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It was quite a scam.
Prince Andrew kept in touch with convicted sex offender after emails emerged this week Jeffrey Epstein After much more time than they had previously acknowledged, the House of Windsor finally moved to rescue the monarchy from years of scorching headlines about Andrew’s shady friends and shady business deals.
Buckingham Palace issued a statement on Andrew’s behalf on Friday, saying he had agreed to give up the use of his last remaining royal titles so that the continuing allegations about him “do not distract from Her Majesty’s work.”
Craig Prescott, an expert in monarchy and constitutional law at Royal Holloway University of London, said this week’s revelations showed Andrew had committed the unforgivable sin of misleading the British public.
“Saying something that can’t be proven true, I think, is the straw that broke the camel’s back,” he said.
signs of new direction
comes as a trick charlesThe 76-year-old, who is being treated for an undisclosed form of cancer, works to ensure the long-term stability of the monarchy under his son and successor. Prince William,
William recently gave an interview in which he laid out his vision for the monarchy, saying the institution needs to change to ensure it is a force for good.
“In some ways, Prince Andrew has been the exact opposite,” Prescott said. “And there is no place for that in a modern monarchy.”
Andrew, 65, is the second son of the late Queen Elizabeth II. He spent more than 20 years as an officer in the Royal Navy before leaving to take up his royal duties in 2001.
Following Friday’s announcement, Andrew will no longer use his remaining royal titles, including Duke of York, although technically he retains them. Formally stripping them of those titles would be a time-consuming process that would require an Act of Parliament.
the time is coming soon
Andrew’s deportation completes a process that began in November 2019, when he gave up all his public duties and charity roles.
It was triggered by a disastrous interview Andrew gave to the BBC, in which he tried to counter media reports about his friendship with Epstein and deny allegations that he had had sexual relations with a 17-year-old girl. virginia giuffreWhich was trafficked by Epstein in 2001. The prince was widely criticized for failing to show empathy for Epstein’s victims and for offering unbelievable explanations for his friendship with the disgraced financier.
The interview also sowed the seeds of this week’s turmoil, when Andrew told the BBC that he had broken off contact with Epstein in December 2010.
British newspapers on Sunday revealed that Andrew had written an email to Epstein on February 28, 2011. Andrew wrote the note following renewed reporting on the Epstein scandal, telling them they were “in this together” and that they had to “get over it.”
Andrew has recently faced another round of critical stories as newspapers released excerpts from Giuffre’s posthumous memoir, which will be published on Tuesday. Giuffre died by suicide in April at the age of 41.
In 2022, Andrew reached an out-of-court settlement with Giuffre after she filed a civil suit against him in New York. Although he did not admit wrongdoing, Andrew acknowledged Giuffre’s suffering as a victim of sex trafficking.
Front page fodder for the wrong reasons
The prince has been the subject of tabloid stories at least as far back as 2007, when he sold his home near Windsor Castle for 20% more than its asking price of £15 million. The buyer was reported to be Timur Kulibayev, son-in-law of Kazakhstan’s then-President Nursultan Nazarbayev, raising concerns that the deal was an attempt to buy influence in Britain.
Last year, a court case revealed Andrew’s links to a businessman and suspected Chinese spy who was banned from the United Kingdom as a national security threat. According to court documents, authorities were concerned that the man might abuse his influence over Andrew.
While the palace said Andrew had decided to give up his royal titles, royal commentator Jenny Bond said the king and Prince William had put “huge pressure” on him.
“We could say he’s fallen on his sword, but I think he’s been pushed over it,” Bond told the BBC. “I don’t think this is a decision that Andrew, who is quite an egotistical person – very much in love with his position – would have made willingly without any pressure.”
Saving the monarchy at a critical time
While the cumulative weight of Andrew’s scandals demanded a response from the royal family, this week’s revelations come at a particularly sensitive moment for the king as he prepares for a state visit to the Vatican, where he is expected to pray with Pope Leo XIV.
George Gross, an expert in theology and monarchy at King’s College, London, said the visit is very important for Charles, who has made bridging faiths a key part of his “mantra”.
Gross said, “I think it was the quickest, really quickest way to undermine his position even further without going to Parliament.” “Even if Parliament gives approval, it still takes time.”
Charles may also have been motivated by a desire to protect the queen’s work camillawho has made tackling domestic violence one of her key issues, and the Duchess of Edinburgh, who has sought to tackle sexual violence in war zones such as Congo.
The king will hope the move will ultimately draw a line between Andrew and the rest of the royal family, Prescott said.
“If allegations are made, or further matters come to light, it will be on Prince Andrew,” he said. “He has severed the connection between Prince Andrew and the monarchy as an institution.”