In late November, following months of intense public scrutiny over his close ties to accused child-sex-trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, Prince Andrew was reportedly forced to step down from his royal duties — by his mother, the queen of England. But apparently, the disgraced royal will still participate in a major royal event: his daughter’s upcoming wedding.
According to People, Prince Andrew will be playing a “major part” in his daughter Princess Beatrice’s upcoming nuptials to fiancé Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi next year. “I definitely think he will walk her down the aisle,” a source told the outlet. “She’s his greatest supporter.”
For years, Prince Andrew’s troubling friendship with Epstein has loomed over the royal family. In a lawsuit filed in 2015, one of Epstein’s many accusers, Virginia Giuffre, claimed she had been forced to have sex with the prince on multiple occasions. Prince Andrew has vehemently denied the allegations against him; he also refused for years to show any remorse over his friendship with Epstein. Instead, he recently gave a disastrous interview on BBC Newsnight, in which he described the billionaire pedophile — who is accused of sexually abusing dozens of girls — as simply “unbecoming.”
While Beatrice has stood by her father since the allegations first emerged, her reported decision comes as something of a shock. Just last week, a source told Cosmopolitan that Beatrice was considering canceling her engagement party “because of fears there will be too many photographers outside — looking for [Prince Andrew].” She went on to have the party, just without her father. (People speculates that Prince Andrew skipped the event over these same concerns.)
“Beatrice would never do anything to be hurtful to her father,” People’s source said. “He’s going to be by her side, and she’s going to be by his.”
Meanwhile, Prince Andrew has yet to issue any semblance of an apology to Epstein’s victims.
