Prince Andrew is dominating society headlines again today amid calls for financial transparency. According to reports, government ministers are fronting calls that would otherwise see Andrew forced to disclose secrets he has taken to the grave for decades.
The Lowdown
Prince Andrew the scandal plagued royal who fell from grace following his association and alleged vile acts with Jeffrey Epstein by his side. According to reports, Andrew is now facing increasing calls to be transparent about how exactly he funds his ultra-lavish lifestyle given that he is all but a royal in exile after being shunned by high-society and his former pals. As The Guardian notes Andrew ‘s financial secrecy dates back some time though his financial arrangement on record hasn’t changed much at all. To the outside it looks as if Andrew only receives his £27,000 Navy pension which he is entitled to — but that in no way explains how the disgraced royal has managed to maintain an ultra-luxe lifestyle even after his private allowances and other perks had begun drying up over time.
On record, Andrew received funds as a working royal up until about 2010. Following that time he was then awarded direct payments from Queen Elizabeth II herself before going on to receive an allowance from King Charles II. That allowance was cut off last year after Andrew resurfaced in international headlines amid claims made by Virginia Giuffre the woman who alleged that Prince Andrew helped facilitate her rape and then allegedly helped facilitate selling her off to his powerful friends allegations he has strenuously denied.
But those scandals aside. Andrew ‘s financial secrecy is about as murky as it comes. According to the same Guardian report, over time Andrew has been accused numerous times of abusing his position of power for personal gain. In several instances, Andrew was previously accused of abusing his position of power as a UK trade envoy a role he reportedly used to further his own interests and bottom-line. Perhaps most telling about the Prince ‘s financial future is how he has managed to accumulate such wealth to sustain his lifestyle, whilst only having a singular reported income.
As a whole the allegations paint a picture of a wildly dangerous man who has used the monarchy as his own personal PR and business machine rather than serving the interests of the British public. It is a profound stain on the Royal Family to continue to allow Andrew to parade in any form as a member of the fold.