Prince Andrew escapes to Balmoral estate with Charles
It is expected that their daughters, Beatrice, 37, and Eugenie, 35, with join them later in the summer.
On Monday morning, Charles arrived in the Aberdeenshire castle in his state Bentley and inspected regimental mascot Corporal Cruachan IV, a Shetland pony, as it stood with handler Corporal Rory Stewart as the monarch inspected his Royal Guard.
A Guard of Honour was held by Balaklava Company, 5th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland (SCOTS) to officially welcome the King to Balmoral, although he attended a church service there on Sunday in a private capacity.
Andrew was previously was banned from Christmas at Sandringham due to his connections with Chinese man accused of being a spy, but has been invited to Balmoral after an unflattering biography of the disgraced duke by Andrew Lownie this month delved into the private life of the late Queen's son, depicting him as sex obsessed, a 'useful idiot' and easy prey for Jeffrey Epstein.
Prince Andrew and the late Virginia Giuffre The biography also alleged that Andrew's affairs with nannies behind Ferguson's back were well-known and accused the Prince of allegedly making vulgar jokes about women at dinners.
The book comes two thirds of Britons believe the Duke of York should be stripped of his remaining royal titles, according to a new poll.
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Daily Record
2 hours ago
- Daily Record
Prince Andrew warned to 'brace himself' as bombshell Epstein files to be made public
The disgraced Duke of York, already scarred by years of scandal, could find his name splashed across official US records. Prince Andrew has been told to 'brace himself' as bombshell American government files on Jeffrey Epstein are set to be made public within days. Disgraced Andrew - already scarred by years of scandal - could find his name splashed across official US records as Congress prepares to release secret documents linked to his paedophile billionaire pal. Congress will start receiving the first batch of papers from the Department of Justice on Friday. As reported by the Mirror, they have vowed to publish the files once victims' identities and other sensitive material have been blacked out. A House Oversight Committee spokesperson confirmed to our sister title: 'The Committee intends to make the records public after thorough review to ensure all victims' identification and child sexual abuse material are redacted. The Committee will also consult with the DOJ to ensure any documents released do not negatively impact ongoing criminal cases and investigations.' The move piles pressure on the Duke of York, whose ties to Epstein - including accusations he repeatedly slept with the financier's 'teen sex slave' Virginia Giuffre - have left his royal reputation in tatters. Andrew has always vehemently denied all wrongdoing. A victim of Epstein today said the public release of the files would leave numerous high-profile men nervous, none more so than the Duke of York. 'Andrew should brace himself,' she said. 'When these files are finally made public, countless men, some of whom may have never been named before, will have to answer for their friendship with Jeffrey. Survivors like me have had to live with the shame and trauma while men in power carried on as if nothing happened." The woman, who is now 38 and accepted compensation from the Epstein victim fund, added: 'If your Prince's name is there, then he must answer for it. No amount of royal privilege, no titles, no lawyers should protect him from the truth. He should be ready, because the world will see exactly who was mixed up with Jeffrey and what they chose to ignore.' The files' public publication comes after famed US attorney Gloria Allred recently said Andrew, 65, should appear before US lawmakers to give evidence about his knowledge of Epstein. The lawyer, who represents several of the paedophiles' victims, said: 'All I can say is, now more than ever, he should come forward, and he could volunteer to testify publicly.' Congress is said to be moving fast, with insiders warning the first revelations could come 'in days rather than weeks.' Committee chairman James Comer said the documents would finally shed light on a saga the Trump administration has been accused of covering up. It comes after the Justice Department declared in July that 'no further disclosures' about Epstein were needed - a decision that outraged victims, campaigners, as well as the President's MAGA base. The US leader had campaigned for the White House on the promise he would make all the government's Epstein documents public. For years, America has been obsessed with so-called 'Epstein files' amid lurid speculation that the financier kept a secret list of powerful friends who enjoyed the company of underage girls. The FBI and DOJ insist no such list exists. However, earlier this year, former Attorney General Pam Bondi promised to release the files when she claimed, 'It's on my desk.' Donald Trump, who was a close friend of Epstein for over three decades, was often seen at parties in Palm Beach and Manhattan together and is now facing awkward questions of his own. His critics are circling, pointing to tech billionaire Elon Musk's claim that he is named in the files. Days after the Tesla owner made the claims, Trump's administration performed a U-turn, stating there were no files in existence. The move sparked civil war among Trump's MAGA base, with some splitting from him. Epstein, once a jet-set banker with links to presidents, princes and billionaires, died in his New York jail cell in August 2019. Officially ruled a suicide, his sudden death has fuelled years of conspiracy theories - with many believing he was murdered to stop him talking. Such rumours refuse to die, especially with the US government now forced to hand over files that could drag a string of rich and famous names back into the mud. The threat could not be clearer for Andrew. His car-crash BBC Newsnight interview, in which he insisted he didn't sweat and denied ever meeting accuser Giuffre, remains one of the most humiliating episodes in royal history. Though he later settled Giuffre's New York civil lawsuit with a reported £12 million payment, he has always denied wrongdoing.
