Prince Andrew sued by Virginia Roberts ll

[Blossomtoes]

Continued from previous thread

I rather imagine that PA might have even more to hide than suspected, and that it'll not only reflect badly on the crown but implicate someone else of importance in a monstrous collusion. Possibly financial, possibly in the realm of knowledge of sex trafficking and sex crimes, but certainly something criminal.

You'd think he could have done some damage limitation by cooperating with the FBI as he said he would.

But after reading Roussette's post on the other thread about the law, I can see why he would be arrogant enough no to.

Emily Maitlis... I have so much time for her, not just that interview, but very many others.

That is very interesting what you say @nottodaybatman. It does seem bizarre that the RF are squandering their goodwill like this. Because... really.. I see no one properly defending him, and it's obvious the public really dislike his behaviour. I can only think it's the Queen and favourite son and all of that.

The public feel that at best he is guilty of appalling judgement, and at worse... sex crimes.

I honestly think this is going to drag on for years and years. There are so many legal loopholes he can apply to this.
I don't feel sorry for him, but I do think he should have addressed this 5 years ago. If he speaks out in his defence now he will be seen as tone deaf, if he is silent he will be seen as complicit or with something to hide. So whilst this rumbles on... the damage to the monarchy and indeed the country will be immense.

I can't get past many of the things he said in that interview. 'Just a straightforward shooting weekend' said with a shrug was a classic of arrogance and privilege.

Spindle I can't get past lots of that interview either.... my mouth dropped open at this...

PA: On balance, could I have avoided ever meeting him? Probably not and that's because of my friendship with Ghislaine, it was… it was… it was inevitable that we would have come across each other. Do I regret the fact that he has quite obviously conducted himself in a manner unbecoming? Yes.

EM: Unbecoming? He was a sex offender.

SHOCKING.

,

Arrogance and privilege
That is what it comes down to.

I wonder what the new Met Police inquiry will lead to. This new potential investigation will overlap with the Maxwell trial. While PA may be feeling snug and safe with mummy, I think Cressida Dick will be feeling uncomfortable.
Maxwell and Epstein spent time in the UK, presumably they had other "friends" here too.

Re the interview, I understood PA did it without palace handlers so we truly were seeing the unvarnished Andrew in all his glory.

@DuncinToffee

Arrogance and privilege That is what it comes down to.

And that saying ‘absolute power absolutely corrupts’

It’s so true

The Times is reporting that the Queen is letting him keep a senior military role. Afraid I don't have a share token but I've C&Ped the article. https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/queen-will-let-prince-andrew-keep-senior-guards-role-kq52jrs95

Queen will let Prince Andrew keep senior Guards role
Military concerned that duke’s continued presence after his withdrawal from public life over Epstein accusations is an embarrassment to armed forces

The Queen has “let it be known” that she wants the Duke of York to remain as colonel of the Grenadier Guards, despite little prospect of him returning to public duties.

In a significant intervention signalling her support for Prince Andreww, who is facing allegations of sexual assault which he denies, the monarch is understood to have conveyed her wish that her son keeps the honorary role he took over from the Duke of Edinburghh.

Military insiders say the situation is “unsatisfactory” and “very difficult”.

A senior military source said: “The Queen has let it be known to the regiment that she wants the Duke of York to remain as colonel and the feeling is that nobody wants to do anything that could cause upset to the colonel-in-chief. It is a very difficult, unsatisfactory situation.
“His position is not tenable or viable. How can you have a colonel who can’t perform the role? For the brief time he was in post, he was a good colonel, but the feeling across the regiment is that it’s not appropriate to retain him. You can’t have a colonel who can’t do public duties.”

The situation had been discussed among senior defence chiefs and “all agree that he should go”, the source said.

Military officials have previously called for Andrew to be “faded out” from his appointments, saying he has become an embarrassment to the armed forces.

Andrew, 61, took on the rolee from Prince Philip in 2017, but stepped back from public lifee “for the foreseeable future” in 2019 over his friendship with the late convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. In a statement he admitted that “the circumstances relating to my former association with Jeffrey Epstein has become a major disruption to my family’s work”.

One of Epstein’s victims, Virginia Giuffre, 38, filed a law suit against Andreww_ this month, accusing him of rape, sexual battery and sexual assault, after claiming she was trafficked by Epstein and forced to have sex with the duke three times when she was 17.

Andrew has consistently denied the claims but has not yet publicly responded to the civil case.
It has also been reported that he is considered a “person of interest” in the FBI’s ongoing investigations into Epstein.

The duke relinquished most of his patronages in 2019, following his disastrous intervieww_ with BBC Newsnight over his friendship with Epstein, and many other organisations have since severed links with him.

But he retains several prestigious honorary commands, including colonel of the Royal Highland Fusiliers, colonel-in-chief of the Yorkshire Regiment, commodore-in-chief of the Fleet Air Arm and honorary air commodore in the RAF.

