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Prince Andrew's Downfall: Duke of York 'Ignored' Royal Family Warnings for 'Newsnight' Interview Leading to His Fall From Grace

Andrew, Duke of York, reportedly 'ignored' all of the royal family's advice in the lead-up to and aftermath from his 2019 'Newsnight' interview.

Prince Andrew is making headlines as a "victim" of Buckingham Palace's supposed "inaction" to assist him after the fallout from his 2019 Newsnight interview. However, one political commentator feels the opposite is true since the "stubborn" Duke "ignored" all of the advice Queen Elizabeth II's courtiers gave him.

"Andrew wasn't let down by Buckingham Palace," Lee Cohen told GBN. "Rather, he let himself down."

"Rather than being let down, he chose to ignore the guidance from those who understood the media landscape better," he added. "It appears that Andrew did not adequately prepare for the interview and it led to a disastrous performance. This lack of preparation reflects a misunderstanding of how to handle the media. Certainly, the palace is well-schooled in that. So perhaps he should have followed their advice more closely."

Attorney Paul Tweed, a close friend of the York family, claims that Buckingham Palace's alleged mishandling of the allegations against Andrew, particularly after his infamous 2019 Newsnight interview regarding his connection to convicted s-- offender Jeffrey Epstein, helped lead the Duke to his current state.

Tweed details in his new book My Life as an International Libel Lawyer to the Rich and Famous that the palace's failure to immediately address the interview's fallout with a public statement worsened Andrew’s situation and exposed him to more scrutiny.

The lack of swift action is seen as a major error, leaving "Randy Andy" to bear the brunt of public outrage without adequate support from the monarchy.

After the interview, the Duke of York was criticized for his failure to express empathy for Epstein’s victims and for his inability to convincingly explain his friendship with Epstein. Following this, the palace’s response was widely perceived as inadequate. Instead of addressing the public’s concerns or defending Andrew, the palace remained largely silent.

In March 2022, it is believed Elizabeth II paid Giuffree a financial settlement to close her claims permanently.

"No one has that kind of money but his mother," royal expert Adam Helliker said at the time."Andrew is not close enough to the Prince of Wales for him to fund that kind of money. He doesn't have any income."

In his statement, which was released on February 15 of that year, Andrew revealed he would pay his accuser a certain amount of money, but experts believe it was about $16 million dollars.

According to David Boies, who is Giuffre's lawyer, the Duke seemed pleased with the outcome.

"It was two or three long days," he said in February 2022. "Essentially Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Virginia was very, very pleased with the settlement. It’s over, we have monetary ­settlement and a charitable contribution and we have his statement and acknowledgement. If the U.K. people want to know where the money has come from, they could get that from Andrew."

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