The association with the Epstein scandal had tainted Prince Andrew’s life since at least 2010, when he was photographed walking with Epstein in Central Park, New York, even after the latter’s release from prison for pleading guilty to prostituting minors.
In 2015, specific accusations relating to Prince Andrew emerged in court documents, with a grim legal back-and-forth lasting years, amid growing calls for him to be interviewed by police and in open court.
Prince Andrew with Virginia Giuffre in 2001, and Ghislaine Maxwell.
The last-ditch settlement, said to have been encouraged by Queen Elizabeth II and advisers who did not want the spectacle of a prince giving evidence – or lack of it – under oath, brought both relief and frustration.
“We hail Virginia’s victory today,” Lisa Bloom, an attorney representing eight victims of Epstein, said at the time. “She has accomplished what no one else could: getting Prince Andrew to stop his nonsense and side with sexual abuse victims.”
He did, indeed, fall quiet.
At Royal Lodge, Prince Andrew retired, for a while, to a life without purpose: seen only out riding, visiting his elderly mother while she was still alive, and spending time with his former wife, daughters and grandchildren.
Prince Andrew leaves the Easter Matins Service at St George’s Chapel at Windsor last week.Credit: AP
In the early 2020s, after the Newsnight interview, there were hopes from his few remaining allies that he would somehow make a return to public life.
Some held out hope that Giuffre would eventually be discredited in her lifetime, and her account dismissed with time.
His brother the King has lost patience with his dogged determination to stay at Royal Lodge, cutting off his formerly extensive funding. The Prince of Wales, the future King, will not countenance a return to duty for his uncle in his reign.
The death of Giuffre will weigh heavily on all involved in this most shameful of episodes: much wider and more serious than unproven accusations against one prince, but linked to him for life nonetheless.
The Duke of York after the coronation of King Charles and Queen Camilla in 2023.Credit: AP
“In the end, the toll of abuse is so heavy that it became unbearable for Virginia to handle its weight,” her family said on Saturday.
The duke, 65, has not commented on the news and is unlikely to do so.
The death of Virginia Giuffre draws the most tragic of lines under a period of his life he hoped would end in redemption, and now will not.
Loading
The Telegraph, London
If you or someone you know need support, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue. SANE phone and digital support services can be accessed at sane.org. In the event of an emergency, dial Triple Zero (000).
#Virginia #Giuffres #suicide #draws #line #Prince #Andrews #hopes #redemption
