Prince Andrew’s controversial friendship with Jeffrey Epstein to be explored in new doc 'Banished'
The disgraced Duke of York is the subject of Peacock's upcoming doc 'Prince Andrew: Banished'
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Prince Andrew, the disgraced Duke of York, is the subject of an upcoming documentary.
On Thursday, Peacock announced that on Oct. 5, it will release a special on its streaming platform titled "Prince Andrew: Banished." It aims to explore the "tumultuous and complex" life of the British royal, as well as his ties to Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.
It will feature interviews with palace insiders, journalists, a royal press secretary, members of Andrew’s social circle and the legal team who brought shocking allegations against the fallen prince to life.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A spokesperson for Andrew, 62, told Fox News Digital they had no comment. Andrew’s attorney didn’t immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
"When you are the queen’s son, no one ever tells you the truth," Tina Brown, magazine editor and author of "The Palace Papers," said in the trailer.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Prince Andrew thought he was more than a royal," said another reporter. "He thought he was a celebrity. The talk of the dinner parties was he couldn’t keep his trousers closed."
Andrew is now eighth in line to the throne following Queen Elizabeth II’s death on Sept. 8 at age 96. However, royal experts have insisted that King Charles III has zero plans to include him in the future of the monarchy.
The royal, who many have said was "the queen’s favorite son," was stripped of his honorary military roles in January amid the furor surrounding a lawsuit. The case alleged that Andrew had had sex with a 17-year-old supplied to him by Epstein, an American financier and convicted sex offender. The queen also removed his honorary leadership of various charities and known patronages, and she barred him from using the title "His Royal Highness" in official settings.
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Jeffrey Epstein boasted to his pals about his friendship with Prince Andrew, Tina Brown previously alleged in her book, ‘The Palace Papers.' Brown weighed in on the Duke of York's scandal in the upcoming doc ‘Prince Andrew: Banished’. (Getty Images)
Virginia Roberts Giuffre has said that Epstein forced her to have sex with Andrew in 2001 when she was 17. She alleged that Epstein had flown her around the world on private planes to have sex with powerful men and that she had had sexual encounters with Andrew in London, New York and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Epstein died in jail on August 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking and conspiracy charges. He was 66.
In 2019, Andrew sat down for what ended up being a disastrous interview to address the allegations. After facing scathing criticism, the duke announced he was stepping back from public life.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In March of this year, a U.S. judge dismissed the sex abuse lawsuit against Andrew, three weeks after attorneys for Giuffre had reached a deal. The prince was to make a substantial donation to his accuser’s charity and declare that he never meant to malign her character.
In a letter to the judge from Giuffre's attorney David Boies, a statement was included that said, in part: "Prince Andrew intends to make a substantial donation to Ms. Giuffre’s charity in support of victims’ rights. Prince Andrew has never intended to malign Ms. Giuffre’s character, and he accepts that she has suffered both as an established victim of abuse and as a result of unfair public attacks."
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Photo from 2001 that was included in court files shows Prince Andrew with his arm around the waist of 17-year-old Virginia Giuffre. Andrew has denied the charges made against him. In the background is Epstein's girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell. (U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.)
According to the statement, the duke acknowledged that Epstein had trafficked "countless young girls" over many years. He "regrets his association with Epstein and commends the bravery of Ms. Giuffre and other survivors in standing up for themselves and others."
Earlier this month, Andrew's scandal caused headlines once more after he appeared at a procession for his mother in Edinburgh. As he walked behind the queen's coffin with his siblings, a protestor yelled, "Andrew, you’re a sick old man."
Police said the 22-year-old who heckled the prince was arrested "in connection with a breach of the peace."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Andrew has denied the allegations.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.