Shortly after the U.S. Department of Justice announced that it had closed the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, Prince Andrew’s self-imposed “ban” on traveling internationally is done.
Videos by Suggest
According to the New York Post, the Duke of York has only left the U.K. once in the past six years, due to fears that he would be arrested for his well-known connection to the late Epstein, as well as civil lawsuits and subpoenas.
A source close to the royal told The Sun, “He has been abroad once since the scandal [with Epstein] erupted. He has always been very nervous about going abroad and felt he’d always be looking over his shoulder as he could be subject to civil action or, at worse, being arrested.”
The royal family insider then said, “Hopefully, with this out of the way, it means he can at least leave the country. What’s he supposed to do with the rest of his life? He hasn’t been convicted of any crime and can’t sit around doing nothing at Royal Lodge forever.”
Before the Epstein scandal, Prince Andrew was known as “Air Miles Andy” due to his frequent global travels. His only overseas trip in the past six years was to Bahrain in 2022.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi revealed the Department of Justice’s decision to close the Epstein investigation just months after she announced the client list was sitting on her desk for review.
However, she has now walked back the remark, claiming there is no Epstein list after all.
The Development Comes Just Months After the Death of His Accuser, Virginia Giuffre
Prince Andrew’s openness to travelling again also comes just months after his well-known accuser, Virginia Giuffre, died by suicide. She was 41 years old.
Giuffre previously accused King Charles’ younger brother of sexually assaulting her when she was a teenager. The two met through Epstein, who had trafficked her to Prince Andrew and other wealthy men. She filed a lawsuit against the royal for his alleged actions.
Prince Andrew said he had no recollection of ever meeting Giuffre. However, in February 2022, both his and Giuffre’s attorneys reached a settlement agreement.
Although he never admitted to any wrongdoing, Prince Andrew wrote in a letter that he regretted his association with Epstein. It was revealed earlier this year that the royal kept in contact with Epstein for longer than he initially let on. He claimed that he stopped speaking to Epstein in December 2010. However, in February 2011, he wrote to Epstein, “Keep close touch and we’ll play some more soon.”