‘Prince William helped finally push Andrew out after huge Epstein lie exposed’
Royal editor-in-chief Russell Myers writes that several high-profile meetings between the king, Prince William and their highest officials took place to ultimately force Andrew to leave.
Russell Myers is royal editor of the Mirror and a regular on our royal podcast Pod Save The King.
Prince Andrew gives up all his titles
The King and Prince William have finally lifted the lid on disgraced Prince Andrew over his sordid relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
After years of scandals that slowly ate away at the heart of the monarchy, the man once called the late queen’s “favorite son” finally found nowhere to turn. Following tense discussions with the monarch and future king, Andrew had no choice but to relinquish the titles that still provided a veil of respectability by clinging to his association with the royal family.
Having recently been exposed for lying about claims he made in his disastrous BBC Newsnight interview that he cut off all contact with pedophile Epstein after flying to New York to see him in December 2010, Andrew’s spectacular fall from grace is now over. Other allegations about his dealings with Chinese spies also sent shockwaves through the establishment.
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The final straw came in recent weeks, after Andrew was exposed in a cache of emails reviewed by US prosecutors and further allegations were allegedly made in his sexual abuse accuser’s memoir, which he chillingly described as his “birthright”. Andrew has always denied Virginia Giuffre’s allegations, but her suicide in April this year has left an even bigger and more worrying cloud over this most devastating scandal.
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The King and Prince William effectively wielded the ax to allow him to use his title of Duke of York and the prestigious honor of Knight of the Garter, which he even used to sign in emails to Epstein. For her role in this most unedifying episode, Andrew’s ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, who took thousands of pounds from Epstein as she struggled with mounting debts and who revealed she praised him as a “loyal, generous and supreme friend” even after his conviction for sex offences, will also never use her title Duchess of York again.
She was dropped last month by a string of charities as patron and ambassador, including the Teenage Cancer Trust which she represented for more than 30 years, after her closeness to Epstein was revealed. Fergie has for years exploited her royal connections to earn fortunes through book deals and companies such as Weight Watchers, but will now be known simply by her name.
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Despite having no discernible income, the two men will continue to live in Andrew’s crumbling mansion, the Royal Lodge, much to the king’s frustration following attempts to force him to give up his lease on the property in the shadow of Windsor Castle. The pair may reflect on their respective catastrophic decisions when they spend Christmas together after learning they will not be welcome to spend the festive period with the king and his family.
Reports this week that Andrew met on at least three occasions with a senior Chinese official at the center of a Beijing espionage case that was halted in court at the eleventh hour, while also inviting him to Buckingham Palace for lunch, have caused fresh concern at the palace. Royal sources have revealed that several high-profile meetings between the king, Prince William and their most senior officials, took place to finally force Andrew to act.
For years, Andrew, who at 65 is far from the time normally considered to retire from royal life, had believed he would find a path back to public life. This latest development ends all hope, as he is ultimately exiled in disgrace.
