The Prince Andrew scandal shows no sign of going away

MPs have lodged a parliamentary motion to formally remove Prince Andrew’s dukedom, following the publication of fresh details of his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.

So what? Andrew has already announced he will stop using Duke of York and other titles, although he is still a prince. But the scandal shows no sign of going away after it was reignited by a posthumous memoir from Virginia Giuffre. New questions are now being asked about

• when exactly Andrew broke off ties with Epstein;
• how he made a reported £12 million payment to Giuffre; and
• the judgement of the royal family in the way they treated allegations against him.

Recap. Extracts of Giuffre’s book were released last week. She wrote that she was forced to have sex with Andrew three times, including when she was 17. The allegations are not new but her description of an “entitled” prince who felt having sex with her was “his birthright” is. Giuffre also alleged that the abuse included an “orgy” on Epstein’s Caribbean island.

Funds. Andrew has consistently denied the accusations, which date from the early 2000s and were part of a lawsuit Giuffre brought against him in New York. The case was settled three years ago. Rachael Maskell, MP for York, has called for “clarity” on the source of the settlement payment.

Friends. Andrew told Newsnight in 2019 that he ended his relationship with Epstein in December 2010, two years after the disgraced financier was convicted for sex offences.

Messages. Recently leaked emails suggest this was not true. The correspondence includes an email from Andrew to Epstein on 28 February 2011, the day after a now infamous picture of Andrew, Giuffre and Ghislaine Maxwell became public. Andrew is said to have told Epstein “we are in this together” and that he hoped to “play some more soon”.

No let up. Other emails suggest Andrew asked his police bodyguard to investigate Giuffre and passed on her date of birth and social security number. In her memoir, published in full yesterday, Giuffre claimed the duke’s team hired “internet trolls” to hassle her. Andrew previously said he had “no recollection of ever meeting” Giuffre.

Other pressures. Last week it was alleged that Andrew met the Chinese official at the heart of a collapsed China spy case between 2018 and 2019, when the prince was a trade envoy. There is no indication that Andrew was involved in the alleged espionage offences. But his contact with suspected Chinese spies is under scrutiny. This includes businessman Yang Tengbo, who was described as Andrew’s “close confidant” in a court judgement last year.

Next steps. Andrew cannot be formally removed as Duke of York without an act of parliament. Downing Street said it is for the king to decide what happens to Andrew’s titles.

Feuding brothers. Andrew has not been a working royal since 2019. Last year King Charles reportedly cut his brother’s £1 million annual allowance and wants him to vacate Royal Lodge, a 30-room mansion in Windsor.

Vox populi. So far the rest of the family has managed to shield itself from the scandals surrounding Andrew. But support for the monarchy has waned over the past few decades among the young. Most of those between 16 and 34 years old favour an elected head of state.

Blowback. The current scandal could accelerate this trend, especially given questions about the Buckingham Palace response to Guiffre’s allegations and what royals knew at the time.

What’s more… Further details of Andrew’s relationship with Epstein could emerge, especially if more files about the disgraced financier are released in the US.

Photograph by Max Mumby/Indigo via Getty Images