s that that is sorted sooner quite than later.
Prince Andrew, Duke of York, and his ex-wife Sarah, Duchess of York, arriving at St Mary Magdalene Church on Sandringham Estate on Christmas Day
It will depart Andrew having to place up or get out – and no person in royal circles believes the duke will pay.
Charles’s supply of Frogmore Cottage, the five-bedroom residence as soon as lived in by Harry and Meghan, continues to be on the desk. As nicely as being smaller, extra manageable and having the good thing about being lately renovated, it’s also nearer to Windsor Castle’s ‘ring of metal’, which means the price of defending Andrew can be considerably decrease.
Many say shifting to Frogmore would offer Andrew with a extra manageable way of life and higher safety in the long term.
His daughter, Princess Eugenie, stayed there for a short while together with her husband and two youngsters after the keys have been taken from the Sussexes following their transfer to California.
However, one supply near the duke believes he’s unlikely to simply accept this selection and desires to combat his nook.
They say he has even mentioned shopping for a brand new residence off the royal property quite than be publicly ‘downgraded’.