Virginia Giuffre memoir: Will the British royal family finally drop Prince Andrew?

On Tuesday, almost six months after she took her own life, the posthumous memoir of Virginia Giuffre went on sale. ‘Nobody’s Girl’, which was completed by Giuffre before her death, details how she feared she might “die a sex slave” at the hands of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Giuffre also says she was made to have sex with Prince Andrew on three occasions.

Prince Andrew, who has always denied any wrongdoing, and who reached a financial settlement with Giuffre in 2022, announced last week he would voluntarily no longer use his titles, including the Duke of York. He said he had made the decision following a discussion with King Charles, his family, and in consultation with Prince William.

Meanwhile, MPs in Britain moved on Tuesday to lodge a parliamentary motion to strip Prince Andrew of his dukedom, with pressure also mounting on the British government to address the prince’s luxury residence in Windsor. It was recently revealed the King’s younger brother has not paid rent on the Royal Lodge for more than two decades.

The House of Commons, which is not permitted to discuss issues that reflect badly on Britain’s royal family, has maintained an uneasy silence as the Prince Andrew scandal continues to grow legs.

Why are UK politicians not allowed to debate Royal scandals, or any issues that reflect badly on Royals, in Westminster? And is that about to change?

Irish Times London correspondent Mark Paul discusses the latest revelations from Giuffre’s memoir and examines the steps needed for Westminster to take stronger action against the disgraced prince.

Presented by Sorcha Pollak, produced by Suzanne Brennan and Andrew McNair.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.