Prince Andrew was said to be the late Queen’s favourite son, but amid the scandals that brought him into disrepute, the former monarch reportedly wouldn’t budge on one particular issue
The public outrage engulfing Prince Andrew shows no signs of slowing down, and the Royal Family are still battling the storm of his long-running scandals.
The disgraced ex duke announced he would be relinquishing the use of his royal title and honours last week, following a 10-minute phonecall with his ‘weary’ brother, the King. The decision came after scrunity around Andrew’s relationship with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein ramped up, and it has now emerged via leaked emails that the disgraced royal lied to everyone about when he cut off his ‘friend’.
Further shame for the Royal Family came when the posthomous memoir of Epstein’s most high profile victim hit the shelves on Tuesday. Virginia Giuffre, who died by suicide earlier this year, speaks beyond the grave of the horrors she endured at the hands of Epstein in the emotional book. Giuffre also accused Andrew of sexually assaulting her on three occasions when she was a teenager, claims he vehemently denies.
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The ongoing scrutiny has raised questions about whether the palace has gone far enough in stripping Andrew of his dukedom. He still maintains his prince title as his birthright.
However, experts say that the tendency to try to dull the blows against Andrew started long before Charles’ reign. It has long been claimed that Andrew was the favourite child of the late Queen, with one royal author saying she had a “notable blind spot” when it came to him.
But when things finally went too far and Queen Elizabeth had to protect the crown over her beloved son, one hidden sign indicated just how unhappy she was with how he handled his relationship with Epstein, and the allegations made against him.
When push came to shove in 2022, the late Queen, with the agreement of the senior royals, decided something had to be done about Andrew when a civil case was brought against Andrew by Giuffre in the US, and there was widespread public outcry.
Andrew had already stepped back from official duties in 2019, after a “car crash” interview with Newsnight, but the palace knew they had to go further.
The palace released a statement at the time, saying” “With the Queen’s approval and agreement, the Duke of York’s military affiliations and royal patronages have been returned to the Queen. The Duke of York will not undertake any public duties and is defending this case as a private citizen.”
Royal author Omid Scobie wrote in his bombshell book Endgame that Andrew, as he was “summoned” to see his mother for a meeting about the ongoing scandal, “knew the jig was up”.
A family source was quoted as saying: “He knew it was coming. But given that he also needed to be saved from embarrassment in the courthouse, it was a small price to pay.”
Andrew attempted to bring a key advisor with him, the book claims, a criminal defence lawyer – but they were denied entry at the doorway, apparently per the Queen’s instructions.
“At the appropriate entry point to Her Majesty’s quarters, an awaiting courtier instructed him to enter the building alone,” Scobie wrote.
“Andrew had brought his longtime and trusted criminal defense lawyer, Gary Bloxsome, in the hopes that he could help negotiate with his family, but the Queen’s aide made it clear that the criminal defense solicitor should wait in the car.”
Despite the late Queen’s willingness to take these steps as the outcry grew, it was with Prince William’s strong encouragement, Scobie claims, that she finally punished her favoured son.
It was not an easy decision for her, with sources describing it as “gut punch” to have occurred so soon after losing her husband Prince Philip, and that she was “genuinely sad”.