In 2019, Prince Andrew caused yet another scandal for the royal family.
In 2019, Prince Andrew caused yet another scandal for the royal family.
This one, however, was so troublesome that Andrew voluntarily stepped down from public duty as a royal. The cause? Andrew's friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Although Epstein died before he stood trial for charges brought against him in 2019 of sex trafficking and conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking, he had already pleaded guilty in 2008 "to a felony charge of socilictation of prostitution involving a minor," reported The Wall Street Journal. Following Epstein's release from prison, he and Andrew were photographed walking together in Central Park, and video emerged (as seen in the Daily Mail) of Andrew spending time in Epstein's NYC house. Following Epstein's death, his court records were unsealed, and Andrew was one of the alleged abusers named. One of Andrew's alleged victims, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, spoke with Today's Savannah Guthrie and called the prince "an abuser."
In answer to these allegations, Andrew sat down with Emily Maitlis of BBC News for what Town & Country described as a "no holds barred" interview regarding his relationship with Epstein and denied Giuffre's allegations. However, "[Andrew] did not explicitly express sympathy for Epstein's victims," Town & Country noted. A few days after the interview aired, Andrew announced he was stepping away from royal duties and has rarely been seen in public since. It's worth noting, however, that Andrew refused to cooperate with United States officials in the Epstein investigation.
