The Duke of York is withdrawing from all royal duties and will help FBI with its investigation into Jeffrey Epstein
Prince Andrew will continue to receive almost $500,000 despite cancelling all of his royal engagements “for the foreseeable future” following his disastrous interview regarding Jeffrey Epstein.
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Prince Andrew will still receive almost $500,000 per year for doing nothing after he cancelled all his royal duties for the “foreseeable future” because of his friendship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Buckingham Palace confirmed to News Corp Australia that the Duke of York’s allowance of £249,000 per year would continue.
“The Duke of York is funded privately by the Queen,” a Buckingham Palace spokeswoman said this morning.
“The only taxpayer money is for travel.”
Andrew’s decision to step down from public life means that taxpayers will not be footing the bill for him directly anymore.
However, much of the Queen’s wealth, generationally, has been inherited based on previous taxpayer funds.
Andrew’s last full-time job was in the Navy, but he left the service 18 years ago.
He still manages to maintain properties in England and a $25 million chalet in Switzerland.
There are questions about how he managed to fund his lifestyle.
Andrew had done more than 200 engagements this year before his bombshell decision overnight.
The Duke of York, 59, made the shock announcement this morning, as sponsors including major communications company BT and Barclays Bank started walking away from his charitable causes.
It is a major decision and has been signed off by the Queen following his disastrous BBC interview at the weekend.
Andrew also signalled he would give evidence to the FBI about their ongoing investigation into Epstein’s evil world.
He said aid in a statement that he had listened to the criticism levelled at him this week.
“It has become clear to me over the last few days that the circumstances relating to my former association with Jeffrey Epstein has become a major disruption to my family’s work and the valuable work going on in the many organisations and charities that I am proud to support,” he said.
“Therefore, I have asked Her Majesty if I may step back from public duties for the foreseeable future, and she has given her permission.”
Andrew, who was criticised for failing to offer sympathy to Epstein’s victims in his interview, said he regretted his friendship with the high flying financier who killed himself in jail on August 10.
“I continue to unequivocally regret my ill-judged association with Jeffrey Epstein,” he said.
“His suicide has left many unanswered questions, particularly for his victims, and I deeply sympathise with everyone who has been affected and wants some form of closure.
“I can only hope that, in time, they will be able to rebuild their lives. Of course, I am willing to help any appropriate law enforcement agency with their investigations, if required.”
Epstein was facing child sex trafficking charges before his death and was accused of procuring young girls for his friends.
Andrew has denied claims that he slept with Virginia Roberts Giuffre when she was 17, whom he was pictured with in a notorious photograph where he had his arm around her waist.
His explanations that he could not have been with her included taking his daughter to a Pizza Express restaurant, that he didn’t sweat and that he was not affectionate in public.
However, photographs of the prince being close to several women and attending the nightclub that Ms Roberts Giuffre had claimed they danced have undermined his defences.
Andrew had said that he did not regret his friendship with Epstein during the BBC interview but has since had a change of heart.
KPMG and Asian focused bank Standard Chartered ended their sponsorships of his Pitch@Palace events, while London Metropolitan University and Huddersfield University were also reconsidering their associations.
ANDREW’S LOST HOURS IN NEW YORK
Prince Andrew was unaccompanied for hours during a visit to the US when it’s alleged he slept with Jeffrey Epstein’s teen “sex slave”, it has been reported.
An aide who travelled with Prince Andrew to New York and Boston in 2001 has reportedly admitted there were possible “gaps” in his royal duties.
Virginia Roberts claimed she had sex with Andrew three times, once in London in March 2001, weeks later at Epstein’s New York mansion and a third time on the shamed paedophile’s private island.
Flight logs reportedly show Virginia was flown to London, New York and the Caribbean in 2001 on Epstein’s private jet dubbed Lolita Express - when she was just 17.
She has claimed that she met Andrew in all three places – and research seems to suggest he was in the same place at the same time.
However, when asked about allegations he had sex with Roberts by the BBC the under-fire royal insisted that was not the case, The Sun reports.
