During the Royally Obsessed podcast, Town & Country senior editor Caroline Hallemann warned Ghislaine Maxwell’s trial will bring more attention to the Duke of York. She added Prince Andrew’s links to Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein will continue to be an unavoidable topic for the Royal Family.
Ms Hallemann said: “The situation continues with Prince Andrew, he continues to be a blight on everything that the royals do, especially as the Ghislaine Maxwell trial begins next year.
“I think that will continue to be an unavoidable topic for the royals and it will continue to bubble up.
“His interview with the BBC was a year ago and I think he thought he might be able to get back to working royal life.
“We have seen that has not happened for him so that is a bummer of the year for the royals.”
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ITV News’ Royal Editor Chris Ship told the Royal Rota: “I cannot believe for one second that anyone in the Royal Family will be thinking of putting Prince Andrew front and centre of any event any time in the near future until all of this has been decided one way or another.
“In order for that to happen there would have to be a resolution of the legal process.
“Total exoneration on his part and his side of the story properly given.
“Then a reframing of his duties, I think it is a bit too early for that given that Ghislaine Maxwell still has not had her trial yet.”
Andrew addressed the Epstein affair in a controversial BBC Newsnight interview with Emily Maitlis.
The Duke of York underwent a 50-minute exchange with Ms Maitlis in which he answered a series of questions on his relationship with the disgraced billionaire.
The programme sparked widespread public backlash both in the UK and abroad, and ultimately led to Andrew temporarily resigning from his public duties in November 2019.
The Duke, who is the Queen’s third child, has “categorically” denied having any sexual contact with any of the women associated with Epstein.