Daily Mirror
3 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Prince Andrew told to 'brace himself' as explosive Epstein files to be made public
Disgraced Prince Andrew could find his name splashed across official US records as Congress prepares to release secret documents linked to the billionaire sex offender Prince Andrew has been told to 'brace himself' as explosive American government files on his paedophile pal Jeffrey Epstein are set to be made public within days. The disgraced Duke of York, already scarred by years of scandal, could find his name splashed across official US records as Congress prepares to release secret documents linked to the billionaire sex offender. On Friday, Congress will start receiving the first batch of papers from the Department of Justice. They have vowed to publish the files once victims' identities and other sensitive material have been blacked out. A House Oversight Committee spokesperson confirmed to the Mirror: 'The Committee intends to make the records public after thorough review to ensure all victims' identification and child sexual abuse material are redacted. The Committee will also consult with the DOJ to ensure any documents released do not negatively impact ongoing criminal cases and investigations.' The move piles pressure on Andrew, whose ties to Epstein - including accusations he repeatedly slept with the financier's 'teen sex slave' Virginia Giuffre - have left his royal reputation in tatters. Andrew has always vehemently denied all wrongdoing. A victim of Epstein today said the public release of the files would leave numerous high-profile men nervous, none more so than the Duke of York. 'Andrew should brace himself,' she said. 'When these files are finally made public, countless men, some of whom may have never been named before, will have to answer for their friendship with Jeffrey. Survivors like me have had to live with the shame and trauma while men in power carried on as if nothing happened." The woman, who is now 38 and accepted compensation from the Epstein victim fund, added: 'If your Prince's name is there, then he must answer for it. No amount of royal privilege, no titles, no lawyers should protect him from the truth. He should be ready, because the world will see exactly who was mixed up with Jeffrey and what they chose to ignore.' The files' public publication comes after famed US attorney Gloria Allred recently told The Mirror that Andrew, 65, should appear before US lawmakers to give evidence about his knowledge of Epstein. The lawyer, who represents several of the paedophiles' victims, said: 'All I can say is, now more than ever, he should come forward, and he could volunteer to testify publicly.' Congress is said to be moving fast, with insiders warning the first revelations could come 'in days rather than weeks.' Committee chairman James Comer said the documents would finally shed light on a saga the Trump administration has been accused of covering up. It comes after the Justice Department declared in July that 'no further disclosures' about Epstein were needed - a decision that outraged victims, campaigners, as well as the President's MAGA base. The US leader had campaigned for the White House on the promise he would make all the government's Epstein documents public. For years, America has been obsessed with so-called 'Epstein files' amid lurid speculation that the financier kept a secret list of powerful friends who enjoyed the company of underage girls. The FBI and DOJ insist no such list exists. However, earlier this year, former Attorney General Pam Bondi promised to release the files when she claimed, 'It's on my desk.' Donald Trump, who was a close friend of Epstein for over three decades, was often seen at parties in Palm Beach and Manhattan together and is now facing awkward questions of his own. His critics are circling, pointing to tech billionaire Elon Musk's claim that he is named in the files. Days after the Tesla owner made the claims, Trump's administration performed a U-turn, stating there were no files in existence. The move sparked civil war among Trump's MAGA base, with some splitting from him. Epstein, once a jet-set banker with links to presidents, princes and billionaires, died in his New York jail cell in August 2019. Officially ruled a suicide, his sudden death has fuelled years of conspiracy theories - with many believing he was murdered to stop him talking. Such rumours refuse to die, especially with the US government now forced to hand over files that could drag a string of rich and famous names back into the mud. For Prince Andrew, the threat could not be clearer. His car-crash BBC Newsnight interview, in which he insisted he didn't sweat and denied ever meeting accuser Giuffre, remains one of the most humiliating episodes in royal history. Though he later settled Giuffre's New York civil lawsuit with a reported £12 million payment, he has always denied wrongdoing.
