Queen Elizabeth supports Prince Andrew amid Jeffrey Epstein sex scandal
Queen Elizabeth II showed her support for Prince Andrew on Sunday morning after reports of his close ties with late paedophile Jeffrey Epstein came to light.
Britain’s monarch and her son were all smiles as they headed to church in Scotland, with the 59-year-old grinning from ear to ear despite being accused of groping a woman’s breast at Epstein’s mansion.
Princess Beatrice, his eldest daughter, also joined them in what seemed to appear as a show of solidarity.
Speaking to the Express, a royal aide revealed that Prince Andrew and his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, were taking refuge at Balmoral from the “grim times”.
The trip to Balmoral was the first time Andrew was spotted since Epstein’s apparent suicide while in federal custody over the weekend.
News of his death came shortly after reports were released naming a number of wealthy men tied to the abuse of underage girls.
They included brand new allegations against the Prince, with a deposition from Joanna Sjoberg saying the royal groped her breast when she was 21 at a party at Epstein’s mansion, according to the Guardian.
Earlier, Epstein’s accuser Virginia Giuffre made allegations against Andrew saying Epstein forced her into sexual encounters with the royal.
Andrew has always denied the claims.
“It is emphatically denied that the Duke of York had any form of sexual contact or relationship with (Giuffre). The allegations made are false and without any foundation,” said the royal household.