Prince Andrew will receive royal honor on his birthday despite Epstein scandal
This past year, the celebration for Queen Elizabeth’s son prompted outrage
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Prince Andrew is expected to still receive the honor of having his birthday commemorated with the ringing of the bells at Westminster Abbey despite his scandal with late convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
The church has recently released its official bell-ringing schedule, which showed that the Duke of York’s birthday on Feb. 19, 2021, will be honored. This past year, there was an outrage against the celebration for Queen Elizabeth II's son.
On Wednesday, People magazine reported there are 12 royals whose birthdays are marked with bells at Westminster Abbey, including Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip, Prince Charles, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, Princess Anne, Prince Edward, Prince William, Kate Middleton, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle are not commemorated with the ringing of the bells. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced in January that they were stepping back as senior members of the British royal family. The couple currently resides in the American actress' native California with their 1-year-old son Archie.
In November, the 60-year-old announced he was stepping down from public life following his disastrous interview with the BBC about his friendship with Epstein.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Britain's Prince Andrew (Reuters/Neil Hall)
“It has become clear to me over the last few days that the circumstances relating to my former association with Jeffrey Epstein have become a major disruption to my family’s work and the valuable work going on in the many organizations and charities that I am proud to support,” the statement posted to the royal family’s Twitter account read in part.
“Therefore, I have asked Her Majesty if I may step back from public duties for the foreseeable future, and she has given her permission.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The statement concluded: "I continued to unequivocally regret my ill-judged association with Jeffrey Epstein. His suicide has left many unanswered questions, particularly for his victims, and I deeply sympathize with everyone who has been affected and wants some form of closure. I can only hope that, in time, they will be able to rebuild their lives. Of course, I am willing to help any appropriate law enforcement agency with their investigations, if required."
The sit-down is still recognized as a total public relations disaster for the Duke of York.
Many in the media were quick to deride the prince for not only defending his friendship with Epstein but for failing to show empathy for the convicted sex offender’s victims.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Photo from 2001 that was included in court files released last week shows Prince Andrew with his arm around the waist of 17-year-old Virginia Giuffre who says Jeffrey Epstein paid her to have sex with the prince. Andrew has denied the charges. In the background is Epstein's girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell. (Florida Southern District Court) (U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals)
Virginia Roberts, now Virginia Giuffre, has said Epstein forced her to have sex with Andrew in 2001 when she was 17. She says Epstein flew her around the world on private planes to have sex with powerful men, and that she had sexual encounters with Andrew in London, New York and in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"It didn't happen. I can absolutely categorically tell you it never happened. I have no recollection of ever meeting this lady, none whatsoever," the Duke of York said in his interview.
Giuffre had challenged the British royal to speak out, telling reporters in New York “he knows exactly what he’s done.”
“And the answer is nothing,” Andrew told the BBC.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Andrew admitted: "I kick myself ... on a daily basis for being friends with and staying with Epstein on multiple occasions."
Queen Elizabeth's second son added that his decision to stay with Epstein "was not something that was becoming of a member of the royal family and we try and uphold the highest standards and practices and I let the side down, simple as that."
Elsewhere in the interview, Andrew admitted that he did not regret his friendship with Epstein because of the people he met and all the things he learned, another statement for which he was chastised by the media.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. (Photo by Joe Schildhorn/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)
Epstein, 66, died in jail on Aug. 10, 2019, while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking and conspiracy charges that prosecutors alleged involved many girls over several years in the early 2000s.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Andrew’s decision to grant an interview that went into forensic detail about his well-documented ties to a sex offender was a high-stakes gamble in a country where royals traditionally don’t submit to such questioning. When royals speak at all, they usually offer carefully considered comments about charitable works.
Fox News' Tyler McCarthy contributed to this report.