The British Royal Family has often wryly joked about the need for an "heir and a spare" to continue the family line. The current heir is Prince Charles, who is next in line to take the throne after Queen Elizabeth II passes away. Historically, the "spare"—in this case, Prince Andrew—was meant to step up to continue the ruling line if anything should happen to the heir. But it's looking increasingly like that won't be possible. Prince Charles' younger brother has been embroiled in a series of scandals for years that have all but ensured that he won't be involved in future royal life.
This week, another bombshell in Andrew's controversial association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein dropped. Virginia Roberts Giuffre, an alleged victim of Epstein's sex trafficking, claims in a new lawsuit filed Aug. 9 that the Duke of York raped and sexually abused her when she was 17.
In a statement to People, Giuffre said: "I am holding Prince Andrew accountable for what he did to me. The powerful and rich are not exempt from being held responsible for their actions. I hope that other victims will see that it is possible not to live in silence and fear, but to reclaim one's life by speaking out and demanding justice."
Read on to find out more about the stunning new accusations against Andrew—and how Prince Charles is responding to the news.
RELATED: Inside the Fall of Prince Andrew, Once the Queen's "Favorite" Child.
Prince Andrew's troubles began when his association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was revealed.
Joe Schildhorn/Patrick McMullan via Getty ImagesAndrew first met American financier Jeffrey Epstein in the late 1990s through his longtime friend Ghislaine Maxwell. Their friendship continued even after Epstein pleaded guilty and was convicted of procuring a child for prostitution and soliciting a sex worker in 2008.
The pair became so close that for a time in 2010, Prince Andrew actually stayed in Epstein's townhouse in Manhattan, according to The New York Times.
In 2019, Epstein was again indicted, this time on charges of sex trafficking. But just a few months later, Epstein died in prison while awaiting trial of an apparent suicide.
Prince Andrew's attempt to clean up his image failed to move the needle.
BBCSoon after Epstein's death, Andrew appeared on the BBC to explain his ties to Epstein, but the interview backfired spectacularly. When asked about his association with Epstein, Andrew told interviewer Emily Maitlis: “Do I regret the fact that he has quite obviously conducted himself in a manner unbecoming? Yes.”
When Maitlis reminded the Duke of York that Epstein was a convicted sex offender, he slightly changed his tune. “Yeah, I’m sorry, I’m being polite. I mean, in the sense that he was a sex offender," Andrew said.
The interview was considered the final nail in the coffin on Andrew's chances of resuming a public royal life. Days after the disastrous TV appearance, he officially stepped back from his royal duties.
The fallout was swift. As Best Life reported in 2019, both Charles and Prince William took immediate steps to remove Andrew from public view. A source told The Times of London in Nov. 2019, "William is becoming more and more involved in decisions about the institution [monarchy], and he's not a huge fan of his uncle Andrew."
Neither, apparently, is Prince Charles. A royal insider told Best Life in 2019, "More than anyone else besides the Queen, Prince Charles understands that the monarchy needs to control the narrative. That hasn't been the case for the past year, but it's clear things need to change now before any more damage is done."
And for more royals news sent right to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter.
The pressure to protect the royal family's reputation has fallen on Prince Charles.
WFPA/Alamy Live NewsIn 2019, a royal insider told Best Life that maintaining order among the royal family amid the Andrew scandal had fallen to Prince Charles.
"The monarchy has not survived all these years by allowing members of the family to put their own interests first. It is their duty to serve the Crown. As the future king, Prince Charles has to put a stop to the chaos," the insider said.
But Giufrre's lawsuit had made the situation untenable. The lawsuit alleges that Andrew sexually abused her on several occasions and that Epstein, Maxwell, and Andrew forced her to have sex with Andrew against her will.
The lawsuit, seen by Best Life, also alleges that "Prince Andrew sexually abused [Giuffre] in Epstein’s New York mansion" and that Ghislaine Maxwell "forced Plaintiff, a child, and another victim to sit on Prince Andrew’s lap as Prince Andrew touched her. During his visit to New York, Prince Andrew forced Plaintiff to engage in sex acts against her will."
Maxwell is currently being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, which is set to begin this November.
Andrew is said to be holed up with the Queen and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson at Balmoral while the family strategizes about how to move forward.
Prince Charles reportedly said the sexual assault allegations against Prince Andrew in the new lawsuit are "unsolvable."
Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty ImagesNow, Charles reportedly "sees no way back to public life for Prince Andrew after the Jeffrey Epstein scandal," an insider told The Sunday Times.
The Prince of Wales has been put in an especially tight spot as a result of the lawsuit, the source said. “The prince loves his brother and has the ability to have sympathy for the slings and arrows that his brother endures, whatever the reasons may be," the Sunday Times insider continued.
“However, this will be unwelcome reputational damage to the institution. He has long ago concluded that it is probably an unsolvable problem. This will probably further strengthen in the prince’s mind that a way back for the duke is demonstrably not possible because the specter of this [accusation] raises its head with hideous regularity.”
RELATED: The One Way Andrew's Lawsuit Could Affect Harry & Meghan, Say Sources.
