Prince Andrew: chronology of his awkward moments

There is always a black sheep in the family, and the British Royal Family is not exempt from that rule. They have appeared negatively in the media due to events that put Prince Andrew in a bad light. Here is a summary of his biggest scandals.

According to the El Mundo website, as a young man, he was a member of royalty who caused admiration, especially for his participation in the 1982 Falklands War. However, the press also referred to him as a 'Randy Andy' because he liked to fool around.

Currently, the prince doesn't wear his military stripes anymore. His connection to the Epstein trafficking scheme has led to him being removed from public duties and considered an outsider. Let's have a look at the events that got him to this place.

The 64-year-old royal was reported to Scotland Yard by the anti-monarchy organization Republic for using an apocryphal name and falsifying information on official documents to set up a private investment company, the New York Post reported.

The Duke of York reportedly used the pseudonym 'Andrew Inverness' - a title given to him by his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, after his marriage to Sarah Ferguson in 1986 - in 2003 to set up Naples Gold Limited with retail magnate Johan Eliasch.

He also faces questioning over his ties to China, due to his contacts with a businessman accused of espionage. The prince issued a statement saying he had met the man through official channels, never discussed anything delicate, and had broken all contact after the true identity of the man was exposed.

However, the level of trust between them had reached the point where the alleged Chinese spy was invited to Andrew's birthday party in 2020, was reportedly welcomed at Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle on numerous occasions, and acted on Andrew's behalf to deal with potential investors in China.

In November 2021, the Chinese spy was arrested and conversations were found on his mobile phone that alerted the British domestic intelligence service. Known as H6, he was expelled from the UK following a 2023 conviction for trying to exploit Prince Andrew’s influence.

Following this scandal, the Duke of York did not attend the British royal family's Christmas dinner at Sandringham, despite the tradition of doing so.

On September 19, the three-episode miniseries 'A Very Royal Scandal' was released on Prime Video. It portrays the interview that ended Prince Andrew's public life in 2019. His relationship with Jeffrey Epstein came to light, as well as photos of him with one of the trafficker's alleged victims, Virginia Giuffre. The prince had to explain himself and this made for memorable television.

Image: Prime Video

In August, London's National Portrait Gallery said it planned to include a photo from the infamous interview with the Prince in 2019. Journalist Emily Maitlis (photo) interrogated Andrew about his relationship with Epstein, the American tycoon accused of abusing and trafficking young women.

Photo: YouTube, BBC News

The image, which captured a very uncomfortable Prince Andrew when asked about his relationship with Epstein, would permanently hang in the museum's collection, according to the Daily Mail.

Photo: YouTube, BBC News

In an attempt to evict him from the Royal Lodge residence in Windsor over the scandals he was involved in, King Charles III allegedly fired a team of 10 security personnel who were guarding the property.

"It is no secret that the King wants him out," an insider told the Daily Express newspaper. Andrew has been living virtually secluded at the Royal Lodge since his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein came to light.

Before the Amazon limited series, the Netflix project 'Scoop' was also inspired by the infamous BBC interview of prince Andrew by Emily Maitlis. The Duke was played by Rufus Sewell and the journalist by Gillian Anderson.

Photo: Netflix

The scandal surrounding his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein caused Andrew to be no longer welcome in Buckingham's bedrooms. On orders from King Charles III, Andrew had to rule out staying at the Palace when he was in London, according to the newspaper The Sun.

"Andrew loved having a suite at Buckingham Palace, where he was not only set up for marital life with Sarah Ferguson but used it as a bachelor’s pad after his divorce," a source told the British newspaper.

Because of his friendship with Epstein, Prince Andrew was stripped of his royal patronages and titles, as well as his positions in various charities and his military decorations. He was no longer called His Royal Highness.

All these repercussions from his relatives had come after a painful civil suit in New York. Virginia Giuffre filed the suit and accused the prince of improper relations when she was 17 years old. The prince denied the allegations. The case was dismissed after both parties reached a settlement in which Andrew reportedly paid around 12 million pounds.

After Epstein's death, women came forward to accuse Andrew of having participated in his tycoon friend's dirty businesses. Several images emerged, showing him as he entered Epstein's mansion.

After the dirt came to light, Prince Andrew decided to give an interview to the BBC at Buckingham Palace. He wanted to address the reports about his relationship with Epstein, but his plan backfired.

Photo: YouTube, BBC News

The son of Queen Elizabeth II was harshly criticized for the interview. He denied all allegations while showing no empathy for the victims. He also said that Epstein had "behaved in an inappropriate manner," which surprised many viewers because it was a euphemistic phrase to describe the abuse.

Photo: YouTube, BBC News

Women like Virginia Guiffre keep the story alive, even though the mogul Epstein himself escaped judgment by taking his life in prison.

Epstein's accomplice and another friend of Prince Andrew, Ghislaine Maxwell, may still have stories to spill about the royal's escapade. She was sentenced to 20 years in prison after her trial in 2022.

Prince Andrew was married to Sarah Ferguson from 1986 to 1996. At that time, a series of mutual infidelities had come to light. However, Andrew and Sarah have always remained close. They have two daughters, Beatrice and Eugenie, and have also become grandparents.

Prince Andrew's first scandal was his relationship with actress Koo Stark, whom he met on a blind date in 1981. The prince was smitten with her, but she turned out to have a racy reputation, with photos and videos that Buckingham Palace would not have been able to live with. 'Randy Andy' had to call things off with her.

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