This article has been updated since it was originally published to include new info
Prince William reportedly thinks that Prince Andrew‘s past friendship with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein will “haunt’ the royal family forever.
A source close to the royal family reportedly told The Mirror that the Prince of Wales, 41, will never forgive his uncle, especially now that Prince Andrew was named in newly-released court documents relating to a 2015 defamation case brought by Virginia Giuffre against Ghislaine Maxwell, the British former socialite and convicted sex offender. In 2021, Maxwell, who was Epstein’s girlfriend for many years, was sentenced to 20 years in jail for grooming and trafficking underage girls, as well as other offences in connection with Epstein.
If you’ll recall, Virginia Giuffre accused Prince Andrew of abusing her when she was a teenager, although the Duke of York has always vehemently denied the allegations. Prince Andrew was fired as a working royal following the allegations, and settled a claim by Giuffre for an undisclosed sum back in 2022. However, he never admitted to any wrongdoing.
Prince William Reportedly Thinks Prince Andrew 'Can Not Be Trusted'
According to The Mirror, the Prince of Wales thinks that his uncle's previous friendship with Epstein will always "haunt" the royal family, with an insider telling the pub: "William was very clear, that in his view, Andrew can not be trusted."
"There are investigations and revelations emerging in the cases brought by Epstein’s victims," the source continued, adding: "This will haunt Andrew and the family forever. In William’s view, Andrew should have no role with the family at all."
The insider also added: "Charles promised his late mother he would not abandon Andrew once she was gone and that remains the situation unless, of course, he finds himself engaged in a criminal matter."
Prince Andrew Named Again In New Jeffrey Epstein Court Docs
Prince Andrew was known to socialize with Epstein; and though the extent of his involvement in the financier’s deplorable crimes is unknown, he was disgracefully stripped of his royal patronages and affiliations following the sexual assault case brought forward by Giuffre.
Giuffre is a victim of Jeffrey Epstein's sex trafficking, and she has built a lawsuit against his longtime associate and girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell. Prince Andrew was named 69 times in the new documents, and Giuffre claims that she was paid $15K to have sex with him. She also says that he sexually assaulted her when she was 17, and that Epstein ordered her to "give the prince whatever he demanded," including "an orgy with numerous other underaged girls" on Epstein's private island, Little St. James.
The Duke of York has in the past denied ever meeting Giuffre. "I have no recollection of ever meeting this lady. None whatsoever," he said in 2019, shortly after Epstein was arrested. He did, however, pay millions to settle a civil sexual assault case with Giuffre, and has been pictured with his arm around her in photos.
Prince Andrew was seen with Jeffrey Epstein in New York in 2010, but in his 2019 interview (when he said he'd never met Giuffre) he said he did not regret his friendship with Epstein, who was already a registered sex offender at the time. Shortly after this interview, after immense backlash, he stepped down from his royal duties "for the foreseeable future," and said, "I continue to unequivocally regret my ill-judged association with Jeffrey Epstein."
King Charles Will Reportedly Remove Security And Evict Prince Andrew
Insiders previously revealed that King Charles wouldn't "turn his back on his brother" despite everything that had gone on in his past; however that may no longer be the case! With the latest reveal of Jeffrey Epstein court documents, King Charles is reportedly ready to not only strip his brother of his security funding, but also to evict him from his royal residence, the Royal Lodge.
Now that Prince Andrew has been named once again in Epstein court docs, the royal family, particularly King Charles, is ready to solve the "Andrew problem" decisively, according to sources. The information from the court documents have served to "crystalize" King Charles' resolve to further distance Prince Andrew from the royal family.
The sources also said: "When it comes to any public role for his brother, there is no way back. There has always been an agreement that Andrew would be permitted to attend private and family events, as is his right. But not public or official ones. That has not changed."
King Charles has previously asked Prince Andrew to leave his home at the Royal Lodge and move into Frogmore Cottage, a smaller residence that used to belong to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle before they left their royal duties behind and moved to America.
Allegedly, the King's patience with his brother is wearing thin, and he is set to move forward with plans to evict Prince Andrew by the end of the year, as he will no longer be paying for the upkeep and security of the house for his brother, which is reportedly over $3M per year. Time will only tell if 2024 will be the year that Prince Andrew is pushed out for good.
