The son of British Queen Elizabeth II was once friends with Epstein, the American financier found dead in prison in 2019 before being tried for sexual crimes
The son of the British queen renounced his royal title this Friday (17), after finding himself increasingly involved in scandals, mainly related to his friendship with the American sex criminal.
“After talking to the king [, seu irmão] and my family, we have concluded that the ongoing accusations against me undermine the work of Her Majesty and the Royal Family,” the prince said in a statement. “I have decided, as I have always done, to prioritize my duty to my family and my country,” he added.
Thus, 65-year-old Andrew immediately lost the title of Duke of York, peppered by his closeness to Epstein, the American financier found dead in prison in 2019 before being tried for sexual crimes.
The third son of the queen, who passed away in 2022, had already been forced to withdraw from public life after a television interview in 2019, in which he showed neither regret for his friendship with Epstein nor empathy with his victims.
Revelations about his closeness to the financier continue to surface, especially with the upcoming publication of a posthumous book by one of his alleged victims, which had some excerpts published in the press.
In the book, titled “Nobody’s Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice”, American Virginia Giuffre recounts the encounters she said she had with the prince when she was just 17 years old.
She wrote that Andrew behaved as if having sex with her was his “birthright” and reported being introduced to the prince in March 2001, when she was in London at the residence of Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s companion and accomplice.
Giuffre, who committed suicide last April at age 41, had initiated legal action against Andrew in 2021.
The prince has always denied allegations of sexual assault and avoided a trial in New York by paying several million dollars. Since November 2019, he has not played any public role and lost his military titles and royal patronages in 2022. However, he will retain the title of prince as he is the son of Elizabeth II.
