Prince Andrew is expected to offer his first response to the scandal that has seen him linked to allegations of underage sex.
The Duke of York is apparently not letting the scandal currently surrounding him stand in the way of his public duties, and is scheduled to host his annual reception for 300 business leaders and politicians at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on January 22..
It is there that Prince Andrew, 54, is expected to make his first public comments on the matter, with the usually media-embargoed World Economic Forum reportedly inviting some cameras in to record Prince Andrew’s speech.
The Duke’s speech is expected to focus on his Pitch@Palace business initiative for young entrepreneurs. The Times of London speculates that any mention of the scandal will be vague – no naming of his accuser, and offer firm denials.
“This will hopefully be a chance for Prince Andrew to draw a line under the Epstein business and move on,” a friend of the Duke was quoted as saying to The Daily Mail.
“He accepts that his judgment has been questioned in the coverage surrounding the lawsuits.”
The conference is expected to make clear exactly how much damage has been done to the Prince’s reputation, with the Times reporting that PR advisors to attendees have advised their clients to steer clear of the Prince and avoid being photographed with him.
So far, the Prince, as well as individual members of the royal family, have remained tight-lipped on the matter, although the allegations have sent the family spinning into crisis. The royals have refrained from public comment but have taken the unusual step of releasing not one, but two official statements via the Palace.
The Palace “emphatically” denied the claims, saying that “Any suggestion of impropriety with underage minors is categorically untrue.”
“It is emphatically denied that the Duke of York had any form of sexual contact or relationship with Virginia Roberts. Any claim to the contrary is false and without foundation.”
Prince Andrew’s ex Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, has not been quite so shy in defending her former husband. She initially defended his character from on holiday in Switzerland, saying: “He’s the best man there is.”
Fergie then took the extra step of passionately defending Andrew live on American television, labelling the allegations “salacious lies” and defending him as a “humongously good man” during an interview on the US Today show.
“I will have not one word said about him on any level, any level,” she said.
The allegations concerns the Prince’s close friendship with American billionaire Jeffrey Epstein, who is also a convicted sex offender who has already served 13 months for soliciting prostitution.
It’s claimed Andrew slept with Virginia Roberts three times in 2001 when she was just 17. At the time, she was employed by Epstein, who allegedly employed her as a “sex slave”. On one occasion she claims she was paid $15,000 to sleep with the Prince.
Although Prince Andrew’s ongoing connections with Epstein forced him to step down from his role as Britain’s trade envoy to the US in 2011, he is reportedly now determined there will be no disruption to his normal public duties.
“There is an acknowledgement that the civil case will last a considerable length of time. But he’s not going to go to ground. He will carry on what he has been doing in terms of his public engagements and work,” a senior royal aide told People.
As to whether this is to be a successful strategy for the Prince, remains to be seen.
