 |
| Prince Andrew |
The Duke of York's former friendship with financier Jeffrey Epstein is back in the headlines after the royal was named in court papers in the US.
A woman claims that between 1999 and 2002 she was forced by Epstein to have sex with the duke when she was a minor.
Buckingham Palace denies "any suggestion of impropriety with underage minors" by Prince Andrew.
The duke stepped down as the UK's Special Representative for Trade and Investment in July 2011 following controversy over his friendship with Epstein, who was convicted of sex offences in 2008.
The pair were photographed meeting in December 2010, after Epstein had served part of an 18-month prison sentence for soliciting a minor for prostitution.
Prince Andrew had also visited Epstein at his Florida home over the years.
Buckingham Palace said at the time: "The role as special representative will no longer exist as the Duke of York has decided to relinquish it after 10 years."
The Palace said the duke would continue to undertake official overseas trips as a member of the Royal Family in support of Britain's foreign interest.
Diplomacy style
It was not the first time Andrew was involved in controversy in the role.
Actions such as lunching at Buckingham Palace with a member of the former Tunisian regime, accepting hospitality with a Libyan gun smuggler (which he later paid for) and selling his former home to a relative of Kazakhstan's ruler had given rise to comment.
Eyebrows were raised in some quarters about the duke's diplomacy style. One ambassador described him speaking "cockily" in a conversation that "verged on the rude".
And he was not unscathed by the financial scandal surrounding his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson after she was recorded in 2010 offering to sell access to Prince Andrew to a reporter posing as a businessman.
His private secretary said at the time that the "insinuations and innuendos" surrounding the duke were "without foundation".
'Airmiles Andy'
Prince Andrew worked for government body UK Trade and Investment (UKTI), which reported jointly to the Foreign Office and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, but did not receive a salary for his work.
UKTI described the role as "promoting UK business internationally, marketing the UK to potential inward investors and building relationships in support of UK business interests".
Before his departure, it said: "The duke's unique position gives him unrivalled access to members of royal families, heads of state, government ministers and chief executives of companies."
The role took him on expenses-paid delegations all over the world, and comments about his expenditure - including his use of helicopters - caused some newspapers to nickname him "Airmiles Andy".
Over the years journalists remarked on how some of Prince Andrew's trips abroad, supposedly on government business, seemed to go via ski slopes, top golf courses and other exotic locations.
Joined Twitter
The duke has continued his duties, including visiting UK forces in Afghanistan.
During a trip in July, the former Royal Navy helicopter pilot was particularly interested to meet aviators from the Joint Aviation Group and men and women from 903 Expeditionary Air Wing, who managed Camp Bastion's vast airfield.
Cr.BBC News
No comments:
Post a Comment