The Duke of Sussex was forced to give up his military roles earlier this year, after confirming he would not return to royal duties.

Buckingham Palace is aware that any premature announcement on Andrew’s position could be viewed as prejudging the outcome of the law suit. But last year, palace aides confirmed there were “no plans to review” his position, and the Queen, although privately supportive of Andrew, is understood to be resigned to her second son’s permanent removal from public life, a view shared by the Prince of Wales and other senior royals.

Earlier this month, a source close to Charles, 72, said the issue was causing “unwelcome reputational damage to the institution” with “hideous regularity” and the heir to the throne had “long ago concluded that it is probably an unsolvable problem”.

The source said that “in the prince’s mind ... a way back for the duke is demonstrably not possible”.

Last year, a source close to Andrew said he intended to resume a “public role” to “serve his country” and “support the monarchy”. Andrew is currently at Balmoral with the Queen, where the monarch spends her summer break.

A Buckingham Palace spokesman said: “The Grenadiers and all the duke’s military appointments are in abeyance after he stepped back from royal duties for the foreseeable future in November 2019, this remains the situation.”

The MoD declined to comment.

Hmm . HM rarely puts a foot wrong but looks like this is one of those occasions.

In other words, Elizabeth II has “let it be known” that she wants a 'Person of Interest' in a sex trafficking case to remain as colonel of the Grenadier Guards.

Fucking hell. The poor Grenadier Guards. As if the recent events in Afghanistan weren't a big enough kick in the teeth. Now they have salute to a 'Person of Interest' in a sex trafficking case.

How can Elizabeth embarrass and disappoint them like this?

@SpindleWhorl
Because protecting Andrew must be protecting a broader aspect of the RF.

Survival of the institution is the primary function of the RF. They do not commit self harm, and definitely not for someone 9th in line who isn't popular.
It would be a quick and easy win for the RF to strip his patronages and still allow him to hide in balmoral

@KillingMeDeftly

The Times is reporting that the Queen is letting him keep a senior military role. Afraid I don't have a share token but I've C&Ped the article. https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/queen-will-let-prince-andrew-keep-senior-guards-role-kq52jrs95

Queen will let Prince Andrew keep senior Guards role
Military concerned that duke’s continued presence after his withdrawal from public life over Epstein accusations is an embarrassment to armed forces

The Queen has “let it be known” that she wants the Duke of York to remain as colonel of the Grenadier Guards, despite little prospect of him returning to public duties.

In a significant intervention signalling her support for Prince Andreww, who is facing allegations of sexual assault which he denies, the monarch is understood to have conveyed her wish that her son keeps the honorary role he took over from the Duke of Edinburghh.

Military insiders say the situation is “unsatisfactory” and “very difficult”.

A senior military source said: “The Queen has let it be known to the regiment that she wants the Duke of York to remain as colonel and the feeling is that nobody wants to do anything that could cause upset to the colonel-in-chief. It is a very difficult, unsatisfactory situation.
“His position is not tenable or viable. How can you have a colonel who can’t perform the role? For the brief time he was in post, he was a good colonel, but the feeling across the regiment is that it’s not appropriate to retain him. You can’t have a colonel who can’t do public duties.”

The situation had been discussed among senior defence chiefs and “all agree that he should go”, the source said.

Military officials have previously called for Andrew to be “faded out” from his appointments, saying he has become an embarrassment to the armed forces.

Andrew, 61, took on the rolee from Prince Philip in 2017, but stepped back from public lifee “for the foreseeable future” in 2019 over his friendship with the late convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. In a statement he admitted that “the circumstances relating to my former association with Jeffrey Epstein has become a major disruption to my family’s work”.

One of Epstein’s victims, Virginia Giuffre, 38, filed a law suit against Andreww_ this month, accusing him of rape, sexual battery and sexual assault, after claiming she was trafficked by Epstein and forced to have sex with the duke three times when she was 17.

Andrew has consistently denied the claims but has not yet publicly responded to the civil case.
It has also been reported that he is considered a “person of interest” in the FBI’s ongoing investigations into Epstein.

The duke relinquished most of his patronages in 2019, following his disastrous intervieww_ with BBC Newsnight over his friendship with Epstein, and many other organisations have since severed links with him.

But he retains several prestigious honorary commands, including colonel of the Royal Highland Fusiliers, colonel-in-chief of the Yorkshire Regiment, commodore-in-chief of the Fleet Air Arm and honorary air commodore in the RAF.

The Duke of Sussex was forced to give up his military roles earlier this year, after confirming he would not return to royal duties.

Buckingham Palace is aware that any premature announcement on Andrew’s position could be viewed as prejudging the outcome of the law suit. But last year, palace aides confirmed there were “no plans to review” his position, and the Queen, although privately supportive of Andrew, is understood to be resigned to her second son’s permanent removal from public life, a view shared by the Prince of Wales and other senior royals.

