Key statement line Andrew repeatedly ‘removed’: report
In every draft statement sent to the ex-prince since his trainwreck 2019 interview, there was one key paragraph it’s claimed he repeatedly cut.
IN LONDON
Andrew Mountbatten Windsor repeatedly “removed” references to victims of abuse in every statement issued by Buckingham Palace on his behalf since his disastrous 2019 BBC interview.
A friend of the King and Queen’s told UK newspaperThe Times reports that each time courtiers drafted a note and sent it to the former Duke of York for approval, which was required, it would be returned with those mentions taken out.
“There has long been a sense from the family that the voices of the victims needed to be heard in these pronouncements, because they feature so heavily in this saga and because there is no credible way the Queen and the Duchess of Edinburgh can continue to do the work they do in the areas of sexual abuse if they can’t point to that,” the insider said.
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While Andrew had reportedly refused to acknowledge the victims of abuse, including in his most recent statement last month, the King’s bombshell statement about formally stripping his brother of his titles and evicting him from the Royal Lodge directly addressed the topic.
“Now, the King has lost his patience: you can see this statement is no longer a statement by committee, it’s a statement from the King,” his friend told the publication.
The public announcement by the King came after two weeks of increasing public pressure and scrutiny as the scandal surrounding Andrew intensified.
The final paragraph of the firmly-worded statement read: “Their Majesties wish to make clear that their thoughts and utmost sympathies have been, and will remain with, the victims and survivors of any and all forms of abuse”.
Andrew will reportedly move from the Royal Lodge in the grounds of Windsor Castle, where he’s lived since 2004, to the King’s remote east of England home, Sandringham, in the coming weeks.
A different source close to the King told The Times they’d acknowledged that Andrew’s initial statement last month, coming after tense conversations with the King, hadn’t gone nearly far enough.
“They got it wrong first time. They’ve got it right now. But it’s going to be tough. It must be awful to disgrace your brother. But he has shamed all of them without compunction,” the insider said.
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Elsewhere in the King’s statement, it was written: “These censures are deemed necessary, notwithstanding the fact that he continues to deny the allegations against him”.
One source described it as “extraordinary”.
“That’s the closest you’ll get to the King and his court passing judgment on his brother,” they said.
Andrew was accused of sexual abuse by Virginia Giuffre, who alleged that it had happened on three occasions – once when she was 17 – while being sex trafficked by Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. It was all laid bare in excruciating detail in her posthumous memoir, Nobody’s Girl, released last month.
Andrew has always denied the allegations. He paid out an estimated £12 million ($24 million) in an out-of-court settlement in February 2022.
Meanwhile, an antimonarchy group last week said it was looking into a private prosecution over allegations of sexual assault, corruption and misconduct in public office as scrutiny over his ties to convicted sex offender Epstein intensifies.
Republic said it will look into “allegations of sexual assault, corruption and misconduct in public office”.
“If not us, then who? It’s a devastating indictment on the UK’s criminal justice system, police and politicians – not to mention the king and heir – that we must resort to a private prosecution,” said Mr Smith.
“It should be a cause for concern that so many people believe – rightly in my view – that the royals are not treated equally in law. Equality in law is a basic tenet of democracy.
“I firmly believe there is strong enough evidence to justify a serious investigation. The truth must prevail and justice must be seen to be done.”
A fortnight ago, Britain’s Metropolitan Police also confirmed it was “actively” looking into claims that the then-prince attempted to use his taxpayer-funded protection officer to try and dig into the past of his sex abuse accuser.
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Originally published as Key statement line Andrew repeatedly ‘removed’: report
