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We’re barely a sliver of the way into the year, but 2020 is already shaping up to be one for the history books for the British royal family. At the top of the year following their six-week hiatus from the spotlight of royal life — Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry resigned from their roles as working royals.

Immediately, Queen Elizabeth, Prince Charles, and Prince William went into crisis mode — trying to determine how they could help the Sussexes transition away from royal life as swiftly as possible. Now that the senior royals and Archie Harrison’s mom and dad have come to an agreement, the royals have another crisis on their hands.

Prince Andrew stepped away from royal life in November 2019 when more details surrounding his relationship with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein surfaced. However, just because the Duke of York has disappeared from the spotlight doesn’t mean people have forgotten about his scandalous past. Now, his scandal has only gotten more complicated with whispers of a criminal investigation.

This is why the Prince Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein scandal blew up

Prince Andrew first connected with American financier Jeffrey Epstein in 1999. The men remained really close even after Epstein was charged and imprisoned for solicitation of a minor for sex. Epstein was arrested again in the summer of 2019. However, after he committed suicide in prison, royal fans began to question Prince Andrew’s relationship with Epstein. Things got even worse when one of Epstein’s alleged victims, Virginia Roberts, accused the prince of sexual abuse.

In an effort to clear his name, Prince Andrew released several statements. However, a November 2019 interview with BBC Newsnight proved to be disastrous. In the interview, the prince boasted that he did not regret his friendship with Epstein. The fallout was so massive that Queen Elizabeth’s favorite son has since stepped away from royal life.

“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 organisations and charities that I am proud to support,” he said in a statement. “Therefore, I have asked Her Majesty if I may step back from public duties for the foreseeable future, and she has given her permission.”

Prince Andrew is angry with the FBI and how he’s being portrayed

Though he had promised full cooperation with law enforcement in an effort to clear his name, the Duke of York has refused to help the FBI with the sex-trafficking investigation. Though prosecutors and the FBI have contacted the prince through his lawyers, he has not responded. “Prince Andrew has provided zero cooperation,” an insider told the Associated Press.

For his part, the prince says that’s not true at all. An insider close to the prince said, “The Duke is more than happy to talk to the FBI but he hasn’t been approached by them yet. He is angry about the way this is being portrayed.” The Duke of York might be angry but that hasn’t stopped the scandal from exploding.

Prince Charles and Queen Elizabeth are nervous that a criminal investigation against Prince Andrew could be opened

Prince Andrew’s alleged lack of cooperation isn’t a good look for the royals. Now the queen and Prince Charles are scrambling to figure out the next steps. “Both had hoped the Duke of York could perhaps be rehabilitated back into public life in time but that is now looking increasingly unlikely,” a source told The Sun.

Also, it looks like a criminal investigation could be looking against the Duke of York. “There has been a renewed focus on Mr. Epstein’s friends and associates which could potentially instigate further criminal and/or civil investigations against these individuals,” a document obtained by The Sun read. “The investigation could be reopened in light of the current revelations and further victims coming forward.”

Meanwhile, Prince William is glad to be rid of his uncle. “William thinks the right thing happened,” a source told The London Times. “William is becoming more and more involved in decisions about the institution [monarchy] and he’s not a huge fan of his uncle Andrew.”


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