Oh Prince Andrew is getting SUED by Virginia Robert's

[LaurieFairyCake]

That will be interesting

@Blossomtoes

To be fair, there’s still no mention of Lilibet on the Royal website, they don’t seem to be very good at updating it at the moment. According to the Express the ones he’s got left are the military ones - whose days are numbered - and some golf clubs that fear they’d lose the Royal in their names if they ditched him. You’d expect male dominated bastions of misogyny to be the last to let him go, wouldn’t you?

She was added on 26 July

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9826349/Lilibet-FINALLY-added-line-succession-Royal-Family-website.html

Well, it's made The Times today, quite prominently.

Jeffrey Epstein investigators seek to interview Prince Andrew

The Duke of York is considered a “person of interest” by US prosecutors investigating the activities of Ghislaine Maxwell and others linked to the paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, according to a source familiar with the inquiry.

Officials want to interview Prince Andrew about his friendship with Epstein, the source said.

And then the really damning bit, in terms of reputational damage spread across The Times,

Epstein killed himself in 2019 while awaiting trial in America on charges of trafficking minors. Prosecutors said in 2020 that the duke had given no interview to federal authorities and repeatedly declined requests to talk with investigators, despite saying he was eager and willing to co-operate.

And still silence from PA and 'the firm'. Now I don't know what I expect HMQ to do about this as a 95 year old mother; but I do expect the monarch to get her hand on the tiller, or put someone else in charge of doing so.

November isn't far away. We could have Remembrance Sunday newspapers full of the sordid Maxwell trial.

Charles and william have to "handover" Andrew now or their reputations will also be damaged.

I doubt The Queen can force her son to do anything be doesnt want to do but charles will be in charge soon. William would support charles not letting Andrew hide behind TRF

There will be a deal behind the scenes. Maybe Andrew will be interviewed but it will only be as a witness. He is teflon.

@Viviennemary

There will be a deal behind the scenes. Maybe Andrew will be interviewed but it will only be as a witness. He is teflon.

The FBI will only interview him on their terms which means in the US or one of it's embassies. They have this weird notion that witnesses (and potential suspects) don't get to tell them how they do their job.

He might well be teflon as far as charges, but no doubt there will be a huge payout, and the damage he has done to the RF is irreparable.

This won't be forgotten.

No doubt the gutter press will do it's best to wheel out a zillion stories about H&M to divert, but whilst that couple are raising awareness about global suffering and encouraging people to help humanitarian efforts, our royal family are hunkered down in a scottish palace protecting one of theirs.

There may be 'deals' and settlements offered in the civil cases, but in the Maxwell criminal prosecution I'm not so sure. I can imagine that Maxwell, as the defendant facing years in jail, wants a deal - but that'd be around implicating others, not getting them off.

This actually leaves PA firmly in the shit, dragging the Royal Family and its standing and reputation down with him.

It's infuriating that the RF have handled this so appallingly when you think about the unwritten covenant they effectively have with the British people and the 'family's of the Commonwealth. Role models my arse.

I've often pondered on H&M getting the fuck away, Rousette. I'm not a huge fan, as you know - I find the patter all a bit cloying at times. But I've absolutely seen the creepy racism of things like the Charlie Hebdo magazine cartoon, the comments on social media (including here), etc.

One of the reasons I can understand them leaving is that they wanted to get away from the hypocrisy of royal life.

I would love to know their views on Andrew. I wonder if there will ever be any hints. Currently there seems to be a blanket radio silence. I bet H&M have opinions. (I'm not saying they have information - but they'll have views, not least how it might affect them and their standing.)

They didn't actually want to "get away".
They wanted a half in, half out which wasn't allowed. To quit completely wasn't the plan for Sussex Royal.

It's infuriating that the RF have handled this so appallingly when you think about the unwritten covenant they effectively have with the British people and the 'family's of the Commonwealth.

Anyone who fell for that claptrap is just plain thick. Why on earth would a family that is embedded in hereditary privilege ever give a flying fuck about the plebian masses ?

The good thing about unwritten anythings is they don't exist. Much like the unwritten cheque for a million pounds I might have tried to cash to howls of laughter.

And shame on anyone who is happy to be a parent in the UK and happily tell their child to accept being a "commoner". Fuck that. Look where it got us.

The only thing they care about is maintaining their priviledge and wealth. That is their number one priority. Themselves. And should anything threaten that they might act. If not they won't.

I’m finding this all a bit mystifying. How on earth is the Royal family to blame for the behaviour of its most deeply unpleasant member? They can’t force him to do anything he doesn’t want to and he most definitely doesn’t want to cooperate with the FBI. They’re not certainly not defending him.

The Sussex silence is intriguing given the previous eagerness to criticise the family. I can only assume that, because it doesn’t directly affect them, they don’t really care. Which is strange given Meghan’s feminist credentials.

The fact that Andrew was allowed into Balmoral was an active choice. If the RF wasn't trying to protect him why are so many of them in Balmoral with him - they have plenty of other castles to stay in? Why is the Q paying his legal bills?

I do not want to get into the rabbit hole about the Sussexes because it is irrelevant.
I do not expect Sussexes to make a statement anymore than Eugenie. I am not prepared to throw a random woman under the bus with PA apart from the Q, who is CHOOSING to fund his legal defence.

I also find it really really odd that people who live in America and are not tax payer funded need to be brought into a conversation about a man accused of CSA and maintaining a decades long friendship with a known pimp and paedophile. PA is tax payer funded. We the tax payer are funding this charade and we funded the flights and secuirty while he was engaging in his activities. it is disgusting and an outrage.

