What To Do With Andy?

Throughout his adult life, Prince Andrew has surely known that the sword of Damocles was suspended over his head by that famous single horsehair. He enjoys the grand lifestyle and power inherent with being a son of Queen Elizabeth II, yet must be aware of the precariousness of his position. And now that thread is seriously fraying.

It’s all because of his own actions.

The Duke of York, 59, chose to remain a close friend with Jeffrey Epstein, the wealthy convicted pedophile who hanged himself in U.S. federal custody earlier this month while facing sex trafficking charges. Not only was Andrew his friend, but the prince stayed close to the financier after Epstein’s 2008 guilty plea, incarceration and registration as a sex offender, close enough that they were photographed together walking in New York two years later.

Andrew has always had a reputation for being headstrong, arrogant and tone-deaf to criticism. He’s also immensely loyal. Indeed, he has helped bail out his ex-wife, Sarah, Duchess of York, from her mountains of debt time after time, and even today, she lives with him in his home, Royal Lodge, near Windsor Castle. Those characteristics can be seen in his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. Why Andrew didn’t sever ties with Epstein after his sex crimes conviction is a mystery that he has never answered, though he has denied “any suggestion of impropriety with underage minors,” according to palace statements.

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