Fury over Andrew the meddler as he warns Brexit could ‘tear things apart’
PRINCE Andrew was last night accused of meddling in politics after claiming Brexit could ‘tear things apart’. The Duke of York made the comments last week at a private dinner with venture capitalists at Windsor Castle.
He also appeared to criticise Republican candidate Donald Trump ahead of tomorrow’s US presidential election.
The comments break the constitutional convention that the Royal Family keeps out of politics – and last night Tory Brexiteers called for Andrew to ‘keep quiet’ and respect the wishes of the majority who voted to leave the EU.
At the dinner on Thursday Andrew praised his guests for taking part in his Pitch@Palace project to help start-up businesses.
Then he said: ‘There was a vote here recently where we agreed to leave one organisation, and there’s a man in the US who it seems wants to leave every organisation.
‘Combined, they could tear things apart. But despite what people vote for, entrepreneurship will continue.’
Buckingham Palace did not deny Andrew made the remarks, but said in a statement: ‘We have no comment to make.’
A source conceded that, although he did not use the words Brexit or Trump, some people might interpret his remarks as referring to them.
Last night Iain Duncan Smith, the pro-Brexit former work and pensions secretary, said: ‘If only the whole of the Establishment would recognise that the British people voted overwhelmingly to leave the European Union. The only thing left is to make a success of it.’
Philip Davies, Tory MP for Shipley, added: ‘There is already a feeling amongst the public that the privileged Establishment are trying to thwart the determined will of the public, and Prince Andrew would do well to respect the wishes of the UK public he is supposed to serve. His own political views and entrance into the debate are not helpful nor relevant and so he would do well to keep quiet.’
It comes months after Buckingham Palace reacted with fury to reports ahead of the referendum claiming the Queen was in favour of Brexit. And in 2014 during the Scottish independence referendum campaign, the Queen told well-wishers after a church service that voters should ‘think very carefully’ – seen as an intervention in favour of the union.
Peter Bone, Tory MP for Wellingborough, said: ‘I do think it would be extraordinary if any member of the Royal Family entered into what would be party politics. If he did make these comments then I think he needs to reflect that it was clearly not the right thing to do.’
And John Mann, Labour MP for Bassetlaw, added: ‘He cannot have it both ways. He cannot have all the privileges of being in the Royal Family and then get involved in politics.
‘If he is going to be in the Royal family then he has to keep quiet about these things.’
The comments are the latest in a string of controversies surrounding the Duke of York. Five years ago, Andrew stepped down from his role as UK special representative for international trade and investment following years of criticism over jet-setting. His annual travel bills have regularly topped £3million, leading to him being nicknamed Air Miles Andy.
He was also criticised in 2007 after selling Sunninghill, his former marital home in Berkshire, for £15million to controversial Kazakh tycoon Timur Kulibayev – £3million more than the asking price.
Earlier this year it emerged he had acted as a fixer for a foreign consortium in the businessman’s corrupt oil-rich home country. And the prince has also forged a ‘close friendship’ with the dictatorial leader of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, who has been accused of torturing protesters.
Most damaging has been his friendship with US paedophile Jeffrey Epstein and claims – later thrown out by a US court – that the financier had forced one woman to have sex with Andrew when she was 17.
Last night Graham Smith, of Republic, a pressure group which campaigns for the abolition of the monarchy, said: ‘Now more than ever Andrew needs to keep out of politics and keep his opinions to himself. These are issues for our elected politicians to deal with, not princes who know little of the real world.’
But Andrew Bridgen, Tory MP for North West Leicestershire, said he believed the remarks were meant as a joke. He added: ‘He was correct that entrepreneurship will continue and thrive after Brexit.’
‘It was not the right thing to do’