Prince Andrew’s scandals timeline from Jeffrey Epstein to spy case
Andrew has caused a litany of embarrassments for the royal family, threatening to overshadow the work of the monarchy.
Prince Andrew has caused a litany of embarrassments for the royal family. The scandal surrounding him has threatened to overshadow the work of the monarchy, which ultimately led to him giving up his titles.
Here we lay out the timeline in Andrew’s long fall from grace:
1999: Andrew is believed to have met Jeffrey Epstein after being introduced by Ghislaine Maxwell, a mutual friend.
June 2000: Epstein and Maxwell are guests at a party hosted by Queen Elizabeth at Windsor Castle.
December 2000: Andrew hosts a shooting weekend at Sandringham, the late Queen’s estate in Norfolk. Epstein was among the guests.
March 2001: According to Virginia Giuffre, after dinner and dancing at Tramp nightclub in London, at which the duke apparently sweated profusely, Andrew had sex with the 17-year-old at Maxwell’s home in Belgravia. Andrew denies the allegations and says he has no memory of ever meeting Ms Giuffre.
December 2010: The duke is photographed walking around Central Park in New York with Epstein after the businessman’s release from prison for the sexual exploitation of children. Andrew said he was there to end his friendship with Epstein.
February 2011: The duke writes to Epstein saying “we are in this together” after a photograph was published showing Andrew with his arm around Ms Giuffre’s waist. The email was sent two months after Andrew claimed to have broken off contact with Epstein.
April 2015: The duke is named in court papers as part of a US civil case against Epstein. Ms Giuffre claims she was forced to have sex with Andrew on three occasions, in London, in New York and on a private Caribbean island owned by Epstein. Andrew denied the allegations.
May 2018: Andrew invites Cai Qi, a senior figure in China’s Communist Party and a close ally of President Xi, into Buckingham Palace for lunch. Cai is the Chinese official at the centre of the Beijing spy case.
August 2019: Epstein is found dead in his New York jail cell after being rearrested and charged with sex trafficking.
November 2019: Andrew is interviewed on Newsnight during which he claims he could not have had sex with Ms Giuffre because her description of him sweating while dancing could not be true because he was unable to sweat. The interview is deemed so disastrous that shortly afterwards he announces that he will be stepping back from public duties.
February 2022: Andrew settles a civil case against Ms Giuffre for £12 million (AUD$24m) with no admission of liability.
October 2025 After “a discussion’ with the King, Andrew gives up his Duke of York title.
The Times
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