The other shoe finally dropped on Thursday, and so did the hammer — right on Prince Andrew‘s head. Well, scratch that — on the head of Andrew Mountbatten Windsor. Because he ain’t even a prince anymore!
Yes, King Charles III officially kicked his brother out of the royal family, taking away the keys to the Royal Lodge and stripping him of his titles. He’s not longer the Duke of York, no longer HRH, and no longer a prince.
All we’d heard was that Prince William was pushing for this move and that Charles didn’t have the heart to do it. This is years in the making, of course. So what changed? What affected the conscience of the king?
It’s a simpler answer than we expected. It was Virginia Robert Giuffre.
Related: Virginia Giuffre Describes ‘Prime Minister’ Who Tortured Her In Posthumous Memoir!
Jeffrey Epstein‘s most vocal victim, the first to go public with her claims against the billionaire AND against Andrew, died earlier this year. Supposedly by suicide. But before that she wrote her memoir, Nobody’s Girl. The book was published posthumously this month, and the details she included seem to be what finally tipped the scales. Sources told Us Weekly the monarch made the ultimate decision because of the latest developments, including the new speculation that Andrew tried to smear Virginia’s name. But what really moved the needle this month are the previously unheard allegations in her book.
Virginia wrote about her first time meeting Andrew, how he was so good at guessing her age — just 17 years old — because, as he told her, he had daughters of his own who weren’t much younger. Disgusting.
We can’t help but wonder if Charles saw the headlines or was told the particulars by aides who read the tell-all. But apparently it was enough. And the royal family hinted at who changed their minds by finishing their declaration:
“Their Majesties wish to make clear that their thoughts and utmost sympathies have been, and will remain with, the victims and survivors of any and all forms of abuse.”
It breaks our hearts realizing Virginia will never know about the blow she was able to deal to her alleged abuser. We just hope this continues, and ALL the men involved in Epstein’s underage sex trafficking ring start to finally face REAL consequences.
[Image via BBC/DOJ/MEGA/WENN.]
