Prince Harry may just be the first Royal to explicitly address Prince Andrew's infamous relationship with US sex offender and financier, Jeffrey Epstein.
While the Royal Family has remained quiet on the alleged friendship between the two men, according to numerous reports, the Duke of Sussex allegedly addresses the situation in his new memoir, Spare.
The 400+ page ghostwritten autobiography was accidentally placed on sale in Spain last week, days before its planned release on Tuesday, January 10.
Many news outlets have already covered the range of shocking revelations made in the memoir, including that Harry, 38, claimed he had a physical altercation with his brother Prince William, 40. Reported to have been in relation to Harry's wife Meghan Markle, 41, the argument allegedly culminated in Harry sustaining "cuts and bruises" after being pushed to the floor and landing on a dog bowl.
Now, several reports claim that the former senior royal - who is still fifth in line to the throne - has become the first member of the monarchy to address the reported connection between the queen's son, Prince Andrew, and convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. The 66-year-old had been arrested on federal charges of sex trafficking and conspiracy to traffic minors for sex. However, he died by suicide in jail in 2019, before he could appear before a jury for the charges, per AP.
The late Queen's son Prince Andrew - who had been the second in line to the throne before the births of Princes William and Harry - reportedly had a close relationship with the disgraced US financier, despite his repeated claims otherwise. The 62-year-old royal had even been accused of sexually assaulting a minor, something that he has vehemently denied. According to US Weekly, which obtained a copy of Spare after it was leaked, Harry addresses this.
Referring to The Firm's decision to remove security for the couple following their decision to step down as senior royals and emigrate to the USA, Harry reportedly wrote in his book that he "never" thought they'd lose their security given that Prince Andrew, 62, had continued to have protection amid the scandal.
"Never. Not in this climate of hate. Not after what happened to my mother [Princess Diana]. Also, not in the wake of my Uncle Andrew," Harry wrote of the decision to take away his and Meghan's security. "He was embroiled in a shameful scandal, accused of the sexual assault of a young woman and no one had so much suggested that he lose his security. Whatever grievances people had against us, sex crimes weren't on the list," he reportedly added.
The father-of-two continued that losing their royal security detail had meant that he and Meghan had been robbed of an "implicit promise."
At the time, the pair had released a statement that revealed they would not be able to afford their own security in the UK, writing: "Prince Harry inherited a security risk at birth, for life. He remains sixth in line to the throne, served two tours of combat duty in Afghanistan, and in recent years his family has been subjected to well-documented neo-Nazi and extremist threats. While his role within the Institution has changed, his profile as a member of the royal family has not. Nor has the threat to him and his family."
While Andrew was able to keep his security detail, Queen Elizabeth II stripped him of his military affiliations and royal patronages in January 2022, in the wake of the allegations.
