Donald Trump 'feels badly for the royal family' amid 'tragic' Andrew scandal
The president shared his thoughts on last week's announcementUS President, Donald Trump, has shared his views on the scandal surrounding Andrew Mountbatten Windsor from across the pond.
Last week, Buckingham Palace announced that Andrew will have all of his royal titles removed. He will also lose his “HRH” style.
In addition, Andrew will also move out of his Windsor home, Royal Lodge.
For years, Andrew has faced scrutiny over his association with the late convicted sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein. The royal has been accused of lying about when he cut contact with Epstein, with resurfaced emails suggesting he was in contact longer than he had claimed in his 2019 BBC Newsnight interview.
Andrew was also accused of sexual assault by the late Virginia Giuffre, allegations he has always vehemently denied. Amid all the controversy, Andrew stepped back from royal duties in 2019.
‘A tragic situation’
Speaking to reporters on board Air Force One, President Trump was quizzed about Andrew.
Last week, Buckingham Palace announced that King Charles had “initiated a formal process to remove the Style, Titles and Honours of Prince Andrew”.
The palace also confirmed that he would now be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor. It was also confirmed that Andrew will move out of 30-room Royal Lodge.
He’s expected to move to the Sandringham Estate.
The US president, of course, spent time with the royals back in September during his second state visit to the UK.
He claims to be close to the monarch and his wife, previously telling reporters that King Charles and Queen Camilla “are friends of mine for a long time, long before he was king”.
“Mr President, I wanted to ask,” a reporter appeared to say. “Prince Andrew in the UK has had his royal titles stripped away because of the Epstein scandal. I know you’re close to the royal family. Do you have any thoughts…”
Before he had time to finish his question, Trump launched into his response.
It’s a terrible thing that’s happened to the family.
“I feel very badly,” he said. “I mean, it’s a terrible thing that’s happened to the family. That’s been a tragic situation.”
“And, it’s too bad,” he added, repeating again. “I feel badly for the family.”
Donald Trump accused of links to Jeffrey Epstein
Trump himself has faced his own questions about his alleged ties to Epstein.
The pair are believed to have been friends in the 1990s and early 2000s, reportedly having a falling out before Epstein’s death in 2019. However, Trump has never been officially accused of any wrongdoing in connection with the convicted sex offender.
During the president’s time in the UK for his state visit, arrests were made after images of him with Epstein were projected onto the side of Windsor Castle.
They are said to have included videos of them dancing together, as well as a picture of a birthday letter allegedly written to Epstein by Trump.
The alleged birthday letter, part of a “birthday book”, was made public earlier this year by a US congressional panel. The 238-page book reportedly contained messages and photos sent by Epstein’s friends, compiled by Ghislaine Maxwell for Epstein’s 50th birthday in 2003.
However, the White House denied the authenticity of the letter and insisted Trump didn’t produce anything for the book.
Read more: ‘Reason’ Prince Andrew ‘won’t leave Royal Lodge home for months’ after King Charles’ decision
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