Prince Andrew ‘Dismayed’ He Can’t Shake Link to Epstein

Prince Andrew is once again caught in the crosshairs of the Jeffrey Epstein saga—and friends say he’s had enough.

Despite years of public disgrace, a multimillion-dollar settlement, and a quiet life out of the spotlight, the Duke of York finds himself back in headlines after reports emerged that Ghislaine Maxwell discussed him during jailhouse meetings with the U.S. Department of Justice. According to the Mail on Sunday, Maxwell allegedly named Andrew among “100 men” in her conversations—though what exactly she said remains a mystery. Her lawyer declined to comment, and the DOJ is keeping quiet.

Friends say the renewed attention has left the prince “dismayed,” especially since the FBI had recently signaled that their investigation into Andrew was closed. “He knows he made mistakes and has accepted responsibility,” one longtime friend told The Daily Beast. “He stepped back from royal life and just wants to live quietly. But this stuff keeps resurfacing.”

Andrew now spends his days riding horses and doing odd jobs around Royal Lodge, the Windsor estate his brother King Charles reportedly tried to evict him from last year. “He’s not throwing parties,” another friend said. “He’s just focused on his kids and grandkids. It’s monstrous that his name keeps getting dragged through the mud.”

What’s reopened the floodgates? For starters, Donald Trump made headlines this week by acknowledging that Virginia Giuffre—the woman who accused Epstein, Maxwell, and Prince Andrew of sex trafficking—once worked at his Mar-a-Lago spa before Epstein “stole” her away. Giuffre later accused Andrew of raping her three times, including once at Maxwell’s London townhouse. The infamous photo showing Andrew with his arm around a teenage Giuffre—standing beside Maxwell—became the image that shattered his royal standing.

Andrew has always denied meeting Giuffre and claimed the photo was a fake. During his now-notorious 2019 BBC Newsnight interview, he offered a bizarre defense, saying he couldn’t have been sweating profusely as she claimed because he had a medical condition from his time in the Falklands War that made him unable to sweat.

Ultimately, in 2022, Andrew settled Giuffre’s lawsuit for a reported $12 million—without admitting guilt. Maxwell was convicted of sex trafficking in 2021. Giuffre died by suicide earlier this year after years of mental health struggles.

Lady Victoria Hervey, a former friend and brief romantic interest of Andrew, is adamant the scandal is a “shakedown.” “This story won’t go away until Andrew is exonerated,” she told The Daily Beast. “Virginia’s suicide was tragic, but everything she said about Andrew was fabricated. She never sued me when I said this before—because she knew it wasn’t true.”

Maxwell’s brother, Ian Maxwell, echoed those sentiments on a British radio show Friday.

But Andrew’s decades-long friendship with Maxwell, and her link to Epstein, remains a PR nightmare. A 1999 photo from Balmoral Castle—a royal family retreat—shows Maxwell and Epstein lounging at a cabin on the estate, during a trip reportedly organized by Andrew himself. The image fueled concerns over just how close Epstein got to the crown.

Author Andrew Lownie, whose upcoming book Entitled dives into Andrew’s finances and marriage to Sarah Ferguson, believes the prince’s biggest threat now isn’t the sex scandal—it’s his murky money matters. “I think Maxwell will name some Democrats next to distract from Andrew,” he said. “But frankly, Andrew should be more worried about the financial scandals waiting to surface.”

The prince currently has no official press team. His former communications adviser did not respond to requests for comment. But even with no public voice, Andrew can’t seem to escape the one story he most wants to forget.