Most Talked-About Controversies Linked to Prince Andrew, Duke of York
Public opinion and media debates around Prince Andrew, Duke of York—discover key moments of controversy.
Prince Andrew, Duke of York, is a member of the British royal family, the third child and second son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. Once second in line to the throne, he is now eighth. He served in the Royal Navy as a helicopter pilot and during the Falklands War. His reputation has been significantly tarnished due to his association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and allegations of sexual assault made by Virginia Giuffre. He was stripped of his honorary military titles and royal patronages in January 2022 and settled a civil lawsuit with Giuffre out of court, though he has consistently denied any wrongdoing.
1984: Paint incident with journalists
In 1984, during a tour in Southern California, Prince Andrew squirted paint onto American and British journalists and photographers who were reporting on the tour. This incident resulted in damaged clothing and equipment, leading the Los Angeles Herald Examiner to submit a bill for financial compensation.
1999: Picture at Balmoral
Around 1999, a picture of Epstein and Maxwell, sitting at a cabin on the Queen's Balmoral estate, at the invitation of Andrew, was shown to the jury to establish their status as partners.
March 2001: Andrew Denies Giuffre Accusations
In March 2001, Prince Andrew denied having sex with Virginia Giuffre, as she had accused, stating he was at home with his daughters after attending a party at PizzaExpress in Woking. He also disputed Giuffre's claims about him sweating while dancing, citing a temporary inability to sweat due to an "adrenaline overdose" during the Falklands War. He further denied Giuffre's account of him providing alcohol, maintaining that he does not drink.
March 2001: Photograph Time Stamp
In October 2022, following the allegations, The Mail on Sunday was contacted by the photographer. The back of the Giuffre photograph has a time stamp showing it was developed on 13 March 2001. The photo was developed three days after Andrew allegedly engaged in sexual activity with Giuffre.
May 2001: Andrew Fles with Epstein and Giuffre
On 12 May 2001, Andrew's name was recorded by Epstein's pilot David Rodgers in his logbook, and he testified that Andrew flew three times with Epstein and Giuffre in 2001.
2001: Giuffre Alleges Sex with Andrew
In 2001, Giuffre asserted that she had sex with Andrew in London when she was 17.
2001: Andriano's Statement about Giuffre
In January 2022, Carolyn Andriano who was introduced to Epstein and Maxwell by Giuffre, said that in 2001, Giuffre told her that she had slept with Prince Andrew and thought it was pretty cool.
2004: Criticism over Golfing Trips
In 2004, Prince Andrew was criticised for flying to St Andrews on RAF planes for golfing trips.
2007: Allegation of racist comment
In 2007, former home secretary Jacqui Smith claimed that Prince Andrew made a racist comment about Arabs during a state dinner for the Saudi royal family.
2008: Epstein Pleads Guilty
In 2008, Jeffrey Epstein pleaded guilty to soliciting prostitution from someone under the age of 18.
2008: Giuffre Lawsuit
In 2008, an affidavit from Giuffre was included in a lawsuit accusing the US Justice Department of violating the Crime Victims' Rights Act during Epstein's first criminal case.
July 2009: Attendance at Banque Havilland opening ceremony
In July 2009, Prince Andrew attended the official opening ceremony of Banque Havilland, a private bank owned by David Rowland, who served as one of Andrew's investment advisors. It was later alleged that Banque Havilland sought to service dictators and kleptocrats.
2009: Page's Conviction
In an ITV documentary in February 2022, former royal protection officer Paul Page, recounted Maxwell's frequent visits to Buckingham Palace. Paul Page had been convicted of a £3 million property investment scam in 2009.
December 2010: Andrew Photographed with Epstein in Central Park
In December 2010, Andrew was photographed strolling with Jeffrey Epstein in Central Park during a visit to New York City.
December 2010: Andrew at Epstein's Mansion
In December 2010, Caroline Kaufman, an alleged victim of Epstein, said in a federal lawsuit that she had seen Andrew at Epstein's New York mansion.
