The Royal Family Won’t Make a Statement on Prince Andrew and the Unsealed Jeffrey Epstein Legal Documents for 1 Simple Reason — Expert
Prince Andrew’s back in the news. But don’t expect to hear a word about it from the British royal family. According to an expert, Buckingham Palace won’t comment on the recent unsealing of legal documents related to the Duke of York’s Jeffrey Epstein connection. The reason, they say, is simple: Andrew’s not a working royal.
Unsealed legal documents mention Andrew more than 70 times in relation to 2015 Epstein lawsuit
After settling a lawsuit brought by Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre out of court, Andrew’s relationship with Epstein is, once again, making headlines.
The reason behind it? Legal documents from Giuffre’s 2015 lawsuit against Ghislaine Maxwell going public. According to Newsweek, Andrew’s name appeared in the recently unsealed files more than 70 times.
Although many of the claims made against Andrew had been heard before, the renewed interest in his connection with Epstein continues. Meanwhile, Buckingham Palace hasn’t commented publicly on the files’ release.
A statement from Buckingham Palace isn’t expected because Andrew hasn’t represented the royal family in years
Discussing the palace’s silence on the unsealed court documents, royal expert Ingrid Seward thinks that it’s bound to continue.
“Andrew is no longer a member of the working royal family,” she said on The Royal Beat (via Express). “So they don’t make statements for him.”
Andrew stepped down from royal duties in 2019 following sexual abuse allegations he’s denied. He also participated in a widely panned TV interview. (The events surrounding Andrew’s sitdown with a journalist are headed for Netflix).
“I can’t imagine any circumstance whereby they would make a public statement,” Seward added. “I don’t think Buckingham Palace will get involved with Andrew again, I just think the line has been drawn there.”
Andrew walked to church with the royal family on Christmas Day in a ‘highly significant’ appearance before document release
Elsewhere on the program, Newsweek royal correspondent Jack Royston discussed Andrew’s presence at the Sandringham Estate over Christmas.
The 63-year-old, along with his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, joined King Charles, Queen Camilla, Prince William, Kate Middleton, and other royals as they walked to church on Dec. 25, 2023.
“[It’s] highly significant precisely because they knew these documents were going to come out at the point that they allowed Andrew to be part of the royal family Christmas,” Royston said.
“They could have had him at Sandringham without allowing him to have the walk to church,” he continued. “In which case, he would have been there, but we would not have seen him.”
“So they allowed these pictures to happen knowing that they were a couple of weeks out, at most, from a whole new round of stories about the Epstein scandal.”
“I think what it shows is that Charles probably feels like the storm has been weathered and that as long as nothing major changes, they will just be able to continue plodding along,” Royston went on. “And it will be difficult for them. It will be uncomfortable for them. But it won’t cause any more damage than it has already caused.”
King Charles is being pressured to publicly address the Epstein scandal
In the wake of the unsealed documents, Andrew’s brother, King Charles III, has been called on to ditch the royal family’s “never complain, never explain” motto.
King Charles “needs to answer questions about what the palace knew when,” Graham Smith, CEO of Republic, the group behind a campaign to abolish the monarchy, told Newsweek.
“I think he ought to be answering those questions in front of cameras and being accountable for his own role in this scandal, which has been dragging on since 2011 when we first found out about Andrew’s relationship with Epstein,” he said.
“It’s been reported that Charles was, in part, behind paying off Virginia Giuffre for £12 million. And so far, their only actions have been about saving themselves and reputation management. Not about ensuring there’s justice for victims.”
“So, I think that that needs to be the focus from now on,” he concluded. “Not worrying about whether or not it damages the monarchy or which house [Andrew’s] living in Windsor Great Park.”
