Member-only story
The fate of the second sons
This week, the Palace confirmed that Prince Andrew would be losing his royal patronages, including his military patronages, which were exceptionally important to the only son of the Queen who actually served in war. Andrew’s been accused of sexual assault by Virginia Giuffre, a victim of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.
Andrew was undoubtedly a close associate of Epstein, and has been criticized for his relationship with the predator for over a decade, a friendship that persisted even after Epstein’s crimes were made public. Giuffre is suing Andrew in a civil suit in the United States, which remains is going forward. At this time, Andrew had not been indicted under any criminal charges, either in the United Kingdom or the United States.
Andrew has denied his involvement with Giuffre. In an ill advised news interview, Andrew asserted he was with his daughter at a Pizza Express on the night of one of the alleged incidents. He also claimed that Giuffre’s claims that he was sweaty while dancing with her at a club were false, as he had lost the ability to sweat due to adrenaline damage caused by his service in the Falkland War.
While Andrew remains in the line of succession, he is no longer a working member of the royal family. He has also…
