CHARLES DAMAGES
PRINCE Charles believes the monarchy is in jeopardy because of the scandal surrounding Prince Andrew, according to a feared biographer.
Tom Bower’s comments come as lawyers for the Duke of York seek to dismiss a civil lawsuit brought by Virginia Roberts Giuffre.
The 38-year-old claims the Prince sexually abused or assaulted her when she was 17, which he “unequivocally denies”.
Mr Bower wrote the 2018 biography The Rebel Prince about Charles.
It told how bad feeling between the brothers dates back to the 1990s over an alleged plot to replace the Prince ofwales as heir to the throne withandrew as Regent untilwilliam turned 18.
The author told the Sunday Express: “Charles fears the monarchy is jeopardised – put in danger by Andrew. His great problem is to make sure he inherits the crown without more problems that exist already and Andrew creates a huge hurdle, a huge embarrassment.”
Mr Bower, 74, described Prince Andrew’s friendship with dead paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein and his battle against sex abuse allegations, as a “disastrous episode”.
The investigative journalist added that Prince Charles’ disapproval of his younger sibling extends to his former wife Sarah.
He said: “He always thought that the marriage between her and Andrew was a disaster.”
The Duke of York, 61, has already lost his £249,000-a-year handout from the Queen to run his office and is never expected to return to public life even if he is cleared.
He may even lose his grace-andfavour mansion at Royal Lodge – near Windsor Castle – as Charles seeks to distance the working Royal Family from outsiders.
In documents filed at the US District Court in Manhattan on Friday, Prince Andrew’s lawyer
Andrew Brettler said the
“baseless lawsuit” should be dismissed because Ms Giuffre failed to sufficiently outline her claims against him.
He said: “Accusing a member of the world’s best known royal family of serious misconduct has helped Giuffre create a media frenzy online and in the traditional press.”
Mr Brettler added: “It is unfortunate, but undeniable, that sensationalism and innuendo have prevailed over the truth.
“Giuffre has initiated this baseless lawsuit against Prince Andrew to achieve another payday at his expense and at the expense of those closest to him.
“Epstein’s abuse of Giuffre does not justify her public campaign against Prince Andrew.”
The filing added Ms Giuffre settled sex trafficking and abuse claims against Epstein in 2009 with a “broad release” negotiated by the convicted sex offender.
It insisted “that it cover any and all persons who Giuffre identified as potential targets of future lawsuits, regardless of the merit – or lack thereof – to any such claims”.
The pervert financier died in a Brooklyn jail in 2019 as he was held on charges for the sex trafficking of minors in Florida and New York.
But lawyer Sigrid Mccawley, acting for Ms Giuffre since 2014, said their case against Andrew was “solid”.
She told a newspaper yesterday: “I don’t know what made him think he could dodge this. It has an air of entitlement.”
She added the Duke’s controversial 2019 Newsnight interview will form part of the case against him after he denied having sex with Ms Giuffre at Ghislaine Maxwell’s London home.
He told the BBC’S Emily Maitlis it could not have happened as he
had taken his daughter, Princess Beatrice, to a birthday party at Pizza Express in Woking, Surrey.
Ms Mccawley said: “I don’t know who would have advised him to do that, it was a very wrong move on his part to expose himself in that way. But frankly it was very helpful for us.”
It also raised the possibility of his daughters Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie being subpoenaed to attempt to cast doubt on his alibi.
Three weeks ago it was announced by Scotland Yard that it would be taking no further action after a review prompted by Ms Giuffre’s legal case.
In The Rebel Prince Mr Bower said Prince Charles believed there was a plot to have him removed from the line of succession amid the fallout from Princess Diana’s devastating 1995 Panorama interview with the now-disgraced BBC reporter Martin Bashir.
In one passage Mr Bower wrote: “Charles convinced himself that Diana and Sarah, Andrew’s estranged wife, were hatching plans to replace him as heir.
“On the Queen’s death or abdication Andrew would be Regent until William was 18, when he would take over.”
The Prince of Wales, 72, was even said to have told his closest aide, Mark Bolland: “Andrew wanted to be me.”
Mr Bower is currently writing a bombshell book on Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex.
In it, he vows to “tell the truth about her life”.