Prince Andrew’s Troubles Complicated By His Immense Unpopularity With Nearly Everybody

After a “review,” London’s Metropolitan police have announced they’ll take no further action in Virginia Giuffre’s allegations against Prince Andrew. Giuffre says Jeffrey Epstein coerced her into non-consensual sex with Andrew when she was 17; Andrew has repeatedly denied the allegations. But that’s about the only good news for the disgraced Duke of York, who reportedly has not one but two future kings of the United Kingdom aligned against his return to public life. “William is no fan of Uncle Andrew,” a friend told the Times of London.

In the wake of Giuffre’s suit against Andrew, filed in a New York court in August and alleging sexual abuse, ITV reported, Met police commissioner Cressida Dick announced she’d have her officers review materials related to the case. Sunday, the Met announced they were done: “As a matter of procedure MPS officers reviewed a document released in August 2021 as part of a US civil action. This review has concluded and we are taking no further action.”

A source “close to Andrew” told the PA Media news agency: “It comes as no surprise that the Met police have confirmed that, having reviewed the sex assault claims against the duke for a third time, they are taking no further action.” The source continued: “Despite pressure from the media and claims of new evidence, the Met have concluded that the claims are not sufficient to warrant any further investigation. The duke has always vigorously maintained his innocence and continues to do so.”

Andrew has also been granted access to a sealed document his legal team was seeking as part of their response to Giuffre’s lawsuit, the BBC reported. The document was part of a settlement between Giuffre and Epstein, which Andrew’s lawyers are arguing would render her current suit invalid; they’re claiming she agreed not to sue anybody else connected with Epstein. Giuffre’s lawyers argue the document is irrelevant to Andrew.

But it would take way, way more to repair the damage already done to Andrew’s reputation.

Things aren’t even going well for Andrew in the bosom of his own family, the Times reported. After Giuffre filed, a source close to Charles told the paper that, “a way back for the duke is demonstrably not possible, because the spectre of this [accusation] raises its head with hideous regularity.” And reportedly, William doesn’t think much of Uncle Andy, either, and agrees that he should be permanently sidelined. Which means that Andrew has got not one but two heirs to the throne against his restoration to a public role:

“William is no fan of Uncle Andrew,” says a friend of the Duke of Cambridge.

Another source close to William says that one of the “triggers” that “really gets him” about Andrew is his uncle’s perceived “ungracious and ungrateful” attitude towards his position, which William considers “a risk” and “threat to the family”. “Any suggestion that there isn’t gratitude for the institution, anything that could lead anyone in the public to think that senior members of the royal family aren’t grateful for their position, [William thinks] is really dangerous,” says the source.

It seems to have descended into dark workplace comedy, at one point, when Andrew was apparently very keen to get on camera to talk about his recently deceased father. Also from the Times:

Alarm bells sounded in palace circles in the immediate aftermath of the Duke of Edinburgh’s death in April, when Andrew made it known that he intended to pay a public tribute to his father. “He was literally gunning to be in front of a camera and was making it clear to the households that he was going to be in front of a camera asap,” says a royal source. Once again Charles was not amused, and hastily recorded a tribute to his “dear Papa” the day after his death, ensuring that Andrew, who spoke to cameras the following day, did not get there first.

Fergie can run all over the world defending Andrew’s character, but if Charles and William say he’s done in the Firm, then he’s done. Nor is it just the heirs to the throne; the Times spoke to multiple sources to attest to the Duke’s deep lack of popularity. Said one military source, flat out: “He’s a total dickhead, an arrogant shit.” A royal title is all well and good, but nobody shows up to help in your hour of need when you’ve devoted your life to being a complete and total asshole.