No one, not even the Duke of York, is above the law

Editorial: Now that Virginia Giuffre has sued the prince, the allegations against him, which are serious, are commanding headlines again

Prince Andrew has ‘stepped back’ from royal duties (Getty)

The House of Windsor has an ostrich-like habit of ignoring things that are unpleasant in the belief that if they don’t look at trouble, then trouble won’t come and get them.

The current management of the troubled Duke of York is a fine example of this tactic. Since his disastrous attempt to “clear the air” over the Jeffrey Epstein allegations in his BBC Newsnight interview with Emily Maitlis, he has “stepped back” from royal duties and is nowadays rarely seen in public, and heard from still less. It is the modern equivalent of when they used to lock away members of the family they felt were an embarrassment, or even pretend they were dead.

This quarantining of Prince Andrew has worked, up to a point. After the storm of allegations and that excruciating attempt to explain himself, the row died down and the media moved on. Other stories, such as the death of Prince Philip and the never-ending soap opera of the Sussexes, even Sarah Ferguson’s stab at an historical novel, garnered the attention of a royal-obsessed public. There was also a general election, as well as Brexit and the Covid crisis to distract the public from Prince Andrew.

To that extent the trouble did go away – but only temporarily. Now that Virginia Giuffre (formerly Roberts) has sued the prince, the allegations against him, which are serious, are commanding headlines again. Whatever the truth of these sexual assault allegations, they are damaging to what remains of his reputation and, more to the point, the institution of the monarchy itself.

The ostrich tactics, though, may work a while longer. The prince is unlikely to be making any more trips to the United States, or indeed beyond the walls of the royal palaces, and the papers for the civil action brought by Ms Giuffre lawyer are not going to be served on him. The palace, more awkwardly, is also frustrating the attempts by the FBI to secure a witness statement from Prince Andrew about his various dealings with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. It is more difficult, and more politically sensitive, to ignore actions brought by the agencies of a friendly foreign ally than a civil action, but it seems the palace and the prince may have stalled proceedings. At any rate, so far as is known, the Duke of York has not seen fit to add anything to the sometimes odd account of matters he gave to Ms Maitlis during her impeccably polite but revealing questioning in November 2019.

That interview, apart from its almost comical moments (such as the revelation that his royal highness has lost the ability to sweat), begged as many questions as it answered. The prince maintains that he never even met Ms Giuffre all those years ago: “I can tell you categorically I don’t remember meeting her at all… It didn’t happen. I can absolutely categorically tell you it never happened. I have no recollection of ever meeting this lady, none whatsoever.”

In a later statement, the prince added: “I am willing to help with any law enforcement agency with their investigations, if required.” Either that is a statement of the obvious – because he would have to obey a warrant – or else it is, potentially, disingenuous, given that the FBI probably would appreciate the opportunity to speak to him. What it does not do is close the story down, or neutralise its many implications. The most important principle that needs to be observed, scrupulously by all concerned, is that no one, not even a duke of the blood royal, is above the law.