Queen Elizabeth II has reportedly cancelled Prince Andrew’s 60th birthday party.
Instead, according to The Times, the Queen will host a small family dinner for her son, who is set to turn 60 on Feb. 19.
The decision comes after Andrew’s infamous interview with the BBC, in which he spoke about his association with now deceased convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The Duke of York has been accused of having sex with then 17-year-old Victoria Roberts (an alleged Epstein victim now known as Virginia Giuffre), which he strenuously denies. Roberts says she was forced to have sex with the prince.
Epstein died by suicide in August while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges.
The interview saw Prince Andrew attempt to distance himself from Epstein, and clear up the accusations against himself. Instead it turned into a fiasco, with Andrew’s explanations roundly mocked. Following the interview, Andrew asked the Queen if he “may step back from public duties for the foreseeable future,” it has been reported.
In a statement, the prince wrote: “It has become clear to me over the last few days that the circumstances relating to my former association with Jeffery Epstein have 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.”
Since the interview, many organizations have cut ties with Prince Andrew and his entrepreneurial platform Pitch@Palace, such as KPMG, Aon and Standard Chartered, as well as Australian universities such as Murdoch and Bond, among others. Andrew has also stepped aside from all of his 230 patronages.
Despite there being a photo showing them together in 2001, Prince Andrew says the image was doctored, and insists he’s never met Roberts. When asked during the BBC interview if he remembers a night where they went dancing, in which he was profusely sweating, he said such a scenario wouldn’t have been possible because at that point in his life, he was unable to sweat, due to a medical condition.
Throughout the interview, Prince Andrew confirmed his friendship with Epstein, which continued even after the financier was convicted in 2008 for soliciting a minor for prostitution. Many have accused the prince of failing to show sympathy for the accusers.
According to The Sun, Prince Andrew met with Ghislaine Maxwell at Buckingham Palace on June 6 of this year, just after an investigation into Epstein was reopened. Maxwell is known to be a former lover and a “madam” of Epstein, and was accused by Roberts of arranging Roberts’ use as a “sex slave.” During the BBC interview, Prince Andrew confirmed that he saw Maxwell, but that they did not discuss Epstein.
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November 25, 2019 at 11:40PM
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