Andrew Warned Cooperating Maybe His Only Way Out as New Ghislaine Maxwell Emails Drop
A royal expert has suggested that if Andrew wants the ‘stench’ of the Epstein scandal to fade, he must reveal everything he knows to investigators.
With the US Department of Justice releasing new images of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor mingling with Jeffrey Epstein and his circle of friends, the former Duke of York has once again found himself facing fresh scrutiny. Almost six years after his disastrous Newsnight interview with British journalist Emily Maitlis, the shadow of his ties with the disgraced financier continues to keep the headlines buzzing. Stripped of his titles, dukedom, and even his residence, royal commentator Jennie Bond has now suggested that if he wants the ‘stench’ of the Epstein scandal to fade, he must come clean with the investigators.
Writing for The i Paper, Bond argued that the former Prince’s Newsnight interview completely wrecked his public standing. He was not only ‘sacked’ by his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth, but now stripped of his remaining titles and princely status by his brother, King Charles. She notes he's also "publicly spurned by his nephew," Prince William, who allegedly played a huge role in pushing his father to take a firm stance to protect the credibility of the monarchy. Despite these decisions and his exile to Norfolk, the scandal continues to grow.
Bond suggested that the new documents released by the US authorities raise serious concerns about Mountbatten-Windsor. As per the records, investigators first wanted to interview him in 2020 in relation to two criminal investigations into Epstein and former fashion mogul Peter Nygard. While Mountbatten-Windsor has consistently denied any wrongdoing, disclosures show that US officials also explored the possibility of a 'compelled interview' under oath if he did not voluntarily cooperate. They had also submitted a request for assistance from the UK government, but Bond noted that what happened to that request remains unclear.
Weighing in on the dilemma Mountbatten-Windsor finds himself in, Bond urged that while it may be uncomfortable for him to admit his ties with the late financier, “there’s nothing criminal about admitting that he did stay at Epstein’s mansion, that he did go to his Caribbean island, and that he was indeed on his private jet.” By openly sharing what he witnessed, Bond argued that the former Prince could help bring more clarity to the victims. This was something that even the US Congress had stressed in the past when they wrote him a formal letter requesting him to appear for a transcribed interview. Though he failed to respond to the deadline, Bond now suggests his cooperation remains the only realistic way forward, especially as a new batch of documents released in the Epstein files show email exchanges between Ghislaine Maxwell and someone who signs off as 'A,' believed to be the former Duke of York. In one of the 2001 messages, 'A' says he is “at Balmoral Summer Camp for the royal family” and then asks Maxwell if she has “found me some new inappropriate friends?” Mountbatten Windsor is known to have been at Balmoral at the time.
In light of the same, while Mountbatten-Windsor’s previous attempts to speak out about his ties with the disgraced financier were poorly received, Bond admitted this may be the only option left to him. She wrote, “The former Prince’s track record on trying to clear his name in that Newsnight interview is so catastrophic it’s hard to imagine anyone advising him to have another go. And yet it remains his only option if he still clings to a forlorn hope of salvaging his reputation… such as it was.”
