Members of the United Kingdom’s armed forces urged leadership to strip Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, of his military titles over his connection to accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.
Andrew’s handling of his ties to Epstein has embarrassed the military where he holds several top titles, including colonel of the Grenadier Guards and four other colonel-in-chief positions. Many members of the service told the Times that they want to see the Duke of York “quietly faded out” of the service.
Andrew, 59, is a former naval helicopter pilot who flew missions during the Falklands conflict. He currently serves as commodore-in-chief of the fleet air arm and admiral of the sea cadet corps within the Royal Navy. His roles in the military are highly public and often require that he give out awards and attend ceremonies on behalf of the forces.
Sources noted that Andrew intended to keep his titles but not fulfill any of his public duties. A senior member of the navy was outraged with the notion that the Duke of York should keep his titles while only doing part of the job.
“As a service we would not be rushing to invite him to anything. It’s safe to say there have been grumbles and it seems likely that the post would be passed on,” the source said.
Another source said any other member of the service “would be expected to stand up for what” Andrew was accused of.
The military was hoping to keep Andrew’s likeness away from any of their events following his disastrous Epstein interview with the BBC.
During the interview, Andrew claimed he did not remember Virginia Roberts Giuffre, one of he and Epstein’s accusers, despite appearing in a photograph with her. He claimed he would have remembered anyone he had a sexual relationship with.
"And without putting too fine a point on it, if you’re a man, it is a positive act to have sex with somebody. You have to take some sort of positive action, and so, therefore, if you try to forget, it’s very difficult to try and forget a positive action, and I do not remember anything,” he said.
He also claimed during the interview that he could no longer properly sweat following an overdose of adrenaline during his mission in the Falklands, something he was mocked for by his military peers. One said, “It’s just not viable. It’s embarrassing to be represented by someone like that.”
The Duke of York’s comments led to Queen Elizabeth II, his mother, demanding that he distance himself from his public duties at Buckingham Palace and even canceling his birthday party.
Like the armed services, several charities have demanded that Andrew not attend any public events for the cause due to his relationship with Epstein. He told BBC that he would be willing to assist U.S. authorities in their investigation of Epstein if his attorneys allow him to do so. Epstein died of suicide in his jail cell while awaiting trial earlier this year.