I want to keep the spotlight on PA and those facilitating him and keep the empathy for the victims.

Blossom

I disagree with your post. Andrew is a taxpayer funded member of the RF. And we are paying his massive legal bills, and will be paying any payout. Of course he should be co-operating. The silence is deafening from the RF. Of course they are shielding him.

The Sussex silence is intriguing given the previous eagerness to criticise the family. I can only assume that, because it doesn’t directly affect them, they don’t really care. Which is strange given Meghan’s feminist credentials

So now you're blaming Meghan for not criticising Prince Andrew? That's quite a stretch in the way of criticism of her

Can you even begin to imagine the furore and outrage on here and in the Daily Mail if they dared to even mention what's going on with Andrew?
I think the first in the queue to talk about it is the Queen/Royal Family.
M&H quite sensibly are staying out of it. Wise move.

Great post @nottodaybatman

@Blossomtoes

I have family members I find merely rude, I do not go on holiday with them, or go anywhere near them. Nor do I fund their bills. So while no one can make PA do anything. Playing happy family on holiday at his mum's house with extended family and paying his bills feels very much like familial support and protection.

We don't know if they're "playing happy families", there could be robust and uncomfortable meetings.
Maybe finances are being looked at, who knows? I agree that he's been taxpayer funded and that sticks in my craw, but there is a wind of change.
Meghan and Harry? They're pally with Sarah Ferguson, Beatrice and Eugenie. Maybe they don't want to comment. Their choice.

The Sussex silence is intriguing given the previous eagerness to criticise the family. I can only assume that, because it doesn’t directly affect them, they don’t really care. Which is strange given Meghan’s feminist credentials.

Why not Sophie Wessex then, given she works with organisations combatting sexual violence against women? But me mentioning that down thread was apparently holding women responsible for the behaviour of men?

(To be clear, I don't actually hold Meghan or Sophie or Beatrice or Eugenie or even Fergie responsible for Andrew's behaviour. But the show of happy families does stick in my craw.)

Why not Sophie Wessex then, given she works with organisations combatting sexual violence against women?

Or Camilla who is involved in domestic abuse charities.

But no... it has to be Meghan who lives in the US and is not a working member of the RF

@Blossomtoes

I’m finding this all a bit mystifying. How on earth is the Royal family to blame for the behaviour of its most deeply unpleasant member? They can’t force him to do anything he doesn’t want to and he most definitely doesn’t want to cooperate with the FBI. They’re not certainly not defending him.

The Sussex silence is intriguing given the previous eagerness to criticise the family. I can only assume that, because it doesn’t directly affect them, they don’t really care. Which is strange given Meghan’s feminist credentials.

Of course you managed crowbar in a criticism of Meghan on a thread about PA's alleged misconduct.

It would be utterly unthinkable if some component of this was not her fault!

This is why I have no time for the monarchy or its "charity work"

None of it is real in the sense that even if Sophie Wessex (just an example) is truly engaged in her charities she cannot say or allude to anything that compromises the financial wellbeing of the company she works for (i.e. the RF), nor can she say or allude to anything that is relevant to domestic or international politics. Nor does she have any money of her own to actually donate.

All she and other members of the RF can do is draw attention to a cause via a few photo ops. It is ridiculous as a "job" in normal circumstanses but unsustainable when your "colleagues" cannot be fired and engage in behaviour like PA.

The primary purpose of the RF is to sustain the institution with tax payer funding and privileges in tact. All charity work etc is a very dim and distant second order concern and imo only exists to achieve the first objective.
PA, the behaviour of the others and even the tone of the commentary of most of media (at least in the UK) has been about the impact on the RF / Q. It is really distasteful.

I am not in favour of the monarchy but I am happy to ignore it since it seems to keep a minority happy and doesn't impact my day to to day life. But seeing headlines and articles about how PA can avoid the FBI and the poor Q is revolting. There are real victims here; there are other victims of other CSA and apart from a few outlets the media response has been depressing.

I think you misunderstand me, @SerendipityJane. The 'unwritten covenant' shtick is the crap peddled by the monarchy itself, their lackeys and media arselickers, along with all the 'mystique' nonsense. I've never bought into it. It's historically interesting as a curiosity, but barking as a part of a parliamentary democracy.

The appearance that HMQ and/or the Royal Family are aiding, sheltering or otherwise assisting a very reticent, non-cooperative and often truculent Prince Andrew looks bloody terrible for them, and I'm not sorry about that, too right they should look like arseholes - and I am pissed off with the hypocrisy and that is being allowed to happen in front of our eyes while we're supposed to look the other way out of deference.

I appreciate what posters are saying - that this is just the cherry on top of an already rotten cake.

There was a time when I might have been prepared to accept a slimline, ceremonial, working monarchy, but I'm not sure any more. It's like they've finally jumped the shark.

Great post and so agree.

I have posted on here before a link to a massive study on what the benefits are of Royal patronages, or should I say, what the benefits are not.

I think this whole debacle has highlighted what the RF do or don't do not in a good way. They are having the biggest spotlight ever shone on them because of Andrew.

So now you're blaming Meghan for not criticising Prince Andrew

No blame, purely musing.

Why not Sophie Wessex then, given she works with organisations combatting sexual violence against women? Or Camilla who is involved in domestic abuse charities

Because neither of them have ever spoken a word of criticism about the RF. My comment was based on the Sussexes’ readiness to criticise the family on other issues yet not this one.