Prince Andrew’s disgrace is now set in stone
The death by suicide of Virginia Giuffre, 41, has brought a tragic end to the royal scandal that engulfed Prince Andrew —and with it, any remaining hopes of rehabilitating his reputation.
Giuffre, a key accuser in the Jeffrey Epstein case, died by suicide at her Australian farm years after alleging that Andrew sexually abused her when she was 17.
She had pursued the Duke of York with tenacity, forcing him to “step back” from public duties and eventually securing a multi-million-pound settlement in 2022 (with no admission of liability from Andrew).
Andrew has always denied wrongdoing, and the claims were never tested in criminal court, but his name was dragged through the mire.
Now, the damage that sordid episode caused is set in concrete.
Public sympathy will henceforth and forever lie with Giuffre, remembered by her family as a “fierce warrior” for abuse survivors this weekend.
In contrast, Prince Andrew’s pathetic attempts to defend himself have only ever deepened his disgrace.
He continues to claim to friends that he has “no recollection” of meeting Giuffre, despite that photograph of him with his arm around her bare, teenage waist, with a ghoulish Ghislaine Maxwell grinning nastily behind them.
His now-notorious 2019 BBC Newsnight interview—in which he bizarrely claimed to have been at a Pizza Express on the day he was alleged to be with Giuffre and suggested Giuffre was lying about meeting him because she said he was sweaty and he claimed to have lost the ability to sweat—backfired disastrously, prompting nationwide ridicule and scorn.
The prince, often dubbed the “queen’s favorite son,” was stripped of royal patronages and official duties following the interview.
He paid a rumored $14 million in an out-of-court settlement—a deal reportedly urged on him by the late queen to avoid a humiliating court trial.
Any notion that Andrew might one day clear his name or return to public life had long been viewed as remote.
It is now impossible.
Andrew’s friends have indicated that the prince, 65, will make no comment on Giuffre’s death. Rightly so: No statement could do anything to ameliorate the personal or the public relations catastrophe that this damning chapter of royal history represents.
Prince Andrew’s name is irrevocably tarnished with a stigma that will follow him for life.
He is finished.
Prince William represents king at Pope Francis’s funeral
Prince William took a major step into his future life as a global statesman Saturday, attending the funeral of Pope Francis in Rome on behalf of his ailing father, King Charles III. The gorgeous ceremony in St. Peter’s Square unfolded under blue skies, drawing a cornucopia of world leaders in an extraordinary display of global power.
In a crowd that included kings, queens, and heads of state, the Prince of Wales’s presence marked a significant milestone in his evolution.
King Charles, who is undergoing cancer treatment, decided not to travel.
Time, then, for William to assume more duties.
The guest list at the Vatican was a who’s who of world figures: President Donald Trump was unexpectedly given a front-row seat at the funeral mass, as was Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky (the two managed a brief meeting before the service).
Nearby sat France’s President Emmanuel Macron alongside European royals such as King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain.
Be in no doubt: William’s appearance was a dry run for his future role as king, and the 42-year-old prince carried himself with the necessary gravitas and diplomacy, all welcome signs of his growing confidence on the international stage.
The experience will serve William well in the years ahead, as Charles’s health issues mean the Prince of Wales will likely have to step up sooner rather than later.
Meghan Markle now uses daughter Lilibet to promote jam on social media
The Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, risks being called a hypocrite after using her young daughter to promote her jam on Instagram, despite having frequently condemned online platforms and intrusion into her family life.
Markle, 43, posted an Instagram story showcasing her homemade strawberry jam complete with an appearance (in the form of a voice cameo) by Princess Lilibet. In the clips shared to her account, Meghan can be seen stirring a pot of berries in her Montecito kitchen and asking three-year-old Lilibet for a verdict on the freshly made preserve.
The toddler’s reply—“I think it’s beautiful”—is the first time the public has heard “Lili” speak.
While the footage of the little princess’s sweet voice might seem heart-warming, it will raise eyebrows given Markle and Harry’s past stance on privacy and social media.
Both she and Harry have repeatedly warned in apocalyptic terms of the dangers of social media. They also often speak about protecting their children from the media glare. Yet now Markle is actively using Instagram—and even featuring little Lilibet’s voice and hands—to boost her personal brand.
It all looks very cynical, especially given that Markle and Harry fired off another broadside against the evil social media companies this week.
Cynics will dismiss the argument that Meghan is simply sharing an innocuous mum-and-daughter moment as naïve.
Meghan is now wide open to accusations that she is Instagramming her kids for publicity.
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