Daily Mail
6 hours ago
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Fergie's relationship with Jeffrey Epstein was 'very, very close': Royal biographer claims disgraced financier paid 'a lot of' her bills - and Duchess stayed friends with him for five YEARS after claiming they'd parted ways
Sarah Ferguson had a 'very, very close' relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, who paid 'a lot of' her bills, a royal biographer has claimed. Historian Andrew Lownie, whose explosive new biography of disgraced Prince Andrew, Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York, was released last week, appeared on Tina Brown's Substack, Fresh Hell, on Tuesday. In his video chat with the fellow royal author, Mr Lownie discussed how the Duke and Duchess of York allegedly continued their friendship with Epstein after the late financier had been convicted of child sex offences. Despite Andrew apparently telling friends his infamous trip to see the paedophile multi-millionaire in New York in 2010 was to tell him they could no longer be friends, Mr Lownie claimed the relationship 'went on much longer'. The royal author also alleged that Epstein, who killed himself in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, 'paid a lot of Fergie's (Sarah Ferguson's) bills'. Mr Lownie published a series of revelations in his book about the finances and alleged infidelity of the Duke and Duchess of York, including 'greedy and needy' Sarah's huge debts. The author claimed the royals even tried to ban the biography. During his chat with Tina, the historian claimed: 'For Epstein, Andrew provided status, respectability and some useful contacts through his time as special trade envoy. 'In fact, Andrew made sure that Epstein went on some of these trips. Shoe horned him into meetings. And for Andrew, Epstein provided, as you say, girls. 'He provided someone who paid a lot of Fergie's bills and as someone, again, with useful contacts and a jet set life. And Andrew was going through his mid life crisis about the time that he really got very friendly with Epstein. Mr Lownie said someone described the pair's relationship 'like that between a rattlesnake and a mouse' but added that the friendship 'went on much longer than it should have done'. 'I mean, not just after Epstein went to prison, but after 2010 when [Prince Andrew] claimed to have said goodbye, both he and Fergie continued to see Epstein,' alleged the author. Mr Lownie claimed the couple were still linked to the disgraced financier 'five years after this thing is supposed to have stopped'. He continued: 'And no one has really looked at Sarah's relationship with Epstein, which was very, very close.' It's been reported that Epstein paid £15,000 of Fergie's bills, however, the author suggested that the figure is rumoured to be significantly more. It's understood that the Duchess denies this. Further discussing the Duchess of York, Lownie revealed how she was described as 'greedy and needy', adding: 'I think those two things have not helped Andrew. I mean, I think he went into the Epstein relationship, partly to fund his wife, ex-wife.' MailOnline has contacted Sarah Ferguson's representatives for comment. Based on four years of painstaking research and hundreds of interviews, the new biography of Prince Andrew lays bare his lofty ambitions, thirst for wealth and hedonistic life. The Duke of York had a controversial friendship with paedophile Epstein, who once declared: 'We are both serial sex addicts. He's the only person I have met who is more obsessed with p***y than me'. Mr Lownie said Andrew 'was apparently a sex addict long before he came into Epstein's orbit'. 'He was called Randy Andy, even at school. He's clearly highly sexed. Various numbers have been quoted at me ranging from 1,000 to 3,000 women that he slept with. 'He was good looking, he was a prince and women threw themselves at him. He was a notch on their bedpost and he took advantage of that'. Mr Lownie believes he was unfaithful to Sarah on a number of occasions, but so was she. 'There are allegations that both of them had affairs pretty early in the marriage', he said. Mr Lownie's new book claimed Fergie had extramarital affairs with American Steve Wyatt and his friend John Bryan. Entitled: The Rise And Fall of The House Of York by Andrew Lownie has been serialised by the Daily Mail There were also allegations that Andrew slept with 'more than a dozen women' during the first year of their marriage. The author wrote: 'Friends say Andrew accepted his wife's infidelities and that his marriage was over. 'He would dine alone off a tray in his study while Sarah and one of her lovers ate together elsewhere in the house. Sarah, however, was jealous of any of Andrew's girlfriends. 'She wanted to remain "The One", with all the perks that brought, and girlfriends were invariably despatched through a mixture of charm and ruthlessness.' Mr Lownie has claimed the royals tried to ban his book, saying he received letters 'threatening to sue me, before a word of the manuscript had been seen'. Andrew and Fergie divorced in 1996 but still live together at Royal Lodge in Windsor.
