A source close to Prince Charles told the British newspaper The Times that Prince Andrew will never return to public life now that the Duke of York is facing a civil lawsuit in New York.
“The prince loves his brother and has the ability to have sympathy for the slings and arrows that his brother endures, whatever the reasons may be,” the anonymous source told The Times for a story published Thursday. “His ability to support and feel for those having a tough time is well known.”
The source added that the lawsuit “will be unwelcome reputational damage to the institution” and that Charles regards the claims surrounding his brother as “an unsolvable problem” that “raises its head with hideous regularity.”
Anonymous royals sources also told The Mirror on Thursday that Charles, Prince William and other members of the royal family are reportedly “exasperated” with the situation, which Andrew told them “could take years to resolve.”
Buckingham Palace did not return HuffPost’s request for comment.
The lawsuit, filed by longtime Andrew accuser Virginia Giuffre, alleges that the prince sexually abused her on three occasions when she was a minor. Buckingham Palace and the prince have repeatedly denied the allegations over the years, though a spokesperson for the duke’s legal team only told HuffPost “no comment” in regard to the filing earlier this week.
Andrew stepped back from royal duties for the “foreseeable future” in 2019, following a disastrous interview with BBC “Newsnight” in which the duke attempted to distance himself from the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, whom Giuffre alleges trafficked her.
Despite the step back, the Duke of York was pictured horseback riding with the queen two days after the interview (an apparent show of support from the monarch); has attended Christmas parties at Buckingham Palace; gone to church services with the royals; and met with China’s ambassador to the U.K. to pass along a message from the queen.
He also spoke to press in April 2021 after the death of his father, Prince Philip, but was notably absent from photos of his daughter Princess Beatrice’s wedding in July 2020 (though reports confirmed that he walked her down the aisle).
But the latest development apparently shut the door on him ever coming back to public life, something multiple reports said that the prince was hoping to do.
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