Prince Andrew’s return to public eye condemned by Jeffrey Epstein’s victims

Lawyers representing Jeffrey Epstein’s victims said it has been “shameful” to see Prince Andrew returning to the public eye in “state-sponsored” memorials following the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II.

The Duke of York has been heckled over his past friendships with Ghislaine Maxwell and paedophile billionaire Jeffrey Epstein.

Prince Andrew, who has always strenuously denied any wrongdoing, paid £12m to settle a civil sexual assault brought by Virginia Giuffre who he was pictured with when she was a teenager.

Prince Andrew is expected to follow King Charles in marching behind the Queen’s coffin when it is moved, at 10.44am on Monday, from Westminster Hall to Westminster Abbey for her state funeral.

Attorney Spencer Kuvin, who represented nearly a dozen Epstein victims, said they have long been “disgusted and appalled at Andrew’s continued friendship with Epstein, even after [Epstein’s] conviction and the stories that had come about what Epstein had done to those young girls”.

He told The Guardian: “It’s the epitome of poor judgment and, frankly, an embarrassment to the crown, that [Andrew] would consort with someone like Epstein after all that news would come out.”

Kuvin, said he understood the frustration that boiled over in Edinburgh when a heckler cupped his mouth to shout “Andrew, you’re a sick old man” at the Duke of York as he walked behind his mother’s coffin.

“You want to honor the memory of a very respectable monarch who served over 70 years – I get the fact that it’s probably not the correct place or time to be yelling something out at a funeral – but at the end of the day, you also want to acknowledge the fact that [Andrew] should not be publicly allowed to benefit from society and these organizations, given his past and he should be held accountable by the public.

“I get the level of frustration and feeling that person had, because [Andrew] is a creep.”

Attorney Mariann Wang, added it was “beyond shameful to see Andrew being granted any form of state-sponsored honor or privilege, given his past affiliation with Jeffrey Epstein”.

In January, ahead of his legal settlement, the Queen stripped him of all of his honorary military roles, including Colonel of the Grenadier Guards, and he gave up his HRH style.

However he will be allowed to wear his military dress at the Queen’s funeral on Monday, unlike Prince Harry.