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Born into royalty in 1960, Prince Andrew entered the world as the second child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. With his older brother Charles set to inherit the throne, Andrew embarked on a traditional path often chosen by younger royal sons: a career in military service.
Prince Andrew dedicated 22 years to the Royal Navy, where he notably served as a helicopter pilot in the 1982 Falklands War. In 2001, he transitioned to a diplomatic role as Britain’s special representative for international trade and investment. It is from this era that the current police investigation originates.
Recent disclosures from the Epstein files indicate that Andrew may have shared official government documents with Jeffrey Epstein during his tenure as a trade envoy. Despite these allegations, the former prince has not faced any criminal charges and continues to deny any misconduct related to his association with Epstein.
In 2011, Prince Andrew was compelled to relinquish his trade envoy duties as scrutiny intensified over his ties to Epstein, who had been convicted in 2008 for soliciting a minor for prostitution and served an 18-month prison sentence. This association has left a lingering shadow over Andrew’s public life.
Mountbatten-Windsor was forced to step down from the trade role in 2011 amid growing concern about his friendship with Epstein, who had been sentenced to 18 months in prison in 2008 after pleading guilty to soliciting a minor for prostitution.
Once a subject of media fascination for his love life, the man the tabloids dubbed “Randy Andy” became a regular source of headlines because of his money woes and links to questionable characters, including Epstein, the American financier and convicted sex offender.
After Epstein was arrested again in 2019, Andrew gave a disastrous interview to the BBC’s Newsnight program, in which he tried to explain away his contacts with Epstein.
It backfired – he was widely criticised for giving unbelievable explanations and for failing to show empathy for Epstein’s victims.
Amid the backlash, Andrew announced on November 20, 2019, that he was giving up public duties and charity roles “for the foreseeable future”.
In August 2021, one of Epstein’s victims, Virginia Giuffre, sued Andrew in a New York court, alleging that the prince had sex with her when she was underage. Andrew denied the allegations, but he was stripped of all military affiliations and royal charity work.
That was not the end of the story. After emails emerged last year showing Andrew remained in contact with Epstein longer than he previously claimed, King Charles III stripped his brother of his princely title and other honours and his home at Royal Lodge in Windsor.
Now he is also in police custody.
He remains eighth in line to the British throne.
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