2010: Expenditures as trade envoy
In 2010, Prince Andrew spent £620,000 as a trade envoy. This included £154,000 on hotels, food, and hospitality and £465,000 on travel.
2010: Andrew Stays at Epstein's Mansion
In 2010, Prince Andrew stayed at Jeffrey Epstein's mansion for three days after Epstein's conviction for sex offences against a minor, describing it as a "convenient place to stay". He claimed he met Epstein to end their relationship and was willing to testify under oath about their associations.
2010: Sale of Sunninghill Park
In 2010, Timur Kulibayev, President Nazarbayev's son-in-law, paid Andrew's representatives £15 million for Andrew's Surrey mansion, Sunninghill Park. Andrew's office also attempted to acquire a crown estate property for Kulibayev.
2010: Andrew's Regret for Meeting Epstein After Guilty Plea
In August 2019, Andrew expressed regret for meeting Epstein in 2010 after Epstein had already pleaded guilty to sex crimes.
February 2011: Challenge to Andrew's suitability for UK Trade & Investment role
In February 2011, Shadow Justice Minister Chris Bryant challenged Prince Andrew's suitability for his role with UK Trade & Investment in the House of Commons, citing his close friendships with Saif al-Islam Gaddafi and convicted Libyan gun smuggler Tarek Kaituni.
February 2011: Epstein Contacted a Royal Family Member Believed to be Andrew
In February 2011, emails published in court documents showed that Jeffrey Epstein contacted a "member of the British Royal Family", believed to be Prince Andrew.
March 2011: Criticism Over Friendship with Epstein
In March 2011, BBC News reported that Andrew's friendship with Jeffrey Epstein was producing "a steady stream of criticism", leading to calls for him to step down from his role as trade envoy.
March 2011: Criticism from Campaign Against Arms Trade
In March 2011, Kaye Stearman of the Campaign Against the Arms Trade (CAAT) criticized Prince Andrew's role as the "front man" for UK Trade & Investment (UKTI), alleging that he was used to sell arms to despotic regimes.
March 2011: Report on Prince Andrew's spending
On March 8, 2011, The Daily Telegraph reported that in 2010, Prince Andrew spent £620,000 as a trade envoy, including significant expenses on hotels, food, hospitality, and travel.
July 2011: Termination as Trade Envoy
In July 2011, Andrew's role as trade envoy was terminated, and he reportedly cut all ties with Jeffrey Epstein.
July 2011: Stepping down from UK Trade & Investment role
In July 2011, Prince Andrew stepped down from his role as the United Kingdom's Special Representative for International Trade and Investment, due to controversies and his ties to Jeffrey Epstein.
2011: First Publication of the Photograph
In October 2022, following the allegations, The Mail on Sunday, which first published the photograph of Andrew and Giuffre in 2011, was contacted by photographer Michael Thomas.
May 2012: Police Investigation into Enviro Pacific Investments
In May 2012, Swiss and Italian police were investigating Enviro Pacific Investments, looking into allegations of international corruption related to energy deals in Kazakhstan. The trust linked to this was believed to have contributed £6 million towards the purchase of Sunninghill.
2012: Allegation of racist comment
In 2012, Rohan Silva, a former Downing Street aide, claimed that Prince Andrew made a racist comment during a meeting. Buckingham Palace denied that Andrew had used racist language on either occasion.
2012: Sarah Ferguson's Admission and Apology
In 2012, Sarah Ferguson admitted that she had made a "gigantic error of judgement" in allowing Jeffrey Epstein to pay off a debt for her and apologised.
September 2013: Email Exchange Regarding Foot Massage
In September 2013, an email exchange was published in The New Republic, mentioning a British man nicknamed "Andy" receiving a foot massage from two Russian women at Epstein's New York residence during a visit in 2010, identifying him as Prince Andrew.
January 2014: Criticism for delegation to Bahrain
In January 2014, Prince Andrew participated in a delegation to Bahrain, leading to criticism from Andrew Smith of the Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) who condemned the UK government's arms sales to Bahrain and Prince Andrew's endorsement of the Bahraini government.
