From
prince to pariah: Andrew’s never-ending fall from grace
Further
humiliation for the Duke of York over claims a business confidant was actually
a Chinese spy
Guardian
staff
Fri 13 Dec
2024 14.09 GMT
It has been
a spectacular fall from grace – and one that never seems to end. From party
prince to a royal pariah, the images of the handsome young pilot returning from
combat in the Falklands have well and truly faded.
The
stripping of Andrew’s military roles and royal patronages had seemed to mark a
nadir for the Queen’s second son following the revelations over his
relationship with the convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
But the
scandals just kept coming.
To add to
the roll-call of embarrassments, someone he regarded as a “confidant” has been
barred from the UK – a decision upheld on appeal – amid fears he could be a
Chinese spy.
The
businessman, the judges said on Thursday, appeared to have secured an “unusual
degree of trust from a senior member of the royal family who was prepared to
enter into business activities with him.”
Tom
Tugendhat, the Conservative MP for Tonbridge who served in the Cabinet as
minister of state for security under the previous government, admitted on
Friday the episode was “extremely embarrassing”.
“The United
Front Work Department, which is a branch of the Communist party, is seeking
influence across the UK in everything across social, academic, financial,
industrial, and various other ways,” he said.
“It
demonstrates I’m afraid that the Chinese state is extremely clear that what its
ambition is to secure influence over foreign countries.”
The author
Andrew Lownie, who is writing a biography of the Duke and Duchess of York, told
the Times that it was time for “full disclosure” about Prince Andrew’s trips
abroad – he was a trade envoy for 10 years.
The
unprecedented banishment of the prince to the outer reaches of the royal firm
now seems complete.
It has been
a precipitous fall for the former Queen’s favourite child. Once upon a time, he
was a hero of sorts. He joined the Royal Navy as a trainee helicopter pilot and
served for 22 years – his moment of glory captured on camera as he came back
from the Falklands with a rose between his teeth.
His marriage
to Sarah Ferguson at Westminster Abbey in 1986 led to thousands lining the
streets in central London.
But the
seeds of his self-destruction were sown in the 90s – and his friendship with
Epstein, an investment banker and financier. They met through a mutual friend,
Ghislaine Maxwell – the daughter of the late media tycoon Robert Maxwell.
In 2000,
Epstein, Maxwell and Andrewwere seen at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in
Florida. Later that year, Epstein and Maxwell attended a joint birthday party
at Windsor Castle hosted by the Queen, and the prince threw a shooting weekend
for Maxwell’s birthday.
Fifteen
years later, in April 2015, allegations that he had had sex with Virginia
Giuffre emerged in court documents in Florida . She claimed she was forced to
have sex with him when she was 17, which is under the age of consent under
Florida law.
Buckingham
Palace denied the allegations.
But the
questions wouldn’t go away – and in 2019 it was announced he was stepping back
from public duties “for the foreseeable future”.
The decision
came after a disastrous BBC TV interview in which he claimed he could not have
had sex with Giuffre because he was at home after a visit to Pizza Express in
Woking, and that her description of his dancing with her beforehand could not
be true because he was unable to sweat.
On 12
January 2022, a New York judge rejected the prince’s attempts to throw out a
sexual abuse civil lawsuit brought against him by Giuffre and a day later the
Queen effectively sacked him as as a working member of the royal family.
On the eve
of the Queen’s platinum jubilee, on 10 March, 2022, Andrew was due to give
evidence under oath as part of the US civil sex assault case brought against
him by Giuffre, but before he took the stand and in a remarkable turnaround,
reached a settlement in principle with Giuffre in which he agreed to make a
“substantial donation” to a charity, and accepted that Giuffre “suffered as an
established victim of abuse”.
In a
document submitted to the New York court, Andrew says he regretted his
association with Epstein.
Since
leaving public life, it is thought he has been given an annual allowance of
£1m. However, that arrangement came to an end earlier this year. Now, it’s
reported he is even at risk of being thrown out of his current home – the Royal
Lodge.
King Charles
is keen for him to move to Frogmore Cottage – a smaller, more modest residence
that’s already within the king’s security ring. It’s also been part of the
royal family’s property portfolio since the 19th century.
If Andrew
refuses to move, he may be forced to fund his own security, accommodation, and
lifestyle costs.
That Andrew
has made terrible decisions over the years seems obvious, but Tugendhat said
the prince may not be entirely to blame for befriending someone who might have
been a spy. His advisers may also be to blame.
“It’s not
immediately obvious, it could be someone who’s British who’s working in China
and who’s come under the influence, so it’s not quite as black and white as it
may first appear – but it’s certainly extremely embarrassing.”
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