Is Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, disowning his son Prince Andrew?
Be careful who you are friends with is what Mama always said. This advice rings especially true for the late Jeffrey Epstein’s former associates. After the convicted sex offender was charged with sex trafficking of a minor and conspiracy to commit sex trafficking, he suddenly found former friends out of reach. What used to be a tight knit circle of chums gained an ever expanding radius.
After Epstein died in prison under suspicious circumstances, gossip about the depth of his crimes and people who might have been in cahoots with him only grew louder. Some people who wished to stay out of the line of fire of being associated with Epstein haven’t been able to reach their goal. Prince Andrew is chief among them.
Prince Andrew has been receiving intensifying scrutiny because of his ties with Epstein. English royalty has been forced to distance themselves from the prince in an attempt to tamp down on the disgrace to their names. The tension over Prince Andrew’s possible involvement in sex crimes raised questions about whether his own father, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, wanted nothing to do with him.
Prince Andrew’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein
Prince Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein met in 1999. They were introduced to each other by none other than Ghislaine Maxwell. One documentary states that there is evidence of Prince Andrew visiting Epstein’s island in 2000. The Duke of York has made it no secret that he has indeed visited several of Epstein’s properties. Later unsealed testimony from 2024 and 2026 referenced stays at the Florida mansion and additional island references.
Prince Andrew says that he “saw [Epstein] infrequently and probably no more than only once or twice a year.” Of course, anyone who visited Epstein more than once at his properties is under at least a little suspicion. The suspicion certainly doesn’t go away if one freely associated with the guy even after he was convicted of soliciting prostitution from a minor.
Prince Andrew was photographed walking in Central Park with Epstein in 2010. About this action, Prince Andrew did express regret. He called it “a mistake and an error” to have spent time with Epstein after he was already convicted of a paedophilic crime, but points out that he never witnessed any of the untoward behavior associated with the crime while with Epstein. Emails later suggested continued contact after that date.
Prince Andrew put out a statement in 2019 saying that “I deplore the exploitation of any human being and would not condone, participate in, or encourage any such behavior.” The statement hasn’t been enough for the royal family to feel distanced from the scandal of Prince Andrew being accused of sexual assault by one of Epstein’s victims.
Is the Duke of Edinburgh disowning his son?
Expectations for a good reputation can be high under normal family circumstances, nevermind if you’re the son of nobility. Prince Andrew has stepped back from royal duties since late 2019 since his controversial interview with Emily Maitlis. He put out a statement saying, “I have asked Her Majesty if I may step back from public duties for the foreseeable future, and she has given her permission.” The Queen permitted that step-back at the time.
Whether that would have been enough for the gossip regarding Prince Andrew to die down is up for debate, but it became simply out of the question once Virginia Roberts accused him of sexually assaulting her when she was 17. Virginia Roberts (now Giuffre) has said that she was forced to have sex with Prince Andrew three times from 1999-2001 while she was a sex slave of Jeffrey Epstein.
The English royal family probably feels like they’ve had it up to here with scandal. Prince Andrew’s father, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, would have turned 100 years old in June 2021. Philip died in April 2021 before any full birthday events could take place.
Prince Andrew’s Current Status and Living Arrangements
Prince Andrew relinquished his titles in 2025 under King Charles and no longer uses any royal titles or honours. He now lives privately at the Marsh Farm home on the Sandringham estate. His daughters attend some family events without him.
Developments in the Virginia Giuffre Case and Settlement
The civil case brought by Virginia Giuffre settled in 2022 without admission of liability. No criminal charges resulted from the allegations. Giuffre died by suicide in 2025.
Ongoing Investigations and Epstein Document Releases
Unsealed files in 2024 referenced island visits and massages. In 2026 UK police issued appeals for witnesses and opened an investigation into shared information. Emails suggest continued contact post-2010.
Prince Philip’s Death and Family Remembrance
Prince Philip died in April 2021. Andrew played a prominent role escorting the Queen at the 2022 memorial service. He later described his father’s death as leaving a “huge void.”
No formal disownment occurred. Distancing evolved through title removal and public withdrawal under King Charles rather than through Prince Philip alone. Andrew remains eighth in line to the throne, though legislation to remove him from the succession has been under consideration.
