Although Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, has barely just embarked on his royal resurgence, he's facing a fresh storm yet again.

Just a few weeks ago, Prince Andrew of York walked to church on Christmas Day with his brother King Charles III and the rest of the Royal Family, marking a gradual return to public life. The idyllic scenario didn’t last long, as shortly afterwards a scandal exploded when court documents were leaked containing fresh testimony from the late sexual offender Jeffrey Epstein’s case. In these documents, Andrew was again named. While legally inconsequential at the moment, the revelation holds significant weight, especially considering the prince’s previous exile from the Royal Family due to the Epstein scandal. The unveiled documents are likely stirring considerable consternation.

The British Royal Family couldn’t have peace for long.

As is known, former businessman Jeffrey Epstein was last arrested in July 2019 at an airport in New Jersey and charged with sex crimes and trafficking of minors. He died on 10 August 2019 while in custody pending investigation, and according to official reports, hanged himself in his cell. Epstein’s methods became known worldwide, including taking underage victims to his private island in the Caribbean, where he and his associates raped the girls and silenced them with money and threats.

Returning to Prince Andrew, it is not the first time his name has come up in the case. In 2021, Virginia Giuffre – one of the women who reported Jeffrey Epstein – filed a lawsuit for sexual assault against the Duke of York in a Manhattan court, alleging that he raped her when she was 17. Another victim, Johanna Sjoberg, claimed that he fondled her breasts while sitting on the sofa in Epstein’s Manhattan mansion in 2001.

This „will continue to tarnish this generation of the royals,”

says Anna Whitelock, professor of the history of the modern monarchy at the University of London.

King Charles’ brother could now lose his home because of the Epstein documents. He has lived with his wife at the Royal Lodge since 2003, but last year rumours were circulating that Andrew would be removed from the property. However, the recent scandal has put plans in motion to evict him from his residence in Windsor and move him to a smaller property which is in keeping with his downgraded royal status.

Hovering around Royal Lodge for quite some time, Prince William and Princess Kate support the plan wholeheartedly. The latest chapter in the Epstein scandal and Prince Andrew’s role in it would come in handy for the royal couple.