Is Prince Andrew's Scandal Hurting The Queen's Reputation?

It's no question that what the members of the royal family do impacts the Queen, especially her children. For anyone who's seen "The Crown", you'll know that the success of the institution depends on the public's opinion of the family. As more details come to light concerning Prince Andrew's association with sex trafficker, Jeffrey Epstein, many have wondered how it will affect the rest of the royal family.

After years of publicly accusing the 61-year-old prince of nonconsensual sex and sexual assault, Virgina Giuffre officially filed a lawsuit on account of sexual assualt and battery, Newsweek reports. In 2015, Giuffre went public with her allegations, the outlet notes, and Prince Andrew received the honor of becoming the colonel-in-chief of the Grenadier Guards two years later. Signaling a reluctance to give the rumors any credence, the royal family soon met criticism over their actions. The Sunday Times reported that the Queen would like for her son to keep his role as colonel, despite the new legal proceedings taking place.

Indeed, the outlet points out the double standard between the palace's treatment of the favorite son and Sussexes. While Prince Harry and Meghan Markle gave up their coveted HRH titles, Prince Andrew still claims his. Where Prince Harry had to relinquish his positions in the British Armed Forces, Prince Andrew has not. Apparently, the Palace shared that his colonel position was "suspended" but it has yet to be reassigned.

Now that an official lawsuit has been brought forward and Prince Andrew is accused of statutoary rape, many figured the Queen would respond accordingly. Currently, Prince Andrew is no longer a public member of the royal family, Insider reports, after he resigned from his duties in 2019. Essentially, her actions have created friction between the sovereign and the troops. "The Queen has let it be known to the regiment that she wants the Duke of York to remain as colonel and the feeling is that nobody wants to do anything that could cause upset to the colonel-in-chief. It is a very difficult, unsatisfactory situation," a source told The Sunday Times.

"His position is not tenable or viable. How can you have a colonel who can't perform the role? For the brief time he was in post, he was a good colonel, but the feeling across the regiment is that it's not appropriate to retain him. You can't have a colonel who can't do public duties," they added.

While his mother may be protective over his former posts and reputation, Prince Charles will likely take a different approach. Many reports note that the next monarch has a much less lenient stance on his brother's alleged behavior. Insider explains that the 72-year-old has made it clear that Prince Andrew has no place in royal life. Currently, the Queen's backing of her son and support of his military titles is drawing criticism from all sides. Only time will tell how the story plays out.