The unusual arrest of former Prince Andrew for his links with the pedophile Jeffrey Epstein is causing the first political reactions in the United Kingdom. Representatives of the main parliamentary parties have demanded this Friday from the brother of Carlos III that resign to his position in the line of successiona position he maintains despite being removed from the royal family and the withdrawal of his noble titles, and they have threatened to take the matter to Parliament if he refuses to do so. The claims have occurred in the midst of an increase in public outrage and with a monarchy more questioned than ever for his handling of the scandal.
Various political representatives are trying to add pressure to the former prince following alleged leaks of confidential information to Epstein when he served as the United Kingdom’s trade envoy. One of the most prominent has been the leader of the Liberal Democratic Party, Ed Daveywho has assured that the issue of the line of succession is something that Parliament must consider in collaboration with the crown. “Naturally, the monarchy will want to ensure that can never become king“, he assured. Representatives of the Conservative Party and of Scottish National Party (SNP).
If confirmed, the resignation would have a more symbolic than practical effect. Andrew is currently eighth in the line of succession, behind the princes Guillermo y Enrique and their respective children. Something that makes it practically impossible for him to become king at some point and for the Labor executive has used as an argument for reject the possibility to bring this issue to Parliament. “The Government is committed to using parliamentary time to improve the lives of working people,” said a spokesperson, in an attempt to put the matter to rest.
Public outrage
Beyond the requests of political representatives, the eventual resignation of Andrés from his position in the line of succession will hardly be enough to calm a public opinion that is increasingly in need of answers. According to one survey published this Friday by YouGov, the majority of Britons (58%) believe that the royal family has reacted with too slow over revelations about Andrew’s relationship with Epstein, while half say senior royals should have done more to condemn the acts of the former prince.
“What Carlos should do is be in a room like this, in front of journalists, making a very clear statement and then answering their questions. And that statement should make it absolutely clear that the police must follow the tests wherever they drive, even if they take them to their own door,” the director of the anti-monarchy organization Republic said this Friday, Graham Smithin a meeting with the foreign press in London.
Smith has highlighted that the fall of support for the monarchy is increasingly pronounced among the youngest and has indicated that parliamentarians from various parties would be in favor of holding a referendum to abolish the institution, even though they are still a minority and that option remains off the table in the short term.
Investigations underway
The royal family is doing everything possible to distance itself from Andrés, but everything indicates that the revelations about his ties to Epstein are far from over. Thames Valley police continued this Friday with the records in his former mansion in Windsor, within the framework of the investigation against him for alleged misconduct in the exercise of public office, while other police forces continue to examine the latest documents published by the United States Department of Justice to determine whether to open other investigations formal.
These documents suggest that Andrés hosted at least one woman sent by Epstein to have sexual relations with him in his house since the financial magnate used british airports to traffic women in dozens of private flights. In addition, the Metropolitan Police has confirmed having contacted the former prince’s protection agents to find out if they knew of the existence of Epstein’s sex trafficking network and if they avoided alerting the competent authorities. Something that, if confirmed, would mean another institutional earthquake of unknown dimensions.
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