Prince Andrew’s Royal Website Has Been Deleted
With the arrest of Jeffrey Epstein’s former girlfriend and confidant, Ghislaine Maxwell, things are poised to get much worse for Prince Andrew. The Duke of York’s close friendship with Epstein was an open secret for years. However, in July 2019, following the financier’s suicide while he was imprisoned for sex trafficking minors, the spotlight fell on Prince Andrew once again.
In November 2019, following months of scrutiny and associations that he too had sexually abused young girls, the duke sought to clear his name by granting an interview with BBC News Night. The interview backfired massively with the prince arrogantly defending his relationship with the convicted sex offender.
The backlash was swift, and within days, Prince Andrew announced that he would be stepping away from his royal life. Now things have only gotten worse. With the FBI closing in and Maxwell’s arrest, the British royal family took major action to distance themselves from the Duke of York.
Prince Andrew’s reputation has never been spotless
Prince Andrew has always had a playboy reputation. However, because he was often overshadowed by Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana’s tumultuous marriage and the scandals of his former wife, Sarah, Duchess of York, the duke was often able to fly under the radar.
The duke has always had a very active social life, even turning down an offer to work for his brother Prince Charles for the chance to become the international trade emissary for the government. This allowed him access to constant travel and some of the greatest and most sinister figures on the planet.
“I think his reputation as the ‘partying prince’ was perfectly fair,” royal commentator Dicky Arbiter said. “In the interview [with News Night] he came across as arrogant and boorish and you don’t develop that over time, you are either born like that or you’re not. He might deny that he was a party-goer but pictures tell a million stories.”
Prince Andrew has been avoiding authorities
When Prince Andrew initially resigned from royal life he said, “It has become clear to me over the last few days that the circumstances relating to my former association with Jeffrey Epstein has become a major disruption to my family’s work and the valuable work going on in the many organizations and charities that I am proud to support.” Still, it is said that the prince assumed his resignation would only be temporary.
However, the FBI has continued to ask questions, and apparently, the prince refuses to cooperate. “Prince Andrew has provided zero cooperation,” an insider told the Associated Press.
The Duke of York claims that he has cooperated, but that the way he’s been treated is grossly unfair. Prince Andrew’s legal team released a statement saying, “Far from our client acting above the law, as has been implied by press briefings in the US, he is being treated by a lower standard than might reasonably be expected for any other citizen.”
Now, with Maxwell’s arrest and trial set for July 2021, it looks like time has run out for the duke, and the royals are doing everything they can to brace themselves. US prosecutors have continued to state that they’d welcome a statement from Andrew.
Prince Andrew’s royal website has been deleted
Following rumors that Prince Andrew does appear on Epstein’s infamous tapes, the royal family has deleted the Duke of York’s royal website. His former website now links back to the royal family site (royal.uk).
When he is mentioned on the royal family site, there is a small blurb from his 2019 statement about stepping back from his royal duties, which in turn links to his full statement.
At this time, Prince Andrew’s Instagram and Twitter accounts remain online, but they have not been active since his resignation from royal life.