Earlier this month, a source close to Charles, 72, said the issue was causing “unwelcome reputational damage to the institution” with “hideous regularity” and the heir to the throne had “long ago concluded that it is probably an unsolvable problem”.

The source said that “in the prince’s mind ... a way back for the duke is demonstrably not possible”.

Last year, a source close to Andrew said he intended to resume a “public role” to “serve his country” and “support the monarchy”. Andrew is currently at Balmoral with the Queen, where the monarch spends her summer break.

A Buckingham Palace spokesman said: “The Grenadiers and all the duke’s military appointments are in abeyance after he stepped back from royal duties for the foreseeable future in November 2019, this remains the situation.”

The MoD declined to comment.

So basically the Queen wants him to retain a title for a job he can't do because she thinks his position of birth makes him better than the actual guards who are performing military duties

Fuck that

Also why announce that you are not going to do anything. This is such a weird story.

Testing the waters?

Lost the plot?

Drowing in arrogance?

I don't get it. Harry had to give up his military patronages now that he's not carrying out royal duties. So why not Andrew when he isn't carrying out any duties either? I always thought the "Andrew is the Queen's favourite child" stuff was just an urban legend but now I'm not so sure. I can't think of any other reason why he should get special treatment.

@KidneyBeans
Very true regarding Harry.
Also surely the courtiers would have nixed this statement.
I just find the idea of a 95 year old woman running roughshod over the courtiers and presumably Charles himself since 2019 when this all blew up unlikely. This would mean the Q alone has been running interference to protect PA from his brother and the courtiers with an eye on the optics for almost 2 years since the interview. Feels like a stretch.

I do not buy the favourite son explanation. Also this is very active and loud support involving the rota in additional to paying his bills behind the scenes. This is a departure from normal RF operating procedure.

@nottodaybatman

Also why announce that you are not going to do anything. This is such a weird story.

Nobody’s announced anything. This is the MoD’s way of applying pressure for him to step down.

@Blossomtoes
You are right - I read too quickly.

So now we have MoD pushing back too. Such a strange hill to die on. PA must know where a lot of bodies are buried.

[quote nottodaybatman]@KidneyBeans
Very true regarding Harry.
Also surely the courtiers would have nixed this statement.
I just find the idea of a 95 year old woman running roughshod over the courtiers and presumably Charles himself since 2019 when this all blew up unlikely. This would mean the Q alone has been running interference to protect PA from his brother and the courtiers with an eye on the optics for almost 2 years since the interview. Feels like a stretch.

I do not buy the favourite son explanation. Also this is very active and loud support involving the rota in additional to paying his bills behind the scenes. This is a departure from normal RF operating procedure.[/quote]
I am not a conspiracy theorist but considering that Epstein and Naxwellhad friends in a lot of high places, it does make you wonder what else PA might be connected to

I just don't get why the Queen would want him to carry on with this role when he's only been doing it since 2017 anyway, it's hardly a lifetime role he's had. There must be far more to this.

IF this is true... even one of the infamous Royal Reporters are against this...

Commenting on royal family's reaction, royal correspondent Richard Palmer said "Allowing Andrew to keep patronages after refusing to cooperate with legal inquiries would risk serious damage to the monarchy."

He added, "It was my understanding earlier this week that Prince Andrew would lose all of his patronages eventually but the wheels often turn slowly at the palace."

Well well well, what do we have in the press today. A number of 'Queen to hit back at M&H' stories running alongside the PA/Grenadier Guards story, as precicted by posters on here.

Source of Queen stories: 'senior palace aides'.

The comments on the PA/military story in the Mail Online are overwhelmingly hostile to PA and many openly despairing of the Queen's judgement on this. (I read them so you don't have to...)

The British public who tend to be reasonably comfortable with the monarchy also tend to be very protective of the armed forces who have served in Afghanistan and Iraq. Equally many republicans support the armed forces and their welfare. They don't want them having to salute a massive twat who should be considered Not On Normal Ceremonial Exercise. The symbolism does matter and it's completely inappropriate.

@SpindleWhorl
Very true

I anticipate the palace sources will be incandescent about M&H every time there is a bomb shell from the Maxwell trial in the coming months. I also think there will be strategically timed fluff pieces about the cambridge children dropped in there too.

So pathetic, predictable and coordinated

So pathetic, predictable and coordinated

Yet people fall for it time and time again. I predict yet another MN thread about the evils of the Sussexes before the day is out! Those fill up far quicker than the Andrew ones too.

The Cambridges have been very quiet over the summer and are yet to be sighted at Balmoral - I wonder if they're refusing to play ball? I guess we'll know if disparaging stories about them suddenly start to appear in the press too.