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

A source close to Prince Charles says he feels the problem of having Prince Andrew return to royal duties is "unsolvable."

london, united kingdom june 05 embargoed for publication in uk newspapers until 24 hours after create date and time prince andrew, duke of york and prince charles, prince of wales attend a service of thanksgiving to celebrate queen elizabeth iis diamond jubilee at st pauls cathedral on june 5, 2012 in london, england for only the second time in its history the uk celebrates the diamond jubilee of a monarch her majesty queen elizabeth ii celebrates the 60th anniversary of her ascension to the throne thousands of wellwishers from around the world have flocked to london to witness the spectacle of the weekends celebrations photo by max mumbyindigogetty images
(Image credit: Max Mumby/Indigo)
  • 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 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 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 that it will be reviewing the allegations against Andrew for a third time.

A source close to Charles told the Times of London 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.

RELATED STORIES

british royals

(Image credit: Max Mumby/Indigo)
Kayleigh Roberts
Weekend Editor

Kayleigh Roberts is a freelance writer and editor with more than 10 years of professional experience. Her byline has appeared in Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar, The Atlantic, Allure, Entertainment Weekly, MTV, Bustle, Refinery29, Girls’ Life Magazine, Just Jared, and Tiger Beat, among other publications. She's a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.