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Queen Elizabeth’s Son Prince Andrew Stepping Away From Royal Duties for ‘the Foreseeable Future’
Say it isn’t so! Queen Elizabeth‘s son Prince Andrew has decided to step away from his public duties due to a recent controversy involving him.
“It has become clear to me over the last few days that the circumstances relating to my former association with Jeffrey Epstein has become a major disruption to my family’s work and the valuable work going on in the many organizations and charities that I am proud to support,” the 59-year-old recently said in a statement.
“Therefore, I have asked Her Majesty if I may step back from public duties for the foreseeable future, and she has given her permission,” he added. “I continue to unequivocally regret my ill-judged association with Jeffrey Epstein. His suicide has left many unanswered questions, particularly for his victims, and I deeply sympathize with everyone who has been affected and wants some form of closure. I can only hope that, in time, they will be able to rebuild their lives. Of course, I am willing to help any appropriate law enforcement agency with their investigations, if required.”
Prince Andrew is Queen Elizabeth’s second oldest son. The 93-year-old monarch is a proud mom of four kids — Prince Charles, 71, Princess Anne, 69, Prince Edward, 55, and the aforementioned Duke of York. She shares all of her children with her husband of 72 years, Prince Philip.
Prince Andrew was previously married to Sarah Ferguson, a.k.a the Duchess of York, but their marriage ended in 1996 when they divorced. The pair originally tied the knot in 1986 and share their two daughters — Princess Beatrice, 31, and Princess Eugenie, 29 — together. The duke has yet to remarry.
While Prince Andrew is taking a seemingly permanent break, he isn’t the only member of the royal family to do so — though under different circumstances. Just last year, Prince Philip, 98, officially retired from public duties, which means we see the Duke of Edinburgh a lot less often than we used to.