November 2014: Meetings with Ilham Aliyev
As of November 2014, Prince Andrew had met with Ilham Aliyev, the president of Azerbaijan, on 12 occasions. Aliyev has been criticized for corruption and human rights abuses by Amnesty International.
2014: Virginia Giuffre's Allegations
In 2014, Virginia Giuffre alleged that she was sex trafficked to Prince Andrew by Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell when she was 17 years old.
January 2015: Libby Purves' comments on Prince Andrew's friendships
In January 2015, Libby Purves wrote in The Times that Prince Andrew "dazzles easily when confronted with immense wealth and apparent power" and has "fallen for 'friendships' with bad, corrupt and clever men."
January 2015: Renewed Media Pressure and Buckingham Palace Response
In January 2015, there was renewed media and public pressure for Buckingham Palace to explain Andrew's connection with Epstein. Buckingham Palace stated that "any suggestion of impropriety with underage minors is categorically untrue".
April 2015: Judge Rules on Sex Allegations
On 7 April 2015, Judge Kenneth Marra ruled that the "sex allegations made against Andrew in court papers filed in Florida must be struck from the public record". The judge made no ruling as to whether claims by Giuffre are true or false.
2015: Motion from Two Women
In January 2024, a series of documents related to Epstein were released by the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, including a motion from 2015 by two women which described Andrew having sexual relations with one of them at Maxwell's flat in London, in New York, and on Epstein's private island in the U.S. Virgin Islands "in an orgy with numerous other underaged girls".
2015: Maxwell's Email
In October 2022, Ghislaine Maxwell stated that in an email to her lawyer in 2015 she was trying to confirm that she recognised her own house, but the whole image cannot be authentic as "the original has never been produced".
March 2016: Investigation request for damage to Windsor Great Park gates
In March 2016, Republic CEO Graham Smith filed a report to the police requesting an investigation into allegations that Prince Andrew had damaged sensor-operated gates in Windsor Great Park with his Range Rover. The Thames Valley Police dismissed the reports.
May 2016: Allegations of brokering a deal in Kazakhstan
In May 2016, the Daily Mail alleged that Prince Andrew had brokered a deal worth £385 million to assist a Greek and Swiss consortium in securing a contract to build water and sewerage networks in Kazakhstan while serving as British trade envoy, potentially earning a £4 million commission. Buckingham Palace denied the allegations.
2016: Alessi's Deposition on Andrew's Visits
In 2016, Juan "John" Alessi stated in a deposition he filed for Giuffre's defamation case against Maxwell that Andrew's visits to the Epstein house in Palm Beach were more frequent than previously thought, and that he spent weeks there and received daily massages.
November 2017: Andrew borrows £250,000
In November 2017, Prince Andrew borrowed £250,000 from Banque Havilland, adding to a previous £1.25 million loan that had been extended or increased 10 times since 2015. The loan was approved despite concerns about his credibility, in an attempt to further business with the Royal Family.
December 2017: £1.5 million transferred to Andrew's account
In December 2017, £1.5 million was transferred from an account at Albany Reserves, controlled by the Rowland family, to Prince Andrew's account at Banque Havilland. This transfer paid off the £250,000 loan taken out in November 2017, which was due in March 2018.
March 2018: Loan Payment Due
In March 2018, the £250,000 loan that Prince Andrew borrowed from Banque Havilland in November 2017 was due. It was paid off in December 2017 by a transfer from Albany Reserves.
August 2019: Evidence from Johanna Sjoberg and Andrew's Statement
In August 2019, court documents revealed evidence from Johanna Sjoberg alleging that Andrew had placed his hand on her breast while in Epstein's mansion. Later that month, Andrew released a statement expressing regret for meeting Epstein but denying any knowledge of his behavior.
November 2019: Andrew Resigns From Outward Bound Trust
In November 2019, Prince Andrew resigned from his patronage of the Outward Bound Trust
November 2019: Newsnight Interview
In November 2019, the BBC's Newsnight aired an interview between Andrew and presenter Emily Maitlis in which he discussed his friendship with Epstein for the first time.
