royal family should face tough questions

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest following the revelations in the Epstein files is invariably a gigantic embarrassment for the parasitic royal family. And, calls are growing for answers over the royal family’s support of Andrew over the years.

Historian Tessa Dunlop slammed the Royal Family’s choice to refrain from offering any apology to the British public in the Mirror. Dunlop pointed out that the privileged family could have paid attention to the disgraced prince’s apparent abuse of power.

Confronting Andrew’s ‘weaponised‘ use of his Royal privilege to shut down the allegations towards him, she exposed the lack of humility and accountability being shown by his silver-spoon family.

A point which was similarly made on Question Time to Fiona Bruce. No surprises, Bruce attempted to deflect the point:

Epstein files show we must ‘hold powerful men to account’

In an opinion piece for the Mirror, Dunlop welcomed the ‘unprecedented move’ to arrest the former prince. She reminded us once again of the sex-pest’s relationship with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein and the victims who will be paying close attention. However, highlighting the shameful response by the Royal’s to continually use their privilege to protect the former prince, she underscored the message sent to victims everywhere that elites are not held to the same legal standards as everybody else.

She wrote:

So while reports confirm that in an unprecedented move, the former prince was arrested this morning on suspicion of misconduct in a public office, let’s not fool ourselves that Andrew is no longer royal. It was precisely because of his privileged position the former Prince was ‘anointed’ trade envoy in the first place – a sop to the late Queen from the Blair Administration in 2001 after a difficult royal decade.

Challenging the royals to show the same courage as the victims of powerful men, Dunlop added:

For far too long Andrew has been able to weaponise his royal privilege to push back against his accuser and to protect himself from legal scrutiny. Today he remains in police custody on potential charges of misconduct in a public office, but so many questions remain unanswered.

We still don’t know where the money came from that paid off Virginia Giuffre in 2022, when she accused Andrew of sexual assault under New York’s Child Victim’s Act, or how much the royal family knew about Andrew’s activities with Epstein more broadly. The latter’s female accusers have done so much to move this story forward and hold powerful men to account, surely it is time that our royal family also stepped up to the plate?

She concluded:

The late Queen protected her son Andrew, the institution of monarchy batted away questions concerning the Duke of York’s alleged misconduct since 2011 and Buckingham Palace was the address from which Andrew platformed his lies on the BBC in 2019.

Beyond what happens to their ‘ex-royal’ brother, surely the least the Royal Family can do is apologise for consistently turning a blind eye to former Duke of York’s extensive abuse of power.

Sympathy for powerful men

Narinder Kaur’s post on X highlights that there is no shortage of examples of influential figures expressing sympathy for powerful men facing allegations. They often focus more on the personal discomfort or “tragedy” of the accused than on the seriousness of the claims.

What many of these reactions tend to share is a striking disregard for victims. There has been a consistent failure, whether deliberate or not, to centre the experiences and suffering of those who may have been harmed through this shady web of the elite.

Psychotherapist Lucy Beresford argued on Sky News that seeing a powerful man face the full force of the law – just like any ordinary citizen – can have a profoundly positive impact on victims everywhere. It reinforces the idea that justice applies equally, regardless of status or privilege:

Empathy for harm caused, not for the ‘fall from grace’

Dunlop’s intervention strengthens the point that victims will once again suffer as a result of the royal family’s continued avoidance tactics. In turn, they refuse to fully address the allegations against Andrew, and those against his close pal, convicted paedophile Epstein. As a result, victims are left feeling diminished and abandoned by justice.

We wrote yesterday:

Mountbatten-Windsor is currently in police custody amid searches of multiple properties as part of the criminal inquiry. The Epstein files have raised serious concerns about the scale of this sinister web of elitist men. This has prompted widespread demands for full transparency and accountability for sexual abuse against women and girls.

However, this pattern underscores how far more precedence is given to economic interests and institutional power over justice for victims and accountability for abusive men.

Undoubtedly, the Royal Family feel discomfort around this issue. But that discomfort pales in comparison to the serious trauma experienced by victims of sexual abuse. Shamefully, the monarchy deepens that trauma by showing palpable disinterest in the harm powerful men cause.

Another reminder that they will never be on our side.

For more on the Epstein Files, please read:

Featured image via the Canary