“I don’t think that could have happened at all,” the Duke told the BBC.
Now an aide has told the Telegraph they could not confirm his whereabouts for the full three days he spent on official business while in the States.
The revelations come amid calls for Scotland Yard to release the logs kept by royal protection officers to clarify Prince Andrew’s movements.
The globe-trotting Prince flew to New York in 2001 for a three-day tour that ended in Boston on behalf of the Outward Bound Trust - of which he is the patron.
The Court Circular from the time shows he flew to New York on the morning of April 9 which would have landed in New York just after lunchtime local time.
The same day, Virginia also flew to New York, according to flight records.
She and Epstein left his mansion in Palm Beach, Florida, and the flight log shows they flew aboard his 22-seat Gulfstream to New York via Atlantic City.
Official state paperwork reportedly lists no official engagements for Prince Andrew for the rest of that day after he landed.
However the Telegraph’s source also accepted the trip had taken place “a long time ago.”
And when asked if Prince Andrew might have met up with his notorious pal Epstein, the aide said: “I’ve no idea.”
The unnamed source said although it was not possible to account for all the Duke’s activities in New York they were sure he would not have bedded Roberts.
In the Newsnight interview, the Duke said: “I think that the date we have for that (the New York encounter) shows that I was in Boston or I was in New York the previous day and I was at a dinner for The Outward Bound Trust in New York.
“Then I flew up to Boston the following day and then on the day that she says that this occurred, they’d already left to go the island before I got back from Boston.
“So I don’t think that could have happened at all.”
The Mirror has reported there are calls for Scotland Yard to release the logs kept by royal protection officers.
One of the former officers said notes would include times and dates of any trips to Pizza Express and Tramp nightclub.
Ms Roberts alleges she and the Duke danced at the nightspot and then later had sex.
However, the royal said he was at Pizza Express in Woking, Surrey, that afternoon and spent the rest of the evening at home with his daughters.
Buckingham Palace has reiterated that the Duke had never had a sexual relationship with Ms Roberts.
A spokesman said: “It is emphatically denied that The Duke of York had any form of sexual contact or relationship with Virginia Roberts. Any claim to the contrary is false and without foundation.”
However, mum-of-three Ms Roberts - who now lives in Australia - is reportedly appalled by his denials and is said to be formulating a response with lawyers.
SPONSORS ABANDON PRINCE ANDREW
Allegations of Prince Andrew having sex with a minor has prompted Pitch@Palace, a scheme he founded for entrepreneurs, to remove logos of its corporate sponsors on its website.
The move follows firms and charities distancing themselves from the British royal amid the alleged scandal surfacing, where the Duke of York is accused of having sex with a 17-year-old procured for him by dead paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Andrew denies this allegation.
The supporters page on Pitch@Palace’s website is now no longer available.
The scheme works as a platform to amplify and accelerate the work of entrepreneurs.
Cached versions of the page, saved in June this year, showed it carried the logos of brands including AstraZeneca, Barclays, Cisco, Standard Chartered and Bosch.
Pitch@Palace did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.
Accounting firm KPMG will also not renew its sponsorship with Pitch@Palace events, which were held in Perth recently.
The Outward Bound Trust charity and Huddersfield University were also considering whether to continue their associations with him.
The fallout from Andrew’s weekend interview on the BBC has become nuclear, as he comes under increasing pressure to submit to questioning from the FBI over his knowledge of the activities of Epstein, who died in jail in August.
A new alleged victim of Epstein, identified only as Jane Doe, came forward in the United States on Tuesday.
She claimed that Epstein used Prince Andrew as bait to visit his private estate in the US Virgin Islands.
“I was contacted by one of Jeffrey Epstein’s assistants and invited to Epstein’s island where I was told Prince Andrew, among others, would be a guest – I declined the invitation out of fear,” she said.
“Prince Andrew, and any others that are close to Epstein, should come forward and give a statement under oath on what information they have.”
ANDREW CAUGHT IN N-WORD ROW
Andrew, 59, has also been embroiled in a racism scandal as his future in the public eye comes under a cloud, despite strong support from the Queen.