November 2019: Transfer of £750,000 to Andrew
On 15 November 2019, the wife of jailed former Turkish politician İlhan İşbilen transferred £750,000 to Prince Andrew, under the belief that it would help her secure a passport.
2019: Campaign to strip Andrew of Earldom of Inverness
In 2019, residents of Inverness started a campaign to strip Prince Andrew of the Earldom of Inverness, due to his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
2019: Giuffre Repeats Claims
In a 2019 BBC interview, Giuffre repeated claims that on the first night she allegedly had sex with Andrew they got into the bath where "he started licking my toes, between my toes, the arches of my feet" before they went into the bedroom and had sex.
2019: Andrew Cites Friendship with Maxwell as Reason for Epstein Association
In the 2019 BBC interview with Newsnight, Prince Andrew stated his association with Jeffrey Epstein was derived from his long-standing friendship with Ghislaine Maxwell, who was later convicted of colluding in Epstein's sexual abuse.
January 2020: Security Downgrade and Cooperation Controversy
In January 2020, the Home Office recommended "a major downgrade of security" for Prince Andrew. Also in January 2020, US Attorney Geoffrey Berman stated that Prince Andrew had provided "zero co-operation" with federal prosecutors and the FBI regarding the ongoing investigations.
March 2020: Andrew Hires Crisis-Management Expert
In March 2020, Prince Andrew hired crisis-management expert Mark Gallagher to assist him in managing the fallout from the allegations against him.
May 2020: Resignation from Public Roles
In May 2020, Prince Andrew resigned from public roles following criticism for his association with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.
May 2020: Andrew Permanently Resigns from Public Roles
In May 2020, it was announced that Prince Andrew would permanently resign from all public roles over his Epstein ties.
May 2020: Investigation of Prince Andrew Charitable Trust
In May 2020, it was reported that the Prince Andrew Charitable Trust was under investigation by the Charity Commission regarding regulatory issues related to £350,000 of payments to his former private secretary, Amanda Thirsk.
June 2020: Andrew a Person of Interest in US Criminal Investigation
In June 2020, it became known that Prince Andrew is a person of interest in a criminal investigation in the United States.
July 2020: Andrew Cancels Trip to Spain Amid Extradition Fears
Following the arrest of Ghislaine Maxwell in July 2020, Prince Andrew cancelled a planned trip to Spain, reportedly due to fears that he might be arrested and extradited to the United States.
July 2020: Kaufman's Allegation
In July 2020, Caroline Kaufman stated in a federal lawsuit that she had seen Andrew at Epstein's New York mansion in December 2010.
August 2020: Anti-Child Trafficking Protest at Buckingham Palace
In August 2020, anti-child trafficking protesters referencing Prince Andrew gathered outside Buckingham Palace, and videos of the protest went viral.
November 2020: Report on Andrew's involvement with Banque Havilland
In November 2020, Bloomberg Businessweek reported on Prince Andrew's use of his royal cachet and role as trade envoy to assist David Rowland and Banque Havilland in securing deals with clients worldwide. It was alleged that Banque Havilland sought to service dictators and kleptocrats.
November 2021: Visoski's Testimony
In November 2021, Lawrence Visoski testified in court during Ghislaine Maxwell's trial that Prince Andrew flew in Epstein's private plane along with other prominent individuals, including Bill Clinton, Donald Trump and John Glenn.
January 2022: Ceased Using Honorary Military Titles
In January 2022, Prince Andrew ceased using his honorary military titles following a letter signed by over 150 Royal Navy, RAF, and Army veterans.
January 2022: Andrew's Social Media Accounts Deleted and Titles Removed
In January 2022, Prince Andrew's social media accounts were deleted, his page on the royal family's website was rewritten in the past tense, and his military affiliations and patronages were removed. He also stopped using the style His Royal Highness (HRH). York Racecourse announced it would rename the Duke of York Stakes, and Prince Andrew High School in Nova Scotia stated that it would have a new name at the next academic year.
