Epstein victims blast grinning Prince Andrew for 'rubbing salt in the wound'
Grinning Prince Andrew led the royal family into a service of thanksgiving today - to the fury of his paedophile pal Jeffrey Epstein ’s victims.
The Duke of York completed a breathtaking turnaround after he was banned from official duties and stripped of his HRH and military titles by his late mother, the Queen, just two years ago. The prince’s high profile appearance was described by one victim of his late sex offender pal as “salt into a wound that has never been allowed to heal”.
Andrew led his family into the church to celebrate the life of the late King of Greece after Prince William was forced to pull out for “personal reasons”, and the monarch continued to undergo cancer treatment. Appearing to misjudge the public anger towards him, the 64-year-old father-of-two arrived grinning inanely alongside his former wife Sarah Ferguson, who once accepted a £15,000 off the billionaire paedophile.
The Duke was seen trotting to the front of the royal pack, including Charles’ sister and “trusted lieutenant”, Princess Anne and her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence. Meanwhile, Queen Camilla - the most senior royal in attendance - was driven to the church and entered a side door of St George’s Chapel after the other contingent of royals.
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Andrew has not attended an official royal event since the King’s coronation last May, where he appeared in his grandiose Knight of the Garter robes. Onlookers saw the beaming Duke striding ahead of his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, followed by their daughter Princess Beatrice with husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, the Princess Royal and her husband, Zara and Mike Tindall and the King’s cousin Lady Sarah Chatto.
Prince Andrew smiling outside St George's Chapel, in Windsor Castle, Berkshire (PA)The King, a great friend of King Constantine who died at the age of 82 in January last year decades after being toppled from the throne in a military coup, was unable to attend the service as he is continuing his recovery from cancer treatment.
Dozens of other foreign royals also travelled to Windsor to attend the service, flying in from around the world, including Spain, Jordan, Denmark, Bulgaria, Serbia and the Netherlands. The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, Princess Alexandra, 87, and her daughter, Marina Ogilvy, and the Duke of Kent, 88, were also in attendance.
Although the service at Windsor Castle was a private family event, the public nature of the royal’s attendance in numbers was not lost on watchers. On Tuesday night, a victim of Epstein, who was abused by him while still at school and later received compensation for the Wall Street’s financier’s victim fund, spoke of her fury.
“Anyone looking at those images would think Andrew had not done a damn thing wrong,” she blasted from her home in Florida. "His Cheshire cat-like grin is galling. For years, we held onto the belief that we wouldn’t have to suffer this prince. It is shameful.
"It does not matter that this was a family event. It was open for all the world to see that he led the royals into the service. Andrew has steadfastly refused to tell the FBI what he knows about Jeffrey, and this appearance feels like he is openly rubbing salt into a wound that has never been allowed to heal.”
Prince Andrew, Duke of York, and Sarah, Duchess of York attend the Thanksgiving Service for King Constantine of the Hellenes at St George's Chapel (Getty Images)
Queen Camilla departs after attending a thanksgiving service (PA)The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was joined in her condemnation by one of the leading lawyers fighting for the victims of the late Epstein.
US attorney Spencer Kuvin, who has represented numerous Epstein victims, blasted the disgraced royal. On Tuesday night, he told the Mirror: "While the medical issues within the Royal family are sad and unfortunate, Andrew being seen as he was at such an event is an insult to the victims of Jeffrey Epstein worldwide. The Duke's long-time friendship and close personal relationship with Epstein brings into serious question Andrew's ethics and character.
“Even though this was a family event, the message his appearance sends to the world is one that he is being accepted back into royal life. It should never be allowed to happen.”
Mr Kuvin said he hoped such Andrew's Windsor Castle appearance - albeit at a private ceremony - would not one day lead to something official. He said Andrew “should never be permitted to represent the royal family again, let alone the UK.”
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King Charles III is seen being driven to Clarence House (London News Pictures)Ingrid Seward, editor-in-chief of Majesty Magazine, said it was “extraordinary” to see Andrew leading the royal pack on the way to such a high-profile event.
