There has been much hand-wringing and drama about what the royal family should be doing – and criticism of what they are doing – about the former Duke and Duchess of York and their respective relationships with Jeffrey Epstein. But amidst all this, two of the most significant voices in the Firm have been conspicuously silent. The Prince and Princess of Wales, especially William, were thought to be instrumental in last year’s decision to strip Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor of his royal titles and to exile him from Royal Lodge. Nevertheless, the most recent moves to hasten his banishment to the Sandringham estate were believed to have come entirely from the King, rather than from his son and daughter-in-law.
It was widely expected that William and Kate would have something more substantial to say about the controversy, but a brief statement issued this morning in advance of the Prince of Wales’s arrival in Saudi Arabia for a royal visit this week was less revealing than many had anticipated. A Kensington Palace spokesman has issued the timely but apparently anodyne remark that:
The Firm have decided where their loyalties lie
I can confirm that the Prince and Princess of Wales have been deeply concerned by the continuing revelations. Their thoughts remain focused on the victims.
At first glance, this is royal messaging at its least revelatory and most frustrating. It is the first time that William and Kate have made any public remarks about the all-consuming controversy, and they have clearly done so in order to avoid the Middle East trip being overshadowed by the news stories. However, ‘deeply concerned’ feels more like a rote placeholder remark than a genuine statement of anger or a desire to see justice done. Likewise, the absence of any explicit reference to Andrew, Epstein or anyone else caught up in the scandal will seem evasive to many.
Yet anyone who has been watching the royals for any length of time will be able to parse such public statements for elegantly concealed restraint. After all, emotively accusing Harry and Meghan of lying about institutional racism in March 2021 following their Oprah interview would have played into Kate and William’s hands. Saying simply that ‘recollections may vary’ proved to be far more damning – and memorable – in its implications. And so, there are two key phrases here that turn an apparently innocuous message into a significant one.
The first is the use of the words ‘continuing revelations’. It is clear that the royals expect that there will be more to come with regard to Andrew and others in his circle, and that the next few days and weeks will be crucial in terms of how much – or how little – support the Firm chooses to offer him. And the second, related one is an important and timely gesture of solidarity with ‘the victims’ – notably not simply of Epstein, but of all those who came into his orbit. This echoes the language that the King and Queen used last October, when they said that their ‘thoughts and utmost sympathies’ lay with ‘the victims and survivors of any and all forms of abuse’.
The Firm have decided where their loyalties lie, and it is not with Andrew or Fergie. Those who are accusing them of closing ranks by allowing the disgraced former duke to take up residence in Wood Farm on the Sandringham Estate are missing the point. Instead, the King is keeping him there to keep a close eye on his errant brother, and if further action needs to be taken, it will be. Therefore, while many will wish that the Prince and Princess of Wales might have gone further with an explicit denunciation of Andrew and his actions, the careful phrasing of the statement suggests that this particular cycle is only just beginning. The royals know that it will be impossible to draw a line under this scandal – much as they might wish to – for a very long time to come.
Comments