The Duke of York has been accused of using the highly offensive N-word to a political staffer for former British prime minister David Cameron.
In an extraordinary claim, Rohan Silva, who is of Sri Lankan descent, wrote about his interaction with Andrew in a London newspaper overnight.
He wrote that he asked the Duke during a 2012 meeting if a government department
“could be doing a better job”.
Mr Silva said the Duke of York replied: “Well, if you’ll pardon the expression, that really is the n****r in the woodpile.”
Buckingham Palace denied Andrew used such offensive language, which is a reference to how American slaves would hide in log piles to head to Canada in the 19th century and linked to racism there.
The accusation presented new storm clouds over Andrew, who gave a car crash interview on the BBC at the weekend that reignited questions about his friendship with Epstein.
The former New York financier killed himself in a New York jail in August, although there has been speculation he was murdered, as investigations into his activities continued.
Epstein was accused of running a child prostitution ring and flying girls on his private jet, dubbed the Lolita Express, to a holiday island.
The FBI has continued to probe the case, with Epstein’s friend Ghislaine Maxwell, also a friend of Prince Andrew’s under investigation.
Epstein was found hanged in his cell at the New York Metropolitan Correctional Centre in August while facing charges of sex trafficking and conspiracy to traffic minors for sex.
Maxwell has been accused of procuring girls for Epstein, who claim they were kept as “sex slaves”, including Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who now lives in Cairns.
Ms Maxwell has shared at least 23 flights with Ms Roberts Giuffre, who claimed that when she was 17 she was forced to have sex with Prince Andrew three times and had been out drinking with him at London’s Tramp nightclub.
Lawyers are demanding that the Duke of York tells investigators what he knows about Epstein’s activities.
US lawyer Spencer Kuvin, who represents a woman who claims she was a victim of Epstein, said Andrew’s TV interview could be used against him in cross examination if it went to court.
“I don’t think there’s any way that a man who’s been to all three of Mr Epstein’s homes could avoid seeing what was going on in those homes,” he said on Radio 4.
Gloria Allred, a lawyer representing other alleged victims in the Epstein case, said Andrew should have asked why so many young girls were around Epstein.
“So, why didn’t he ask the questions: Where are your parents, are you in school, why aren’t you in school, are you living here, are you working here, what kind of job do you have, what do you do, why are you here?” she said.
Andrew’s claims that a photograph of him and Ms Roberts Giuffre was fake because he was not the kind of person to show public displays of affection have been undermined by photographs of him as a “party prince” with a string of women.
ANDREW ‘IS FINISHED IN PUBLIC LIFE’
English commentator Piers Morgan has weighed into the saga following Prince Andrew’s BBC interview.
Morgan says Andrew is finished in public life unless he tells the FBI what he knows about Epstein.
“This is a very serious crisis for the Royal Family, one Andrew just made a gazillion times worse,” Morgan said.
“It’s surely unthinkable that any charity he works with will want to continue the association after this disaster that raises so many more questions than it answered?
“The only way Andrew can truly close it down in the way he wishes is for him to now co-operate fully with the FBI investigating Epstein’s crimes – and testify under oath as to what he saw, knew and did.”
Morgan said Andrew can authorise the Royal Protection Squad to also speak to the FBI and tell them what they saw, and what they logged in official records.
“They will know when and where every pizza’s been eaten, what nightclubs were attended on what day and what time, and details of every woman with whom Andrew’s ever had any kind of sexual encounter. Every movement by the senior royals is filed by their cops. They were there. They know.”
He then concludes: “ … until Prince Pinocchio exposes himself and his protection officers to proper FBI interrogation, then the stench of guilt will lurk around him so strongly he will be rendered unfit for purpose as a working royal.”
AUSSIE MP’S BIZARRE ‘BEHEADING’ TWEET
A Victorian MP has lashed out at Prince Andrew in a bizarre Twitter rant that implies the Queen’s third son should be “beheaded” after his disastrous BBC interview.
