Prince Andrew is a “toxic” presence to the British royal family and won’t be reporting to duty anytime soon.
Palace sources described the disgraced Duke of York as a “busted flush” to U.K.’s Sunday Times whose presence in the family is “toxic.”
According to the outlet, the royal family has “no plans to review” the 60-year-old’s position, and his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, is resigned to her son’s withdrawal from public life.
But the prince, who reportedly hoped his status change would only be temporary, had recently hired public relations specialist Mark Gallagher in an effort to clear his name and clean up his tarnished reputation, the outlet noted.
Andrew was photographed last month with ex-wife Sarah Ferguson packing up gift bags for British hospice workers during the coronavirus pandemic. However, the royal family told the outlet that nothing has changed since Andrew announced in November 2019 he was stepping back from his duties “for the foreseeable future.”
Britain's Prince Andrew. (Reuters/Neil Hall)
A ROYAL EXIT: ROYALS WHO HAVE PULLED BACK FROM THE BRITISH MONARCHY
The Netflix docuseries “Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich” premiered last week, resurfacing allegations from Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who claimed Epstein forced her to have sex with Andrew in 2001 when she was 17.
She said the late financier, a convicted pedophile, flew her around the world on private planes to have sex with powerful men, and that she had sexual encounters with Andrew in London, New York and in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Giuffre has since challenged the royal to speak out, telling reporters in New York “he knows exactly what he’s done.”
Andrew has denied the allegations.
Following a disastrous interview with the BBC about his relationship with Epstein, Andrew revealed he asked Elizabeth if he could “step back” from his public duties.
“It has become clear to me over the last few days that the circumstances relating to my former association with Jeffrey Epstein has become a major disruption to my family’s work and the valuable work going on in the many organisations and charities that I am proud to support,” the statement posted to the royal family’s Twitter account reads in part.
Photo from 2001 that was included in court files released last week shows Prince Andrew with his arm around the waist of 17-year-old Virginia Giuffre who says Jeffrey Epstein paid her to have sex with the prince. Andrew has denied the charges. In the background is Epstein's girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell. (U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals)
“Therefore, I have asked Her Majesty if I may step back from public duties for the foreseeable future, and she has given her permission.”
The statement concludes: "I continued to unequivocally regret my ill-judged association with Jeffrey Epstein. His suicide has left many unanswered questions, particularly for his victims, and I deeply sympathise with everyone who has been affected and wants some form of closure. I can only hope that, in time, they will be able to rebuild their lives. Of course, I am willing to help any appropriate law enforcement agency with their investigations, if required."
Epstein, 66, died in jail on Aug. 10, 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking and conspiracy charges that prosecutors alleged involved many girls over several years in the early 2000s.
Fox News’ Tyler McCarthy contributed to this report.
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