Prince Harry's brutal comments about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor amid 'shameful' scandal
Harry described his uncle's scandal as "shameful"
In his memoir, Spare, Prince Harry argued that the decision to downgrade his security protection felt especially unjust given that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor faced no such consequence.
The Duke of Sussex described the disbelief he felt when his and Meghan Markle’s security was downgraded after stepping back as senior royals in 2020 and moving to the US.
What made the decision especially hard for him to understand, he wrote, was that his uncle, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, did not face the same consequence at the height of a sexual assault scandal.
Prince Harry on Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s ‘shameful’ scandal
The Duke of Sussex recalled Meghan’s fear that they would be left unprotected after relocating to the United States.
He wrote that he reassured her: “Never. Not in this climate of hate. Not after what happened to my mother.
“Also, not in the wake of my Uncle Andrew. He was embroiled in a shameful scandal, accused of the sexual assault of a young woman, and no one had so much as suggested that he lose his security.
“Whatever grievances people had against us, sex crimes weren’t on the list.”
Allegations against Andrew
Andrew faced allegations of sexual assault from Virginia Giuffre. Ms Giuffre alleged that she had been trafficked by Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell and forced into sexual encounters with the royal when she was 17.
The former Duke of York has always vehemently denied all allegations. He settled a lawsuit with Ms Giuffre out of court in 2022 without admitting guilt.
When the allegations resurfaced last year after Virginia Giuffre’s posthumous memoir and the initial release of the Epstein files emerged, Andrew was stripped of his royal titles.
Harry, however, pointed out that despite the controversy, Andrew’s security remained in place while his own family’s was withdrawn.
In a 2022 statement issued on his behalf, Harry stressed that he had “inherited a security risk at birth, for life,” referencing his two tours of duty in Afghanistan and the extremist threats his family had faced.
He said that while he was willing to pay for private protection, it could not “replicate the necessary police protection” required in the UK.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor scandal
Meanwhile, Andrew is back in the headlines following a fresh release of US court documents related to Epstein.
Among the files are photographs said to show Andrew with an unidentified woman. In two of the images, he is seen touching the person, who is fully clothed, on her stomach. Another image shows him staring at the camera.
The images have circulated widely online. They have no confirmed context, date or location attached to them.
In addition, a second woman has come forward via US attorney Brad Edwards. The woman alleges she was sent to the UK by Epstein for a sexual encounter with Andrew in 2010 at Royal Lodge in Windsor.
Speaking to the BBC, Edwards claimed the woman later toured Buckingham Palace and had tea.
Andrew has consistently denied all allegations of wrongdoing.
Prominent victims’ rights lawyer Gloria Allred has since urged the Metropolitan Police to reopen its investigation into Andrew. She argues that he should “volunteer to speak” to assist survivors in understanding what happened at Epstein’s residences.
Royal Insider has contacted representatives for Andrew on the new allegations.
Andrew has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein, and being named or pictured among the Epstein files is not an indication of wrongdoing.
Read more: Moment royal family were mocked at Grammys as host Trevor Noah took savage swipe
What do you think? Leave us a comment on our Facebook page. We want to hear your thoughts.
