The ROYAL INSIDER

By royal biographer Emily Andrews

No way back for the grand old Duke of York

Prince Andrew has been  absent from public duties for four years, yet his mere presence as a family member is enough to create huge embarrassment for the royals.

His friendship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein has caused scandal for many years culminating in his multi-million-pound settlement with Virginia Giuffre, who accused him of sexually assaulting her aged 17. That out-of-court settlement (with no liability admitted by the Prince) was largely seen as the late Queen Elizabeth drawing a line under the matter. But I don't think that will ever happen.

During the past month or so, a huge cache of documents has been unsealed by a New York court in connection with allegations that Virginia and others made against Epstein's partner (and Andrew's good friend) Ghislaine Maxwell. She is already serving a long prison stretch for trafficking women and girls for the pleasure of Epstein and his friends. Lurid claims of sex tapes, girls taken to Epstein's private Caribbean island, intimate massages and more are contained in these allegations and counter-allegations.