The mudslide fueled by revelations about the scandals that for years have involved Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, third son of the late Queen Elizabeth II and younger brother of King Charles III, is spreading without restraint. The British monarchy is trying to deflect this storm as much as possible, with the definitive (delayed) banishment of the reprobate. However, the media spotlight shows no sign of abating, as secrets, suspicions, and details that have remained unclear for too long are uncovered.

Stripped of his title of prince in recent days by Charles himself, in an unprecedented edict in modern times, 65-year-old Andrew remains in the crosshairs of further embarrassing media disclosures regarding his (well-known) ties to the late American pedophile fixer Jeffrey Epstein and other figures of dubious repute. These associations involve his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, and now risk threatening the position of their two daughters, Beatrice and Eugenie, who have so far been spared the humiliating revocation of their titles as princesses.

Meanwhile, a specter of uncertainty is also looming over the image and future of the monarchy itself, which has only belatedly and almost reluctantly (considering popular sentiment) moved to truly distance itself from a man who, on paper, remains eighth in line to the crown. This comes three years after the accession of the nearly 77-year-old Charles to the throne, replacing Elizabeth, the matriarch whose "favorite son" the former Duke of York was considered for decades. And just two years ago, the Dauphin William—now described by palace press as unyielding toward the black sheep of the House of Windsor, fearing disastrous consequences for his future reign—didn't bother being photographed behind the wheel while chauffeuring his uncle to a family mass.

Echoing the latest accusations is the Guardian, among others, which published the contents of new emails—bounced back from the US—exchanged between the former prince and Epstein in 2010, a year after the financier's first conviction for exploiting underage girls. In these messages, Andrea—who some Democrats would now like to see summoned to Washington to testify before Congress about the Epstein files—stated in black and white that he "hoped" to soon see his "friend" Jeffrey, who had just been released from prison.

And he welcomed the billionaire's request to meet with Jes Staley, a controversial banker—then a top executive at JP Morgan—who was later declared persona non grata in the UK for lying to authorities about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. The BBC, for its part, casts doubt on the role Sarah Ferguson once played as a "brand ambassador" (in exchange for a multimillion-dollar fee) on behalf of a cryptocurrency mining company founded in Las Vegas by another controversial American businessman, Jay Bloom.

A character introduced by the former duchess also to her daughter Beatrice and, then, between 2018 and 2019, to Andrew himself: up to a guided tour of Buckingham Palace, where the then prince still had an office, under the protective mantle of his mother, having continued to carry out official representation roles for the dynasty until 2020, before the re-explosion of the Epstein scandal.

A scandal that will meanwhile also cost "Mr. Mountbatten-Windsor" the loss of his Royal Navy rank of vice-admiral, which is being revoked by Keir Starmer's Labour government at the explicit direction of his brother "the king," according to a statement recently made by Defense Minister John Healey. This is a residual connection to that uniform, of which Andrew—despite being excluded from military ranks for five years—continued to be proud, at least as a retired British Navy officer: a reminder of the distant youthful "glories" of his war mission during the Falklands-Malvinas conflict against Argentina.

(Unioneonline)

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