Andrew Can’t Hide FROM HIS PAST
Court documents rehashing Prince Andrew’s alleged sordid part in the Jeffrey Epstein scandal cause new royal drama for the Duke of York!
The lawsuit was settled seven years ago. But on Jan. 3, Prince Andrew found himself in hot water when a U.S. District Court unsealed documents from a 2015 case against Ghislaine Maxwell — who’s currently incarcerated for sex-trafficking young girls with late, disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. In the cache, it is alleged the Duke of York had sex with a minor on multiple occasions, groped another woman’s breast during a photo op, was secretly filmed having intercourse and more during his and Epstein’s sordid friendship.
While none of it paints Andrew in a positive light, most of the claims had actually been leaked before, with the 63-year-old always maintaining his innocence. Still, the fresh PR nightmare has King Charles III, 75, and Prince William, 41, reevaluating Andrew’s place in the royal family. “Andrew thought he was back in their good graces, but the newly released documents have changed everything,” says an insider. “He’s public enemy No. 1, and there’s talk of throwing him out of the palace once and for all.”
KICKED TO THE CURB?
Prior to her death, Queen Elizabeth II stripped Andrew of his military titles and patronage, and the duke stepped back from official duties after his controversial connection to pedophile Epstein made headlines. As time passed, however, Andrew — who begrudgingly settled a sexual assault suit filed by Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre for an estimated $16 million in 2022 — was spotted back at royal events, most recently joining his relatives for their annual Christmas Day photo this past December. He also continues to reside at Royal Lodge in Windsor, for which the security bill alone is believed to cost nearly $4 million a year.
“Though Andrew is family, and there’s a loyalty factor, it’s not a good look to keep supporting him,” observes the insider. “Charles and William are mulling over what exactly to do. But the growing sense is that the royals need to make a clean break, taking away Andrew’s home and every last one of his royal
privileges. It’s a very messy situation, but something has to be done.”
So perhaps it’s no surprise Andrew looked tense as he drove away from Royal Lodge in his Range Rover on Jan. 9. “He’d just had a wonderful Christmas with the family. Even Charles was being friendly,” says the insider. “Now, his calls are not being returned, and he’s getting the cold shoulder again.”