The King could never forgive Andrew – and now there is no one to protect him

The King could never forgive Andrew – and now there is no one to protect him



Posted by theipaper

4 comments

  1. In a slimmed-down monarchy under [King Charles](https://inews.co.uk/topic/king-charles-iii?ico=in-line_link) and Prince William there will be little room for royal hangers-on.

    The King and his elder son and heir have always taken a more ruthless approach towards [Prince Andrew than the late Queen did](https://inews.co.uk/topic/royal-family?ico=in-line_link). But now the modernising pair have wielded the axe after it became clear that Andrew and Fergie’s friendship with the paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein, their relationship with alleged Chinese spies, and their controversial money-making schemes, were all part of a scandal that was never going away. It risked – and still risks – undermining the future of the monarchy.

    William, who has privately taken an even more uncompromising view than his father, was involved in the behind-the-scenes talks that resulted in Andrew agreeing to stop using his Duke of York title, his Garter knighthood, and his other honours.

    The internal discussions followed the revelation last weekend that Andrew emailed Epstein in 2011 writing “we are in this together” after the picture of the royal with Virginia Giuffre emerged. This came in contrast to his 2019 BBC Newsnight interview when he said he had cut off all contact with Epstein in 2010. The prospect of further damaging accusations about Andrew and Epstein in Giuffre’s forthcoming posthumous memoir, and further emails between the Yorks and Epstein helped concentrate minds.

    Aides knew Andrew’s friendship with Epstein spelt trouble even before his conviction in 2008 for soliciting a minor for prostitution. He had been indicted in July 2006 and palace officials were told to try to keep Andrew away from him. But, typically, he ignored them.

    “People bowed and scraped for decades. That’s got to affect your ego and I suspect he probably thought he was bulletproof,” one former close aide said. “He grew up in a different era and then found himself helpless when judged by the standards of the 21^(st) century.”

    Charles, who will be 77 next month, and William, 43, have long argued you cannot be half-in and half-out, earning money commercially while representing the monarch at the taxpayer’s expense.

    In 2020 they were instrumental, according to several sources, in persuading Queen Elizabeth that Harry and Meghan could not continue to represent the monarchy while planning to make money commercially. A year before that, William and Kate cut Harry and Meghan adrift from the Royal Foundation, an umbrella group for their charity endeavours, because the Duke and Duchess of Sussex wanted to “go down a commercial route”.

  4. He should probably be on the sex offenders register. Stopping using Duke doesn’t get him off the hook. He still listed as Councillor of State and still on the royal family’s website. This is damage limitation.

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