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Friends of Prince Andrew and King Charles said Thursday that Andrew would continue to enjoy the “full support” of his brother after astonishing allegations surfaced that he participated in an “underaged orgy” at the island home of his friend, Jeffrey Epstein, the financier and pedophile who committed suicide in 2019 while facing child sex charges.
However, critics of Andrew said the new allegations had delivered an unambiguous hammer blow to his efforts to restore his reputation, and had opened the door to the prospect of a drip-feed of sordid allegations being made against the king’s brother for years to come.
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One friend of Andrew said: “These are completely unsubstantiated, unfounded claims. The fact that they were made as part of a court case doesn’t change that basic fact. The king and queen will be well aware of this. They made it very clear over Christmas that Andrew had their full support and wild, unproven allegations about orgies won’t change that. He has been totally loyal to the Crown throughout this whole thing and that counts for everything.”
The friend said they suspected Andrew would have known “roughly at least” what the documents were likely to say about him, and would have told his brother.
Asked if it would be likely Andrew would face the cold shoulder from his social group following the bombshell allegation made in the huge trove of court papers released by U.S courts Wednesday naming associates of Epstein, the friend said: “Absolutely not. He will still be a prized guest at some of the best shoots in the country.”
A former Buckingham Palace courtier told The Daily Beast that they also suspected that Andrew would have told his brother what was in the documents over Christmas. They said: “One thing the palace doesn’t like is surprises, and I don’t get the sense that anyone is reeling from shock at the palace today. I’m sure Andrew’s team and Charles’ team knew what was coming.”
Asked if they believed the king would continue to stand by his brother, the courtier said: “He doesn’t really have any choice. It would look much worse to suddenly ditch him all over again.”
The courtier said, however, that the allegations were undoubtedly damaging for Andrew and the reputation of the royal family. They said: “This is not good day for them, and you have to wonder whether the policy of bringing Andrew back into the fold was the right one. Charles would be better off today if he had cut him loose.”
A friend of the king’s told The Daily Beast: “The king has been very magnanimous towards Andrew since his mother died, and has gone to great lengths not just to include Andrew but to show he is part of the family. That is not going to change.”
Asked if the new allegations made against Andrew would impact his chances of one day returning to royal duties, the friend of the king said: “No, because there has never been any question of him returning to royal duties. Charles has been very clear about that.”
King Charles, Queen Camilla, Prince William, Kate Middleton, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis, and Mia Tindall arrive to attend the Royal Family's Christmas Day service at St. Mary Magdalene's church, December 25, 2023.
Chris Radburn/ReutersThe shocking new allegations were contained in 2014 paperwork unsealed Wednesday as part of huge Epstein-related document dump. Two women alleged their rights under the Crime Victims’ Rights Act were violated by the U.S. entering into a secret non-prosecution agreement regarding Epstein and his associates.
The allegation against Prince Andrew was made by a woman identified only as Jane Doe No. 3, who said she was recruited in 1999, when she was 15, by Ghislaine Maxwell.
The document alleged: “Maxwell had direct connections to other powerful individuals with whom she could connect Epstein. For instance, one such powerful individual Epstein forced Jane Doe #3 to have sexual relations with was a member of the British Royal Family, Prince Andrew (aka Duke of York). Jane Doe #3 was forced to have sexual relations with this Prince when she was a minor in three separate geographical locations: in London (at Ghislaine Maxwell’s apartment), in New York, and on Epstein’s private island in the U.S. Virgin Islands (in an orgy with numerous other under-aged girls). Epstein instructed Jane Doe #3 that she was to give the Prince whatever he demanded and required Jane Doe #3 to report back to him on the details of the sexual abuse. Maxwell facilitated Prince Andrew’s acts of sexual abuse by acting as a “madame” for Epstein, thereby assisting in internationally trafficking Jane Doe #3 (and numerous other young girls) for sexual purposes.”
The document adds: “Epstein’s purposes in ‘lending’ Jane Doe (along with other young girls) to such powerful people were to ingratiate himself with them for business, personal, political, and financial gain, as well as to obtain potential blackmail information.”
Andrew settled a sex abuse claim brought against him by Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre in 2022 for a reputed $14 million but has always denied any wrongdoing.
The historian and writer Andrew Lownie, who is writing a biography of Prince Andrew, said the new revelations were “another hammer blow to Andrew’s credibility and his reputation” because “time and time again, he’s been caught having lied. The line is always that there’s nothing more, and then more comes out. I think we’re going to have a drip feed of this stuff, and the problem now is going to be that no one knows what more might come out, including him. He’s again been very arrogant and foolish. It’s going to be open season on Andrew.”
Prince Andrew, who was said to have been “tormented” by the prospect of his name being dragged into the scandal again, no longer has a formal press spokesperson, and Buckingham Palace has declined to comment on his behalf; however, The Daily Beast has contacted a solicitor known to work with and advise Andrew for comment. They have not responded. Buckingham Palace did not respond to questions about whether the king would continue to stand by Andrew.
