You're Out! Prince Andrew Excluded From Royal Family's New Year Celebration
Prince Andrew has found himself on the wrong end of a heavy backlash after his controversial BBC interview that sheds light to his links with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Even after he committed suicide in prison, it seems Epstein and his crimes in the past are out to haunt the royal.
The Duke of York will not be with his family for the New Year's Celebration. They were supposed to spend some quality time with the family in their £13-million ski chalet, but Prince Andrew will not be joining them this year, according to a Mail Online insider.
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie will be joining their mother, Sarah, Duchess of York, for a skiing holiday in the Alps. The two are out of school for their winter break. They will be leaving after spending the Christmas holiday with Queen Elizabeth II and the rest of the royal family in Sandringham.
After his much-talked-about scandal linking him to Epstein, Prince Andrew stepped back from his royal duties. The Prince of Wales and the Queen herself support this decision and think that it is for the best.
The Duke of York will be left at home and "laying low."
Laying Low
An insider source told The Mail Online that the Duchess of York will not be spending Christmas with the rest of the royal family, too. She will be in Switzerland, a good friend said. Their two children Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, on the other hand, will be joining her as soon as the festivities in the Sandringham are done.
In 2014, the Duke of York and Sarah Ferguson, who divorced in 1996, bought the chalet in the Alps. the seven-bedroom mansion was considered a family investment. It was said that when the news broke of the Epstein scandal in 2015, this was where Prince Andrew tucked himself in. He was with his closest friends at that time.
The Queen's "favorite son" was with his youngest daughter Eugenie and his ex-wife when the claims that he sexually abused an underage girl have been made. The victim claimed that she had met the Prince when she was only 17.
The Accusations
Virginia Roberts Giuffre came forward and claimed that she was put under pressure by Jeffrey Epstein and Madam Ghislaine Maxwell to sleep with the Prince on three separate occasions.
The accuser further claimed that the first sexual encounter she had with Prince Andrew happened when she was only 17 years old. The Prince has denied all accusations and said he does not remember ever meeting Roberts.
In a recent interview with BBC Newsnight, Prince Andrew emphasized that he has not met Roberts when she was younger and has no memory of ever meeting her at all. He gave a number of alibis, including not being in the area at the so-called time of the meeting. The Queen's son claimed that he was in Pizza Express in Woking at that time.
During his interview, to which the Duke attempted to clear his name and "set the record straight," he ended up widely condemned for the lack of remorse for his friendship with Epstein, who is not only a convicted sex offender but also a known pedophile.
His interview, according to critics, was a disaster. When the Duke of York decided to step down early from his royal duties, it opened the doors to others who might not want to be in the middle of the royal chaos.
Whoever decides to take after Prince Andrew's decision to step down from royal duties in the future, the public will have to wait.
For now, one thing is for sure. Prince Andrew will find himself alone on New Year's Day.