January 2022: Removal of Military Affiliations and Patronages
In January 2022, Queen Elizabeth II removed Prince Andrew's honorary military affiliations and royal charitable patronages.
January 2022: Figueroa's Allegation and Andriano's Interview
In January 2022, Virginia Giuffre's former boyfriend, Anthony Figueroa, said that Giuffre told him Epstein would take her to meet Prince Andrew in London. Carolyn Andriano stated that in 2001, Giuffre told her that she had slept with Prince Andrew and didn't seem upset about it.
February 2022: Union Flag Not Flown for Andrew's Birthday
In February 2022, Belfast City Council and the Northern Ireland Assembly decided not to fly a union flag for Prince Andrew's birthday. The Mid and East Antrim Borough Council announced that they would hold a debate in June 2022 regarding a motion to rename Prince Andrew Way in Carrickfergus.
February 2022: Publication of Photograph
In February 2022, The Daily Telegraph published a photograph of Andrew along with Maxwell giving a tour of Buckingham Palace to Andrew's guests Bill Clinton and Kevin Spacey.
March 2022: Report of £750,000 transfer to Andrew in 2019
In March 2022, it was reported that in November 2019, Andrew received £750,000 from the wife of a jailed former Turkish politician, who believed the money would help her secure a passport. He repaid the money 16 months later after being contacted by lawyers.
April 2022: York City Council Removes Andrew's Freedom of the City
On 27 April 2022, York City Council unanimously voted to remove Prince Andrew's Freedom of the City.
June 2022: Maskell Introduces 'Removal of Titles' Bill
In June 2022, Rachael Maskell introduced a 'Removal of Titles' private members bill in the House of Commons. The bill would have enabled people considered unworthy to be stripped of aristocratic titles.
October 2022: Maxwell's Interview from Prison
In October 2022, Ghislaine Maxwell stated in an interview from prison that she felt "bad" for Andrew and accepted their "friendship could not survive my conviction". She also questioned the authenticity of the photograph showing her together with Andrew and Virginia Giuffre.
2022: Reports of brusque behavior
In 2022, The Guardian reported on Prince Andrew's "brusque manner with servants". Former royal protection officer Paul Page claimed Andrew maintained a collection of stuffed toys and would become verbally abusive if they weren't arranged properly. Page also stated different women would visit Andrew every day, and on one occasion when security denied entry to a woman, Andrew allegedly called an officer a "fat, lardy-ass cunt" over the phone.
January 2023: Ian Maxwell Disputes Giuffre's Claims
In January 2023, Ghislaine Maxwell's brother, Ian Maxwell, released photos showing acquaintances sitting in the bathtub where the incident allegedly took place, disputing Giuffre's claims.
2023: Chris Yang barred from UK entry
In 2023, Chris Yang, a Chinese businessman who had been dealing with Prince Andrew, was barred from entry to the United Kingdom due to alleged engagement in "covert and deceptive activity" on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party.
2023: Emails Show Continued Contact Between Andrew and Epstein
In 2023, a series of emails published as part of a civil case included snippets showing Prince Andrew, Jeffrey Epstein, and Jes Staley exchanging emails, suggesting Andrew was in contact with Epstein on several occasions in 2010.
January 2024: Release of Epstein-Related Documents
In January 2024, a series of documents related to Epstein were released by the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, including a motion from 2015 describing Andrew having sexual relations with one of the women at Maxwell's flat in London, in New York, and on Epstein's private island.
December 2024: Report of Andrew's dealings with Chris Yang
In December 2024, it was reported that Prince Andrew had invited Chris Yang, a Chinese businessman, to events at royal residences and that a royal aide had given Yang permission to act on Andrew's behalf when dealing with potential investors in China.
2065: Release date for Andrew's business trip documents
Official documents covering Prince Andrew's business trips between 2001 and 2011 will not be released by the Foreign Office until 2065, raising concerns about a potential government coverup.
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