Fox News Flash top entertainment headlines 5/17
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Prince Andrew, the disgraced Duke of York, will reportedly join his mother for another special occasion.
The 62-year-old is expected to attend Garter Day alongside Queen Elizabeth and other senior members of the British royal family. He will also be listed in the next day’s Court Circular, The U.K. Times reported on Monday.
The ceremony, which is recognized as one of the "highlights" of the royal family’s summer schedule, will take place at Windsor Castle on June 13 for the first time in three years. The prince will attend in a private capacity as a Royal Knight.
The queen, as sovereign of the order, appoints Knights of the Garter without having to consult the government, the outlet shared. Therefore, her son’s appointment was considered a private one. A palace source told the outlet that Andrew’s inclusion in the Court Circular would be "standard practice."
Queen Elizabeth's son Prince Andrew has largely stayed out of the public eye following his sex abuse scandal involving Virginia Giuffre. (Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)
A spokesperson for Buckingham Palace didn’t immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
The queen, 96, has been making surprise appearances to coincide with the Platinum Jubilee, which marks her 70 years on the throne. She is expected to appear on the Buckingham Palace balcony during the Trooping the Colour Parade on June 2 and greet the public.
The palace confirmed that only working senior members will appear on the balcony, which means Andrew, as well as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, won’t be present.
Andrew has largely been kept out of the spotlight since he stepped down in late 2019 following his disastrous interview concerning his ties with late American financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. In January, the queen stripped Andrew of his military titles and patronages. He is still in the line of succession to the throne. He is currently ninth behind Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s two children. However, Andrew may not use "His Royal Highness" in any capacity.
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In March, Prince Andrew escorted his mother Queen Elizabeth for the Service of Thanksgiving honoring his late father Prince Philip. (Getty Images)
On March 29, Andrew accompanied the queen for a Service of Thanksgiving honoring his late father, Prince Philip. The reigning monarch’s choice of escort was seen as support for her son after he settled a lawsuit that was linked to his relationship with Epstein.
Andrew’s role underscored that he is still a member of the royal family, even after the scandal rocked the palace.
Andrew strenuously denied Virginia Giuffre’s allegations after she sued him. She accused the British royal of sexually abusing her while she traveled with Epstein in 2001 when she was 17.
Giuffre, 38, reached a settlement with Andrew after a judge rejected the prince’s bid to win early dismissal of the lawsuit earlier this year.
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Photo from 2001 that was included in court files shows Prince Andrew with his arm around the waist of 17-year-old Virginia Giuffre who claimed Jeffrey Epstein paid her to have sex with the prince. Andrew denied the charges. In the background is Epstein's girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell. (U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals)
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."
According to the statement, Andrew acknowledged that Epstein trafficked "countless young girls" over many years and said the prince "regrets his association with Epstein and commends the bravery of Ms. Giuffre and other survivors in standing up for themselves and others."
He also pledged to support the victims of sex trafficking as part of demonstrating his regret.
Giuffre asserted that she met Andrew while she traveled frequently with Epstein between 2000 and 2002 when, her lawyers maintain, she was "on call for Epstein for sexual purposes" and was "lent out to other powerful men," including Andrew.
Virginia Roberts holds a photo of herself at age 16, when she says Palm Beach multimillionaire Jeffrey Epstein began abusing her sexually. (Emily Michot/Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Her lawsuit said she suffered significant emotional and psychological distress and harm. She alleged she had sex with Andrew three times: in London during a 2001 trip, at Epstein’s New York mansion when she was 17 and in the Virgin Islands when she was 18.
Andrew repeatedly denied Giuffre’s allegations and has said he can’t recall ever meeting her, although a photograph of Giuffre and Andrew together in a London townhouse, his arm around her bare midriff, was included in Giuffre’s lawsuit against him.
Inconsistencies in her statements over the years that would have been highlighted by Andrew’s attorneys at trial may have motivated her, in part, to settle, though she has explained them as innocent mistakes that occurred when recalling traumatic events years later.
Andrew spent years combating concerns about his links to Epstein, who took his life at age 66 in 2019 in a Manhattan federal lockup while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. Epstein’s longtime companion Ghislaine Maxwell was convicted of related charges.
Prince Andrew, the Duke of York and Jeffrey Epstein, right, at Ascot. Epstein was found dead in his jail in 2019 at age 66. (Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images )
A settlement of Andrew's lawsuit followed deals reached by Giuffre years ago to resolve separate lawsuits against Maxwell and Epstein. It was recently revealed that Epstein settled for $500,000.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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