Newly unsealed Epstein documents leave Prince Andrew with 'much to answer for'
Royal's connection to convicted sex offender has tarnished his reputation, say observers
It is no surprise to see Prince Andrew named in recently unsealed U.S. court documents detailing dozens of associates of Jeffrey Epstein, the late U.S. financier and convicted sex offender and trafficker.
The 63-year-old Duke of York has remained out of public life since a disastrous BBC interview in 2019, in which he defended his friendship with Epstein and caused public outrage.
In February 2022, Andrew settled a U.S. civil case brought by Virginia Giuffre, who alleged he had sexually assaulted her more than two decades ago, when she was 17. He has always denied the allegations, insisting he had no memory of ever meeting her.
Since then, he has kept a low profile, although there have been signs recently of a possible return to public royal duties.
But Sarah Hewson, royal editor for the British channel Talk TV, said this week's revelations from across the Atlantic were "a reminder that this is not going away."
"It will be deeply embarrassing for a senior member of the Royal Family to be implicated in this way," said Hewson.
'Really excruciating' for Andrew and royals
The British media has inevitably weighed in on the latest news. The Daily Mail has called it "The 'final nail in the coffin' for Prince Andrew," while the Telegraph stated, "Epstein files could not have come at a worse time for Prince Andrew." An analysis in the Guardian said "Epstein court files damage Prince Andrew's hopes of restoring reputation."
The unsealed court documents were filed by Giuffre in her separate lawsuit against Ghislaine Maxwell, the British socialite who was convicted in December 2021 of sex trafficking and similar charges for procuring teen girls for Epstein.
What's notable about these documents is that they make public for the first time a deposition by another woman, Johanna Sjoberg, who alleges the prince groped her at Epstein's Manhattan apartment in 2001 while playing with a comic puppet of himself. Buckingham Palace had previously said her allegations are "categorically untrue."
"We've heard Johanna Sjoberg's claims before, but seeing [Andrew's] name in black and white is really excruciating for him and for the wider Royal family," said Hewson.
In her testimony, Sjoberg said, "I sat on Andrew's lap and they took the puppet's hands and put it on Virginia's breast, and so Andrew put his [hand] on mine [Sjoberg's breast]."
The eternal problem for Andrew, who was stripped of his military honours and royal patronages and no longer uses his HRH title, is that his name is forever entwined with Epstein, who died by suicide in jail in 2019.
"The fact that he is named so many times in the Epstein files will clearly inflict further damage on his already tattered reputation," said Joe Little, editor of Majesty magazine, in an interview with CBC News.
Buckingham Palace largely mum
Once labelled "Air Miles Andy" by the British press due to his globe-trotting — often to play golf — Andrew now lives with his ex-wife, Sarah, Duchess of York, in Windsor, west of London.
His last public appearance was on Christmas Day, when he accompanied Sarah and his daughters, princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, as they went to church near the King's estate in Sandringham.
Last year, there was speculation that the prince was being quietly rehabilitated into royal life; for example, he was pictured travelling with Prince William and his wife, Catherine. But any possibility of Andrew returning to life as a working royal now seems firmly ruled out.
Buckingham Palace has kept silent in recent years, mindful of angry public opinion about the scandal. Its last comments on the issue were made in January 2022, when it announced that "with The Queen's approval and agreement, The Duke of York's military affiliations and Royal patronages have been returned to The Queen." The palace also stated he would continue not to carry out any public duties.
Andrew himself has remained in the shadows, but caused a stir when he accompanied his mother at a memorial service to her late husband, Prince Philip, in March 2022.
"It would appear that the King is of the same opinion as his late mother," said Little, noting that Andrew "will always be a member of the Royal family and thus be included in private events, such as Christmas at Sandringham."
On Thursday, the U.K. anti-monarchist group Republic said it had reported Andrew to the Metropolitan Police. In a statement, Republic's CEO, Graham Smith, said, "I am calling on the Met police to re-open this case, I am calling on MPs to debate this affair in parliament, and I am calling on [King] Charles to make a public statement — in front of the press and taking questions — to respond to these allegations and what they say about the monarchy."
King Charles has been on the throne for just over a year. Headlines about his brother will be most unwelcome as he tries to make his mark after his mother's reign.
Experts said the King will want to publicly distance himself from any scandal, and the publication of the Epstein papers could give him the perfect excuse to slim down the number of working royals.
Slim chance of public rehabilitation
Royal historian and author Carolyn Harris predicts Andrew will keep a low profile and that there will likely be further public scrutiny of his finances.
"There may be public pressure on King Charles III to further reduce the privileges enjoyed by certain non-working members of the Royal family," she said, "including use of royal residences and Prince Andrew's security."
But a path to public rehabilitation for Prince Andrew now seems impossible.
"Were the Duke of York a different person, I suspect the King would still accept his support as a working royal, in the same way that the Princess Royal [Princess Anne] and the Duke of Edinburgh [Prince Edward] do so much important work," said Barry Mackenzie, a royal historian at St. Francis Xavier University.
"However, that ship has sailed, and Prince Andrew has much to answer for."
Hewson is more categorical.
"There is no rehabilitation for Prince Andrew, it is very much over for him," she said. "The dark shadow of his friendship with Epstein is very much ever present."
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