Prince Charles Reportedly Will Not Have Prince Andrew Return to Royal Duties Amid Ongoing Sexual Abuse Claims

• As he faces ongoing allegations of sexual abuse, Prince Andrew will reportedly not return to royal duties.
• A source close to Prince Charles said that while he "loves his brother and has the ability to have sympathy for the slings and arrows that his brother endures," he "long ago concluded that it is probably an unsolvable problem."
• "This will probably further strengthen in the prince's mind that a way back for the duke is demonstrably not possible, because the specter of this [accusation] raises its head with hideous regularity," the source added.

Prince Charles (opens in new tab) is reportedly planning to have his brother, Prince Andrew, permanently step back from royal duties as officials continue to review claims of sexual abuse against the Duke of York.

As People (opens in new tab) reports, the accusations against Andrew have received renewed attention this week as Virginia Roberts Giuffre filed a lawsuit in New York.

"As the suit lays out in detail, I was trafficked to him and sexually abused by him," Giuffre said in a statement. "I am holding Prince Andrew accountable for what he did to me. The powerful and rich are not exempt from being held responsible for their actions. I hope that other victims will see that it is possible not to live in silence and fear, but to reclaim one's life by speaking out and demanding justice."

Scotland Yard confirmed (opens in new tab) that it will be reviewing the allegations against Andrew for a third time.

A source close to Charles told the Times of London (opens in new tab) said that even though the Prince of Wales "loves his brother and has the ability to have sympathy for the slings and arrows that his brother endures," he "long ago concluded that it is probably an unsolvable problem."

On a practical level, this means that Andrew will likely stop appearing formally on behalf of the royal family.

"This will probably further strengthen in the prince's mind that a way back for the duke is demonstrably not possible, because the specter of this [accusation] raises its head with hideous regularity," the source added.

If true, this news won't represent a major change to the status quo. Andrew announced in November 2019 that he was stepping back from royal duties and by summer 2020, reports were already circulating that the move would be a permanent one.