Report: Prince Andrew Is Scared

Prince Andrew has canceled his annual golfing trip in Spain—of course he routinely goes golfing in Spain, why would you even ask?—because Ghislaine Maxwell’s arrest has reportedly severely rattled his cage, and most likely, he won’t be going anywhere for a while for fear of somehow being snapped up by US authorities.

Federal authorities have finally bagged Maxwell, Epstein’s alleged co-abuser—and the woman who reportedly introduced him to Prince Andrew, who’s in the infamous photo of Andrew and his accuser, Virginia Giuffre. Now the Daily Mail has reported that, according to their sources, “The Duke of York is ‘nervous’ about leaving Britain so has sacked off a holiday in the Costa del Sol,” and “reports suggest” that “His fears about travelling abroad have only worsened after his friend Ghislaine Maxwell was arrested on Thursday.”

Meanwhile, a “palace source” told The Sun, “They know they can’t extradite him. What they’re trying to do is get him over voluntarily and, if they think they’ve got enough evidence, charge him there. He’s not a witness, he’s a covert target of this operation.” Hence: he will probably “never travel to the US again” and likely won’t be leaving the UK any time soon. Makes sense that he and Sarah Ferguson are attempting to sell their luxury Swiss chalet, although maybe that has more to do with the fact they’re being sued for $6.7 million over their original financial arrangements to purchase the house—an entirely separate embarrassment to the royal family.

Meanwhile, the New York Times reported that Andrew’s lawyers at the London firm of Blackfords apparently reached out to a Washington lobbyist named Robert Stryk “with ties to the Trump administration,” who “represents international figures with sensitive legal or diplomatic issues.” But the Times said he wasn’t too sure about the prospect of having anything to do with Prince Andrew:

Mr. Stryk has a history of taking on clients with unsavory reputations. But he expressed discomfort about the possibility of assisting Prince Andrew, and talks about the potential representation appear to have fizzled, according to the person familiar with the situation.

Of course, it remains to be seen what the authorities can actually get out of Maxwell herself. The Guardian reported that a friend of hers expects her to take a plea deal and to keep her mouth shut about Andrew: “She’s always told me that she would never ever say anything about him. I think she felt that he was her friend and she was never ever going to say anything about him. She really felt that in the ‘90s when her father died that Prince Andrew was there for her, in many ways.” Like, for instance, the time he took her on a private tour of Buckingham Palace and let her sit on his mother’s throne next to Kevin Spacey!