Prince Andrew shall no longer be called Prince Andrew. He is now just Andrew Mountbatten Windsor. Buckingham Palace made the announcement this week.
The Royals released a statement saying that Andrew will lose his “prince” title and be forced to leave his Royal Lodge home in Windsor. The statement suggests they believe the allegations that he committed sexual assault are true. From the announcement:
These censures are deemed necessary, notwithstanding the fact that he continues to deny the allegations against him. 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.
Revealed in Memoir
The move comes just days after the release of Virginia Giuffre’s memoir, Nobody’s Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice. Giuffre accused Andrew of sexually assaulting her when she was 17 after being trafficked to him by Jeffrey Epstein. She died in April of this year; her family said she committed suicide after the “toll of abuse … became unbearable.” Giuffre said she was involved in three sexual encounters with Prince Andrew. One of those times was during an orgy with Epstein and eight other minors.
Andrew had always denied Giuffre’s allegations. But he also paid out a reportedly handsome settlement in 2022. The amount was not disclosed, but reports say it came out to about £12 million ($16.3 million).
Giuffre’s family members were glad to hear the news about Andrew. Her brother, Sky Roberts, and his wife, Amanda Roberts, issued a statement to People magazine, saying, “Today, an ordinary American girl from an ordinary American family brought down a British prince with her truth and extraordinary courage.”
DOJ Stalling
The decision by the Royals to banish Andrew will likely revive scrutiny stateside against the Justice Department (DOJ) for what many believe is a blatant refusal to be fully transparent. The FBI released a statement in June announcing that it was essentially closing the Epstein case. It concluded that Epstein did indeed kill himself, that no list of clients who paid for sex with minors exists, and that there is no “credible evidence” that he blackmailed powerful people. The memo triggered a torrent of backlash, especially from President Donald Trump’s base. Ever since, the Republican-controlled Congress has tried to tamp down the outrage by releasing thousands of documents through the House Oversight Committee. Odd thing to do after the DOJ announced there was nothing more to see.
The flame of public ire burned hot for a few months after the DOJ’s memo, but has died down over the last month. Nevertheless, it’s unlikely to stay that way. The special election of radical Democrat Adelita Grijalva in September has secured Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) the votes he needs to force a discharge petition on a vote to release all DOJ files on Epstein. Massie has criticized the Oversight Committee’s release as a sneaky way for the Trump DOJ to curate what comes out and what doesn’t. It’ll be interesting to see what comes of the discharge petition once the government shutdown ends.
Jes Staley
Massie, during a House committee hearing on oversight of the FBI in September, dropped the name of another alleged Epstein client and indicated he knew the identities of 19 more. He named Jes Staley, a former banking executive who worked with Epstein when he was a client of JPMorgan. The Virgin Islands has sued JPMorgan, Staley’s former employer and Epstein’s former bank, and accused Staley himself of funneling Epstein’s money. The lawsuit revealed emails that suggested “that Staley may have been involved in Epstein’s sex-trafficking operation,” according to reports about the suit. Court documents said Epstein shared photos of young women with Staley. The two had also a discussion that appeared to use Disney characters as code.
Staley has never been charged with sexual crimes. However, he was nevertheless “forced out at Barclays in 2021 as the Financial Conduct Authority, the UK-equivalent of the Securities and Exchange Commission, launched an investigation into allegations that Staley misled the agency and the Barclays board about his dealings with Epstein,” according to reports.
Massie Still Fighting
In early September, Massie and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) held a press conference with eight other alleged Epstein victims. That’s when one of them, Lisa Phillips, said they were going to release their own list. “We know the names,” she said. “Many of us were abused by them. Now, together as survivors, we will confidentially compile the names we all know, who are regularly in the Epstein world. It will be done by survivors, and for survivors.” Afterward, Massie said he would work with the victims to release the names, lest they all be sued into oblivion.
The Royals’ decision to banish Andrew only piles onto the already high stack of evidence suggesting there is much more to Epstein’s operation. It bolsters the raging suspicions that Epstein provided minors for sex to very powerful people. He almost certainly did not traffic only to himself, and almost certainly did traffic to other high-profile figures. It is a stunning display of audacity by the DOJ to continue to pretend it has no credible evidence suggesting otherwise.
