The disgraceful Duke

How do you solve a problem like Prince Andrew?

The very least that could be done with the disgraceful Duke is to airbrush him out of the Royal Family’s pantheon. That’s what Buckingham Palace did this week by having him announce that the Queen had given her “permission” for him to “step back” from his public duties.

Disappear, in other words. The prince’s car crash of an interview with the BBC about his relationship with the sex trafficker and pedophile Jeffrey Epstein is the biggest PR disaster for the royals in a generation.

The less of him, the better. Like most royal pratfalls, this is entirely self-inflicted.

First, by the prince’s decision to continue his “friendship” with Epstein even after the late financier was convicted of sex trafficking. His explanation that he stayed for four days with Epstein solely in order to end the relationship had the ring of ridiculousness.

And second by Andrew’s epic self-absorption during the interview. He was incapable of showing any real contrition or compassion for Epstein’s victims, instead offering up bizarre tidbits about his alleged inability to sweat and a visit to a Pizza Express.

Most importantly, the prince failed to put to rest accusations by a woman named Victoria Giuffre that Epstein arranged for him to have sex with her when she was just 17 years old. He now says he’s willing to co-operate with investigations into Epstein’s activities, and the FBI should take him up on that right away.

The Royal Family has had a pretty good run of it lately. The best the British tabloids have had to play with is gossip about supposedly tense relations between Prince Harry and Meghan Markle and the rest of the clan.

Now Prince Andrew has handed them a real scandal. And in doing so he’s done more damage than republicans could ever manage.