The pressure on Prince Andrew and the Royal Family is “mounting to a level which is almost unprecedented” according to a former royal correspondent at The Sun newspaper.
Charles Rae, speaking on GB News, was discussing the release of the unsealed court documents relating to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The Duke of York, who denies any wrongdoing, is one of 170 people named in a list linked to late convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, names which were made public by a New York judge earlier this week.
Speaking about the wider Royal Family, Mr Rae said: “We have the King who is under great pressure to do something about Prince Andrew. There’s not much he can do – he’s been stripped of his HRH and he’s not allowed to use it. He can’t represent his charities or military functions.”
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Speaking to presenter, Dawn Neesom, Mr Rae said: “What he [Prince Andrew] needs to do is prove he did not have anything to do with this… otherwise the vast majority of people in this country will believe he is involved in some way with this paedophile and that is a terrible accusation to make about anybody, particularly a member of the Royal Family.”
The Duke of York stepped down from life as a senior working royal in 2019, and was stripped of his HRH title, military titles and royal patronages in January 2022.
This decision was made because he faced a US civil action over sexual assault allegations. Virginia Giuffre alleged the duke abused her on three occasions – both in the UK and the US – when she was a minor under US law.
Andrew reached an out-of-court settlement with Ms Giuffre and made no admission of responsibility.
The newly-released documents relate to a Manhattan defamation case that Ms Giuffre bought against Ghislaine Maxwell in 2015.
The Met Police said it would assess “new and relevant” information should it be brought to its attention.
Despite him taking a back seat, Prince Andrew has subtly made appearances at various royal engagements, such as attending the Christmas Day service with the royals at the Sandringham estate last month.