She said: “Andrew doesn’t have a chance of getting back into the royal fold, the King and Prince William have made that abundantly clear, so it is extraordinary to see him front and centre considering protocol is so important to the royal family. The royal family has an order of precedence when walking into a room, which makes it all the more surprising.
“Unless Andrew can clear his name and restore his reputation, he hasn’t a chance of getting back to royal duties as he may wish.”
The King stayed at Windsor Castle the night before Tuesday's service for Constantine, a former sailing partner of the late Duke of Edinburgh and godfather to Prince William, but left by helicopter before the ceremony began.
The monarch was later spotted arriving in the capital and photographed at his Clarence House home.
Since his diagnosis, Charles, 75, has postponed all public-facing duties due to the increased risk of possible infection. He is continuing with behind-the-scenes work on his red boxes of state papers and his weekly meetings with the Prime Minister.
The Prince of Wales, who was due to make the second reading as listed in the order of service, backed out at the last minute due to “personal reasons”.
Kensington Palace said he spoke to the Greek royal family to offer his apologies, while a spokesman would not elaborate further, said the Princess of Wales, who is recovering from abdominal surgery, “continues to be doing well”.
Kate left hospital on January 29 and returned to her Adelaide Cottage home close to Windsor Castle. However, she is not expected to return to official duties until after Easter.
William, 41, is still scheduled to attend a planned engagement on Thursday at a synagogue where he will discuss the rise of anti-Semitism with young campaigners and another public event on Friday.
Before Epstein’s jail cell suicide in August 2019, Andrew enjoyed repeated encounters with the American over several years, even after the billionaire pleaded guilty and was convicted in 2008 by a Florida state court of procuring a child for prostitution and of soliciting a prostitute.
Records detailing flights by the financier’s private Gulfstream jet reveal that in May 2000, Andrew flew with Epstein and British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell to Palm Beach.
The Florida town is where the hedge fund manager owned a home and where he was accused of assaulting dozens of underage girls.
The month after Andrew’s visit, Epstein and Maxwell are believed to have attended a Windsor Castle party for the birthdays of Princess Anne, Andrew and Princess Margaret. Other encounters between the two men are believed to have occurred at the Queen’s Norfolk estate.
The pair were famously pictured walking together in New York’s Central Park in 2010, shortly after Epstein, by then a registered sex offender, was released from his sentence.
Andrew was later accused of sleeping with Epstein’s “teen sex slave” Virginia Giuffre in London, New York and on the billionaire’s private Caribbean Island.
The Duke vehemently denied her claims later agreeing to pay his accuser a reported £12 million in an out-of-court civil settlement after she sued the royal in New York for sexual abuse.
Andrew’s ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, also had a questionable relationship with the billionaire. She once took £15,000 from him when she was drowning in debt.
It has never been confirmed if the money was paid back. In a 2011 interview, the Duchess, 64, spoke about the cash provided by Epstein, whom she had reportedly met. Expressing how she was “deeply” regretful of her actions, Fergie clarified that she did not wish to associate herself with Epstein.
“I personally, on behalf of myself, deeply regret that Jeffrey Epstein became involved in any way with me,” she said. “I abhor paedophilia and any sexual abuse of children and know that this was a gigantic error of judgment on my behalf, “I am just so contrite I cannot say. Whenever I can, I will repay the money and will have nothing ever to do with Jeffrey Epstein ever again.”
Fergie struck a deal with the disgraced financier after he had spent time behind bars for soliciting a 14-year-old girl for prostituted sex.
Epstein, who was found dead in a jail cell while awaiting trial, had paid £15,000 to her former personal assistant, Johnny O’Sullivan, to cover part of his unpaid salary.
At the time, Fergie was some £5 million in debt and owed her ex-PA £78,000 in wages and bills, but she was able to restructure her debts after he agreed to take a reduced amount.
Last month, the Duchess of York shared she had been diagnosed with skin cancer months after receiving treatment for breast cancer.
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