Did Charles And William Have A Hand In Prince Andrew's Fate?
In January 2022, a Manhattan federal court judge denied Prince Andrew's request to dismiss the civil lawsuit for sexual assault against him. Per The Guardian, the lawsuit comes from Virginia Giuffre, who alleges the Duke had assaulted her when she was 17 years old. The two were allegedly introduced at a party through the disgraced Jeffrey Epstein and Gishiline Maxwell. The Duke now faces giving evidence in court about his relationship with both Epstein and Giuffre.
In the request, Prince Andrew's legal team made the argument that a $500,000 settlement paid out in 2009 by Epstein to Giuffre meant she had waived her right to sue Andrew. However, part of the 46-page ruling by Judge Lewis Kaplan explained, "The 2009 agreement cannot be said to demonstrate, clearly and unambiguously, the parties intended the instrument 'directly', 'primarily', or 'substantially', to benefit Prince Andrew." This isn't the first time Prince Andrew has dealt the monarchy an embarrassing blow. In 2019, he famously sat for a Newsnight interview that was so disastrous he was forced to step down from public duty.
More shocking news came on January 13th, 2022, following a 90-minute meeting Andrew had at Windsor Castle with his mother the Queen, after which it was announced her majesty would be taking back Andrew's military titles and patronages. This is what the The Daily Mail refers to as a "complete removal from official royal life." Publicly and privately, Prince Andrew has been exiled from the royal family.
Prince Andrew will have to battle his court case as a civilian
In a short statement, Buckingham Palace confirmed, "With The Queen's approval and agreement, The Duke of York's military affiliations and Royal patronages have been returned to The Queen. The Duke of York will continue not to undertake any public duties and is defending this case as a private citizen."
This decision, while coming from the Queen, was not reached by her alone, per the The Daily Mail. According to palace sources, Prince Charles and Prince William both appealed to the Queen about Andrew's public position within the family.
As for Prince William's role in Andrew's fate, sources told The Daily Mail that he with the Queen privately to discuss the matter. Second in line to the throne, the Duke of Cambridge has been echoing his father's concerns about Andrew since the 2019 Newsnight interview. Of his relationship with the Queen, it's believed she looks to him as the future of the monarchy and values his opinion.
Whatever the future holds for Prince Andrew, he won't be able to hide behind the power or influence of the Crown.