Julian Hill, the member for Bruce in Melbourne’s southeast, took to Twitter to slam the Duke of York’s “appalling” interview.
“Prince Andrew’s appalling interview highlights one of the many problems with royalty,” he wrote.
“No matter how bad they are you can’t bloody get rid of them (given beheadings are out of fashion).”
Prince Andrew’s appalling interview highlights one of the many problems with Royalty. No matter how bad they are you can’t bloody get rid of them (given beheadings are out of fashion).
— Julian Hill MP (@JulianHillMP) November 18, 2019
A Twitter user who described himself as a republican replied, saying he didn’t find the argument “convincing” and that “poor individual examples of royalty or republican leaders don’t mean either system is inherently problematic”.
WHAT ANDREW SAID IN BBC INTERVIEW
During the interview, Prince Andrew chuckled as he addressed his relationship with Epstein, saying he “let the side down” by visiting him in New York after the financier had been convicted of sex charges.
When asked if he regretted his entire friendship with convicted sex offender, Andrew said: “Now, still not and the reason being is that the people that I met and the opportunities that I was given to learn either by him or because of him were actually very useful.”
Andrew cast doubts on the authenticity of a photo which shows him with his arm around Ms Roberts Giuffre’s bare midriff.
He told BBC interviewer Emily Maitlis he did not indulge in public displays of affection with women and could not sweat due to a medical condition.
"It was not something that was becoming of a member of the Royal family... I let the side down."
— BBC Newsnight (@BBCNewsnight) November 15, 2019
Prince Andrew speaks exclusively to #Newsnight about his decision to stay with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein https://t.co/Jo2mHaTrPi
WATCH: Saturday 21:00 @BBCTwo @maitlis pic.twitter.com/jZzpj7RwBe
"I have no recollection of ever meeting this lady."
— BBC Newsnight (@BBCNewsnight) November 15, 2019
The Duke of York has spoken for the first time about his links to Jeffrey Epstein and the allegations against him https://t.co/YfWs2EAi6v
FULL INTERVIEW: Saturday 21:00 @BBCTwo with @maitlis#Newsnight pic.twitter.com/zy7jvnRPJp
This is despite photos from the Duke’s so-called “midlife crisis” period, which show him partying in St Tropez with a string of beautiful women.
Ms Roberts Giuffre has previously described their alleged time together in London, including that Andrew had been “sweating” during their time together in the London nightclub when she was aged 17.
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“I didn’t sweat at the time because I had suffered what I would describe as an overdose of adrenaline in the Falklands War when I was shot at and I simply … it was almost impossible for me to sweat,” he said.
“And it’s only because I have done a number of things in the recent past that I am starting to be able to do that again.
“So I’m afraid to say that there’s a medical condition that says that I didn’t do it.”
He said he had no memory of ever meeting Ms Roberts Giuffre.
Andrew maintained that he did not spend time with her at London’s Tramp nightclub in March 2001, saying he was with his children after taking Princess Beatrice out to popular restaurant chain Pizza Express.
He said: “I was with the children and I’d taken Beatrice to a Pizza Express in Woking for a party at I suppose sort of four or five in the afternoon.
“And then because the Duchess was away, we have a simple rule in the family that when one is away the other one is there.
“I was on terminal leave at the time from the Royal Navy so therefore I was at home.”
He said he recalled the night because going to a Pizza Express was a “very unusual thing for me to do”.
Questioned about the infamous photograph of him and Ms Roberts Giuffre together in Ghislaine Maxwell’s house, he said that public displays of affection are “not something he would do” but refused to reveal whether he thought the image was a fake.
He said: “Oh it’s definitely me, I mean that’s a picture of me. I don’t believe it’s a picture of me in London because when I go out in London I wear a suit and a tie.
“That’s what I would describe as my travelling clothes if I’m going to go overseas. There’s plenty of photographs of me dressed in that sort of kit but not there.”
Originally published as The Duke of York is withdrawing from all royal duties and will help FBI with its investigation into Jeffrey Epstein