Buckingham Palace retreats in the face of escalating Epstein scandal

Prince Andrew’s refusal to cooperate with the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking inquiry has shone a spotlight on the British royal family’s inability to bring one of its leading members to heel.

The unwelcome publicity generated by the growing scandal compounds the royal family’s other problems, notably the decision by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to abandon the House of Windsor.

In relation to Prince Andrew (also known as the Duke of York), the main problem for the royal family is the uncomfortable fact that Buckingham Palace has not been seen to bring pressure on the rogue prince to mitigate the scandal, let alone to come clean on his misdeeds.

Prince Andrew’s interview with the BBC last November was an unmitigated disaster, at least in public relations terms.

The Duke came across as distant and uncaring in the face of a mountain of evidence that he had maintained strong ties to Epstein even after the pedophile financier was convicted of soliciting and procuring a minor for prostitution. 

A guilty prince?    

But lost in the maelstrom of public moral outrage was the Prince’s commitment (made in a statement following the BBC interview) that he was “willing to help any appropriate law enforcement agency with their investigations, if required”.

Prince Andrew has now clearly reneged on that promise, as verified by US attorney for the southern district of New York, Geoffrey Berman, the prosecutor in charge of the Epstein investigation.

There is an understanding that the rogue prince will not be “forced” to testify, thus allowing him to literally get away with it.

Whilst US authorities have never suggested that criminal charges could be brought against the Prince, there is deep moral outrage at some aspects of his behavior.

Foremost, there is the case of Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who has consistently claimed that she was “instructed” to have sex with the Prince in 2001, when she was only 17 years old.

The palace stays silent 

As the scandal escalates, Buckingham Palace has seemingly decided to stay clear of the whole issue, in the hope that it will just blow over.

Indeed, the latest statement from the Palace simply states that the prince’s “legal team” is dealing with the issue and it “would not be commenting further”.

Buckingham Palace’s indifferent attitude comes on the heels of intensifying moral outrage.

In the latest development, lawyers representing Epstein’s victims have “urged” the rogue prince to cooperate with the investigation into the disgraced billionaire financier, who committed suicide last August.

Lisa Bloom, a lawyer who represents five women who claim they were abused by Epstein, told BBC Newsnight that the dead financier’s accusers are outraged by the Duke “not assisting the US authorities”. 

"I'm glad that Geoffrey Berman has gone public to try to embarrass Prince Andrew, who made one statement and then behind closed doors is doing something very different”, Bloom added.

Hidden surprises 

Beyond the moral outrage, and notwithstanding the Duke’s lack of cooperation, the investigation may still reveal more embarrassing, and perhaps even incriminating, connections.

There is the curious case of Ghislaine Maxwell, a British socialite and the daughter of the late disgraced media tycoon, Robert Maxwell.

Ghislaine Maxwell is known to have actively assisted Epstein to indulge in his perverted and illegal sexual pursuits. Indeed, she is under formal FBI investigation over possible crimes linked to the sex trafficking charges laid against Epstein before he killed himself last August.

An article on the Telegraph (January 02) claims that Prince Andrew “begged” Maxwell to clear his name (in relation Virginia Roberts Giuffre) but that she “refused”.

Whilst Prince Andrew has conveniently “stepped back” from royal duties (as expressed in his November statement), the long shadow of Epstein may well come back to haunt him and the royal family.

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