Prince Andrew could be banned from shooting on royal estates after bombshell email contradicted his claim to have cut off Jeffrey Epstein
Prince Andrew could be barred from fun activities such as shooting on royal estates after a bombshell email contradicted his claim that he had cut off all contact with pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
As calls grow for Andrew to be stripped of his title as Duke of York, royals have revealed that stopping private gatherings is one option being considered.
It comes after the Mail on Sunday revealed a deeply damaging message telling the US financier “we are in this together”, a day after the Duke first published the infamous photo of him with his alleged teenage sex victim.
Andrew told Epstein in February 2011 that he was “concerned” about the impact the revelations would have on his friend, but assured the despicable billionaire that the pair would “rise above” press scrutiny.
In the end, this refutes the Duke’s claim in his famous interview on BBC Newsnight that he had “no contact” with Epstein after the pair were photographed walking together in New York’s Central Park in December 2010.
Just last month the MoS revealed that the Duchess of York had written an impassioned message to Epstein calling him his ‘best friend’, despite telling reporters she would never have anything to do with him again.
Following his removal from royal duties by the late Queen and his use of the HRH title, outrage over Andrew’s role and lifestyle has once again raised questions.
Now sources have told the Daily Mail that one of the options being considered is to stop him from holding shooting parties on royal estates.
Prince Andrew was photographed hosting a shooting party for friends at his Windsor mansion in January last year
The leaked email contradicts the Duke’s claim in an interview on BBC Newsnight that he “never had any contact” with Epstein after the pair were photographed walking together in New York’s Central Park in December 2010.
Andrew was photographed hosting a gathering in Windsor in January 2024; It comes just days after it was reported that unflattering new court documents relating to Epstein caused the Duke to “lock himself in a room”.
Despite repeated calls for his removal, he continues to live in the 30-room Royal Lodge mansion there.
However, it is understood that the Duke and Duchess of York will not be welcome at the Royal Family’s Christmas celebrations at Sandringham.
A YouGov poll conducted in the summer found that two-thirds of people were in favor of stripping Andrew of his remaining titles.
But a private member’s bill proposed by York Central MP Rachael Maskell to give the Monarch the power to do this expired before the general election.
A Labor supporter yesterday renewed his call for the city to be cut off from the disgraced Duke.
Ms Maskell told the Daily Mail: “The tragedy is that victims and survivors are suffering every day and are suffering every day as new revelations are made about this appalling network of abuse and people linked to Mr. Epstein.”
‘There seems to be a lack of honesty and openness in many people’s accounts, further compounding the trauma of those suffering.
An explosive email has revealed Prince Andrew secretly told pedophile Jeffrey Epstein that “we are in this together”, a day after The Mail on Sunday first published this photo of the Duke with his alleged teenage sex victim Virginia Giuffre
The email was sent to Epstein 12 weeks after Andrew supposedly cut off all contact with the convicted sex offender. Picture: The couple were seen walking together in New York in 2011.
Damning email sent by Prince Andrew was revealed in the Mail on Sunday
‘Although the Duke of York bears the name of my city, the embassy affiliation of such a title does not represent our values here in York.
‘It is a simple call for an “Abolition of Titles Bill” to break this link and enable the monarch to abolish the title either directly or through a major committee of Parliament.’
In an email to Epstein, sent a day after the first photo showed Andrew’s arm around the waist of 17-year-old Virginia Giuffre, the Duke wrote: ‘I’m worried about you too! Don’t worry about me!
‘It looks like we’re in this together and we’ll just have to get through it.
‘Otherwise stay in close contact and we’ll play some more soon!!!!’
Historian AN Wilson said MoS Andrew’s behavior was “perhaps the gravest” crisis to affect the royal family since Edward VIII abdicated in 1936.
Justifying his warning yesterday, Graham Smith of campaign group Republic called on police and MPs to ‘open the files’ and ‘fully investigate’ what senior royals knew about the scandal.
“The public deserves a thorough and relentless investigation into this shameful saga,” he added.
So far Andrew has not commented on the email.
Epstein was found dead in his prison cell in 2019.
In 2022, the Duke reportedly reached a £12 million civil settlement with Ms Giuffre, who committed suicide earlier this year, without admitting any wrongdoing.
