The royal family has weathered many scandals during their time, but this latest one could be the most damning yet. Prince Andrew, the third child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, has long been a fan-favorite of viewers and media outlets alike: His charming demeanor and an easygoing attitude making it easy to like him. Still, in August 2019, a scandal that would rock the royal family was unleashed, and it all led back to Prince Andrew.
Were Prince Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein friends?
Over the summer, known sex offender Jeffrey Epstein killed himself in his jail cell. His death resurfaced some old rumors regarding the nature of his relationship with Prince Andrew. Sources started coming forward, saying that Epstein and Prince Andrew were good friends, and even worse, business colleagues.
There was even a video that was released, filmed in 2010, that showed Prince Andrew in Epstein’s New York City apartment, seemingly at ease and having a good time. Although Epstein is the one convicted of abuse against women, Prince Andrew was also caught up in the scandal. Several women came forward to state that Prince Andrew is just as much to blame as Epstein, as he became a pawn of the wealthy businessman.
It didn’t look good for Prince Andrew. Still, in August, Buckingham Palace released a statement saying that Prince Andrew was “appalled” by all the reports of Epstein’s deviant behavior and that he “deplores the exploitation of any human being.” The strongly-worded statement did little to quiet the speculation and the story has only continued to unfold in the weeks since everything first started going downhill.
The queen has been standing by Prince Andrew
Queen Elizabeth has been making a strong show of support for her son, stepping out publicly with him in the midst of all the drama. As the backlash kept building, the queen headed to Balmoral, the royal family’s secluded home in Scotland, along with Prince Andrew and his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson.
The queen has also been making sure that Prince Andrew still has ties to his religious faith, and was seen attending church with him on at least one occasion. In spite of all the family support that Prince Andrew might be receiving, more trouble has been brewing for the royal. Recently, one of Prince Andrew’s accusers sat down for an explosive interview that has everyone talking.
Prince Andrew’s accuser speaks out
Virginia Roberts Giuffre, the first woman to have condemned Prince Andrew as part of Epstein’s inner circle, recently gave an interview on Dateline, along with five other women who claim to have been abused by Epstein. In the interview, Giuffre stated that Prince Andrew first started abusing her when she was only seventeen years old and that Epstein “trafficked” her to Prince Andrew.
Giuffre went into great detail about the alleged abuse, claiming that she first met Prince Andrew at the home of a London socialite and that they spent time at a club together, where the prince purchased her alcohol. Following the trip to the nightclub, Giuffre claims that the prince abused her. Giuffre said that she was abused several times by Prince Andrew after their initial meeting and that in spite of the fact that he keeps denying her accusations, “he knows the truth.”