People condemn Prince Andrew’s return to public life

Since the death of the Queen on 8 September, Prince Andrew has returned to the public sphere.

The Duke of York’s prominence at events marking the death of his mother, such as the progress of her coffin through Edinburgh and London this week, is to be expected. Andrew is grieving personal loss during a national period of mourning.

But just months ago, amid fallout from his long and controversial association with the convicted sex traffickers Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, any public appearance at all would have seemed entirely unlikely.

The royal, now eighth in line to the throne, was stripped of his military patronages and use of the HRH title after he paid a financial settlement to Virginia Giuffre, who had accused him of sexual assault, a claim he denied.

For attorneys who represented Epstein victims, and for other advocates for sex-crimes victims, Andrew’s sudden reappearance has seemed jarring. Some have said it could prove triggering for Epstein survivors, even if they never encountered Andrew.

Mariann Wang, who represented more than a dozen Epstein survivors, said it was “beyond shameful to see Andrew being granted any form of state-sponsored honor or privilege, given his past affiliation with Jeffrey Epstein”.

Epstein pleaded guilty to solicitation of a minor for prostitution in 2008.

Andrew, who continued to associate with the New York financier long after his guilty plea, vehemently denies a claim that he had sex with an Epstein accuser when the girl was a teen.

Wang continued: “The brave women who came forward to hold Epstein, Maxwell, and others to account deserve better. His past conduct and judgment make clear that he is not worthy of any state-sponsored privileges, including reaping the benefits of being a royal.”

Spencer T Kuvin, who represented more than half a dozen Epstein victims, said such women have long been “disgusted and appalled at Andrew’s continued friendship with Epstein, even after [Epstein’s] conviction and the stories that had come about what Epstein had done to those young girls” at his homes in New York, Palm Beach and elsewhere.

TYT Newsroom