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DUKE OF HAZARD
Prince Andrew is a perpetual embarrassment but I know why Charles won’t ever strip him of his titles, says expert
The disgraced duke has stubbornly clung on to his HRH title
A ROYAL expert has revealed why Charles won’t ever strip Prince Andrew of his titles.
Speaking on The Sun’s Royal Exclusive show, Richard Palmer slammed the Duke of York as a “perpetual embarrassment” on the royal family.
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After settling a sexual abuse case with accuser Virginia Giuffre in 2022, the 64-year-old was stripped of his public roles and tax payer-funded Metropolitan Police protection.
The duke, who was removed from public duties due to his association with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, is said to have dug his heels in over plans to further cut his privileges, which include moving out of the Royal Lodge in Windsor.
He has stubbornly clung on to his HRH title, which he is allowed to use in private - and remains part of the Order of the Garter - the UK's most senior order of chivalry.
Speaking to The Sun’s Matt Wilkinson, Mr Palmer explained why he believes The King won’t strip this title from him.
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He said: “I’m not sure about the legal process of it.
“I imagine that it’s possible but I think that would be very difficult for him to so publicly shame his brother like that.
“I can't see it happening but of course Andrew’s situation is a perpetual embarrassment for the king and the entire family.”
The father-of-two faces fresh embarrassment following the release of new Netflix film Scoop.
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Starring Rufus Sewell and Gillian Anderson, the film tracks Andrew's disastrous Newsnight interview with the BBC's Emily Maitlis.
Back in November 2019, Andrew sat down with Maitlis to discuss his relationship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
During the notorious Newsnight interview, Andrew told Maitlis that he could not have had sex with 17-year-old Virginia Giuffre because on the day she alleged it happened, he was at Pizza Express in Woking for a kids’ party with daughter Beatrice.
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He also insisted that he could not have “sweated profusely” due to a medical condition he claims to have developed while serving in the Falklands War as a Navy helicopter pilot.
Andrew also defended his relationship with Epstein, saying that knowing the financier had "some seriously beneficial outcomes", but added that his reason for meeting him in 2010 was to "put an end to the friendship".
The film is based on Sam McAllister's memoir, Scoops: Behind The Scenes of the BBC's Most Shocking Interviews.
'There is no way back'
Prince Andrew’s reputation is damaged beyond repair and he will never be able to engineer a return to public life, according to one of Britain’s top PR gurus.
Brand and culture expert Nick Ede, who runs East of Eden PR agency, called the shamed royal “deluded” for thinking he could ever return to royal duties and urged him to give up and ‘enjoy his life’ in exile.
It follows the release of Scoop - a Netflix movie based on the 2019 interview he gave to Newsnight.
Nick said: “There is no way back for him.
“I think you know this perpetual idea that he could still be back. Nobody cares. He hasn't got fans.
“There's nobody out there who's going ‘We want to see Prince Andrew’, not one single person. I think he has to realise that. But I think it's going to take a long, long time for him to actually understand. It's very deluded.
"In my opinion, the best thing that he could do is just enjoy his life. He's got gorgeous daughters. He has a great relationship with Fergie, he has a lovely house.
“Just live a quiet life.”
Reflecting on the interview five years ago - the fallout of which saw Andrew step back from royal duties "for the foreseeable future" - Nick compared the fallout to Frost vs Nixon and said he would have urged him not to do it.
He said: “If I had been advising him, I would say, go quiet, be quiet, just go to ground. You know you're a prince. Enjoy the life that you lead, but do not open this can of worms, because that's what it is.
“There was no admission that a relationship with somebody like Epstein was terribly toxic. There was no idea that there were loads of victims of trafficking whose lives were completely ruined by Epstein. He didn't seem to think that the association he had with that man was anything but positive.
“I think his worst gaffe was obviously being in that interview and agreeing to it in the first place, for not realising that he's actually going to be interviewed by a very, very good journalist who is going to ask him questions which he might not like.
“But I think what this has done is really shown how archaic Prince Andrew is in his opinions and thoughts.
"Read the room. He's never read a room at all.”
It's been more than four years since Prince Andrew stepped down from royal duties.
But the unsealing of court papers in the US which allege that Andrew took part in an underage orgy and appeared in sex tapes — which he denies - saw controversy swirl once again.
Following the release of the documents, Charles is said to have wanted to keep a distance from the disgraced Duke - who said he “regrets” his friendship with Epstein.
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