Here’s the Jeffrey Epstein timeline again, because I have to look it up as well. In 2005, the federal investigation began, and the feds found and identified literally dozens of Epstein’s victims. In 2008, Epstein got a sweetheart deal from the DOJ which involved Epstein pleading guilty to a couple of charges and serving 13 months in prison. Once he was released from prison, his life pretty much went back to normal – he still socialized in elite circles, and he was still in touch with Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson. Sarah borrowed money from Epstein after his prison stay. Andrew visited Epstein in New York in 2010 and they were photographed walking in Central Park together. After that walk, Andrew was forced to publicly “cut ties” with Epstein and promise not to contact him. We now know that Andrew lied, and in February 2011, Andrew sent Epstein this message: “I’m just as concerned for you! Don’t worry about me! It would seem we are in this together and will have to rise above it. Otherwise keep in close touch and we’ll play some more soon!!!!” A “new twist” in the case, it seems. So what can be done about Andrew at this point? The Telegraph had a long-ass piece about how King Charles is at his wit’s end trying to figure out what should be done about his “Andrew Problem.”
There are no punishments left: The King is running out of options when it comes to dealing with the Duke of York, sources have admitted. Aides note that the King, who has long suffered the scandals surrounding his younger brother, has already used various sanctions in an effort to apply pressure to the errant Duke. However, as one well-placed source mulled over potential options following the latest slew of damaging headlines, they suggested plaintively: “There’s nothing else left.”
Lower profile at family events: The Duke, who was effectively sacked from public duties more than two years ago, has recently been told, following controversy over his ebullient appearance at the Duchess of Kent’s funeral, to maintain a lower profile at public family events. It has also been made clear that neither the Duke nor his ex-wife, Sarah, Duchess of York – who described Epstein as a “supreme friend” – will be welcome to join the traditional Christmas family festivities at Sandringham this year.
Charles might finally cut off Andrew’s shooting party privileges: Having exhausted most feasible options concerning the Duke’s public persona, talk has inevitably turned to the many perks and privileges he retains in his private life. One of the options that sources admit could yet be looked at is his use of the royal estates, where he still hosts shooting parties and other activities. The withdrawal of such privileges has thus far not been considered, not least because the King has long maintained that for all his faults, the Duke does remain a member of the Royal family. However, with few avenues left, one aide admitted that it was “theoretically possible” to restrict his access to Balmoral, Sandringham and Windsor, a move that would prove a bitter pill to swallow for someone who has long revelled in the trappings of royal life.
Take away his ducal title? The Duke has already been stripped of his military titles and charity affiliations, and is banned from using his much cherished HRH honorific. There has been a growing public clamour to remove his last remaining title, the Dukedom, which would require intervention from Parliament. A YouGov poll published this summer suggested that 67 per cent of people supported the idea. But palace aides note that he would still be a Prince – a title he was born with as the son of a monarch and one which, crucially, most view as superior.
Andrew is still a Knight of the Garter: The Duke also remains a proud Knight of the Garter, despite having not taken part in the annual parade through the grounds of Windsor Castle since 2019, following his fall from grace. Instead, he now joins the rest of his family for the investiture in the castle’s Garter throne room and the traditional lunch that takes place afterwards in the Waterloo Chamber, both behind closed doors. The King could yet remove his brother from the Order, the UK’s highest chivalric honour. However, it is not lost on palace aides that the small number – 40 in total – removed in disgrace over the last six centuries have been found guilty of a serious charge such as heresy or treason. They include Benito Mussolini, Robert Mugabe and Nicolae Ceausescu. Whatever one may think of the Duke’s alleged crimes, they are not quite comparable, sources acknowledge.
Charles is dithering hard about this: All things considered, the palace is at a loss. Many have suggested that the King should have acted more decisively from the outset. Much of the negative publicity has arisen from the Duke’s jovial – and high-profile – appearances at family gatherings such as Easter church services or, more recently, the Duchess of Kent’s funeral where he laughed and chatted to a stony-faced Prince William. He cannot ban the Duke from such events but he can insist – and has – that he be more discreet and make himself less visible for the cameras. Some have gone so far as to say “invisible”.
Republic has a say: Graham Smith, chief executive of Republic, said: “Andrew has been reported to the police in the UK and pursued in US courts. “This isn’t just about family. It’s not a private matter. We need to know if the royals are putting family before country. It’s now time for the police and MPs to throw open the files and fully investigate.”
I’m almost always on Republic’s side of these issues, but what Graham Smith says here is especially dead-on. Buckingham Palace is treating Andrew like he’s a family problem, that this is merely an issue within the royal family, and it should be handled solely within the family. When really, this is a criminal issue – Andrew’s ties to Epstein should be investigated by the police and by the state. The palace’s dithering and hand-wringing looks idiotic too – “well, it’s not like he’s Mussolini!” He was BFFs with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell and they trafficked teenage girls to him for years, and Charles is too much of a coward to remove his KG?
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.
