Prince Andrew is bowing out of his royal duties amid his alleged connection to the Jeffrey Epstein pedophile sex ring!
In a shocking turn of events, Queen Elizabeth II’s second son has announced his decision to “step back from public duties” following his trainwreck of an interview with the BBC about his ties to the disgraced financier.
The 59-year-old royal explained in a statement on Wednesday:
“It has become clear to me over the last few days that the circumstances relating to my former association with Jeffrey Epstein has become a major disruption to my family’s work and the valuable work going on in the many organisations and charities that I am proud to support. Therefore, I have asked Her Majesty if I may step back from public duties for the foreseeable future, and she has given her permission.”
Probably a good call, seeing as several businesses and charities have been pulling their support from Andrew’s royal work as the Epstein scandal plays out.
Video: Amy Robach Caught Blasting ABC News For Burying Her Epstein Story!
As we reported, accuser Virginia Roberts Giuffre alleged she was forced to have sex with the prince three times between 1999 and 2002 in London, New York, and on a private island owned by Epstein when she was 17 years old.
In his terrible Newsnight interview Andrew said he had “no recollection of ever meeting” Giuffre, and tried to dismiss a photo of them together by suggesting it may have been doctored.
Among many things, the Duke of York has been criticized for not showing empathy for the victims of Epstein — who (supposedly) died by suicide in jail in August while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
Related: Epstein Prison Guards Indicted
Andrew tried to rectify this in his latest statement by offering his deepest sympathies “with everyone who has been affected” by the ordeal. He continued:
“I continue to unequivocally regret my ill-judged association with Jeffrey Epstein. His suicide has left many unanswered questions, particularly for his victims, and I deeply sympathise with everyone who has been affected and wants some form of closure. I can only hope that, in time, they will be able to rebuild their lives. Of course, I am willing to help any appropriate law enforcement agency with their investigations, if required.”
Sounds like the prince — and the palace — just wants this to end!
A Buckingham Palace rep previously said the Queen and the royal family “back and believe” Andrew “100%,” suggesting the palace was hoping this scandal would eventually blow over. Of course, that was before the royal’s disastrous interview with Newsnight, in which he tried to exonerate himself by downplaying his relationship with Epstein and claiming he had a rare disorder that prevented him from sweating.
Weirdly enough, Andrew initially believed his interview went “quite well,” according to a People source. He reportedly accompanied his mother to church at Windsor on Sunday, the day after the interview aired on the BBC, and was said to have told her he thought it was a success.
While he looked anxious during the sit-down, Newsnight staffers were told the Duke was “pretty relaxed” in the aftermath, with a source saying:
“I think he was relieved that it was over. He expected it to be bracing. In truth it was more bracing than he was expecting from the off. But, really, given that it was a Newsnight interview, he shouldn’t have expected anything else.”
It’s also been reported that Andrew’s ex-wife, Sarah “Fergie” Ferguson, was the one who “encouraged” and “convinced” him to doing the interview in the first place as a way of getting ahead of the scandal and presenting “his truth.”
A royal insider told DailyMail.com:
“Andrew has been relying on Sarah heavily. In fact she’s been the prince’s biggest champion and he values her opinion and experience. When the possibility of this interview arose, Sarah felt that it could be the best way of clearing his name while presenting the public with a look at the real Andrew. The interview gave him the chance to address the negative headlines rather than leave them unanswered and present his version of events. Given how damaging this scandal has been in the past six months, Sarah felt Andrew needed to get ahead of the matter to give his public image a better chance of recovery.”
Swing and a miss, Fergz!
It’s unclear if Andrew will be brought in to offer a testimony as the FBI continues their investigation into Epstein and his associates.
Fun fact: Prince Andrew is 8th in line to the throne. Thankfully it’s unlikely he’ll ever ascend — quite a bit more unlikely now.
[Image via BBC]
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