Prince Andrew 'Will Not Be Able To Take Part In Trooping The Colour Next Year If The Jeffrey Epstein Scandal Is Still Hanging Over Him,' Royal Aide Claims
Ever since Prince Andrew stepped down from royal duties in 2019 after his friendship with late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein was exposed, he has laid low. Now that Virginia Roberts has filed a lawsuit against the prince, claiming he raped her, he may have to stay out of the spotlight for the foreseeable future.
“He will not be able to take part in Trooping the Colour next year if the [Jeffrey] Epstein scandal is still hanging over him, and no one can see this going away any time soon," a royal aide told The Telegraph. “He will have to be replaced. How could he possibly retain his military titles?"
Another senior royal source said, “It is difficult to envisage how the Duke will be able to retain his military titles. At some point, if and when it is accepted that he will not return to public life, there will be some difficult discussions to be had."
Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee will also be held next year, and it seems like if Andrew is still embroiled in a scandal, he will not able to attend.
In the lawsuit, which was obtained by The Royal Observer, Roberts claims that the royal "sexually abused Plaintiff in Epstein’s New York mansion in this District."
"On another occasion, Prince Andrew sexually abused Plaintiff on Epstein’s private island in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Little St. James," the documents state. "During each of the aforementioned incidents, Plaintiff was compelled by express or implied threats by Epstein, [Ghislaine] Maxwell, and/or Prince Andrew to engage in sexual acts with Prince Andrew, and feared death or physical injury to herself or another and other repercussions for disobeying Epstein, Maxwell, and Prince Andrew due to their powerful connections, wealth, and authority."
It's unclear what will happen next for Andrew, but it seems like the family is trying to be there for the Queen.
“First and foremost, [Prince] Charles and [Prince] William are united; there will never be a return to public life for Andrew," a source said, The Mirror reported. “This has only been compounded with the lawsuit lodged this week. But they, along with members, are undoubtedly increasingly concerned about the affect all of this turmoil could have on the Queen."
The insider continued, “She has been through a great deal over many, many recent months and this is once again a most unwelcome distraction. The family also have serious and growing doubts about the way such serious allegations have been dealt with by Andrew and his legal team, who seem to be at complete odds with one another on how to respond. Andrew has told them the latest developments could take years to resolve which has done nothing to settle the feeling of alarm.”
