EXILE ANDREW FOREVER!
THE WRITING IS ON THE WALL FOR THE DUKE OF YORK
Prince Andrew’s date with destiny has finally been set. In September, the Duke of York will face a New York civil court, accused of emotional distress and battery by Australian Virginia Roberts-giuffre.
She claims she was trafficked by Jeffrey Epstein to sleep with Andrew in America and the UK when she was an underage teen, which Andrew has denied.
As if things couldn’t get any bleaker for Andrew, 61, insiders say his older brother, Prince Charles, is about to deliver another blow.
“Charles had made up his mind – Andrew has to go, and as far away as possible,” says a palace source. “Given Her Majesty’s advancing years, the Queen has bequeathed a lot of power to Charles and his first move as her successor is ridding the monarchy of Andrew’s dark shadow.”
Charles, 73, has told his mother he “refuses to inherit the ‘Andrew problem’” at the same time he gets the crown.
“He intends to not only strip Andrew of his Dukedom and his military titles, but also kick him out of The Lodge on Windsor property – even if it means paying him a lump sum to ensure he never darkens royal doors again,” says an insider. “The Queen worries that this is going too far, but it’s two against one.
“Prince Charles and his son, Prince William, are united. They both want to make a statement that the House of
Windsor will not tolerate someone who’s dragged their good name through the mud.”
Andrew’s last-ditch attempt to squash Virginia’s case by invoking a tenuous loophole “releasing other potential defendants from liability” from her 2009 settlement with his late friend, convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, failed in a pretrial hearing last week.
Now, Andrew’s only hope of escaping a humiliating civil court showdown is offering a hefty settlement to Virginia. New Idea’s insiders insist “there’s no way in hell that’s happening”.
“Virginia has been carrying this trauma around with her since she was a teenager. She is determined to have her day in court,” a close friend tells us exclusively. “She has iron-clad willpower and a cool head on her shoulders. Virginia doesn’t want to settle – she’s ready to face Andrew and feels she owes this to Epstein’s victims.”
Exclusive by Karleigh Smith