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'Embarrassed' Prince Andrew Reportedly Skips Daughter’s Engagement Party Amidst Epstein Scandal

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Earlier, the Duke of York surprisingly attended the Royal Family's Christmas lunch hosted by the Queen on 16 December, despite the continuing scandal over his friendship with paedophile tycoon Jeffrey Epstein.

Prince Andrew has reportedly avoided his daughter Princess Beatrice's engagement party, fearing further “embarrassment” over his past relationship with deceased paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, according to reports cited by the Daily Star.

Reports say the disgraced royal, who is battling allegations of sex abuse, dodged the event in "fear of embarrassment or abuse" from other celebrity attendees.

​The publication quotes a source as saying:

“This is a devastating blow for the Duke and a sign of just how bad things have got… The plan was always for him to attend Beatrice’s engagement party alongside Fergie. But things have just turned far more toxic.”

The source was also quoted as saying:

“He agreed that he didn’t want to overshadow the event, especially seeing lots of celebrities and high profile people will be there and it could have put them in a difficult position. People close to him were also in fear of embarrassment or abuse, which would have just been mortifying.”

There had been earlier reports that Princess Beatrice’s wedding preparations may have been overshadowed by her father's disastrous BBC interview, where he attempted to clear his name and involvement in the Epstein scandal.

However, reports claim the developments didn't stop the Princess from throwing an official engagement party that earlier was alleged to have been cancelled.

Following her appearance at the Queen's Christmas lunch at Buckingham Place on Monday, 16 December, Beatrice and her fiancé Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, a 34-year-old property entrepreneur, known as “Edo" to his close friends, reportedly invited family and friends to the Chiltern Firehouse bar and restaurant in London to celebrate their forthcoming wedding.

​Beatrice's father wasn't there, according to sources, while her mother, Sarah, Duchess of York and sister, Eugenie, were present, alongside family friend Robbie Williams and a host of celebrities.

Buckingham Palace has said it will announce further details of the wedding, which will take place on the New Year, over the coming weeks.

Посмотреть эту публикацию в Instagram

The Duke and Duchess of York are delighted to announce the engagement of Princess Beatrice to Mr Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi. Her Royal Highness and Mr Mapelli Mozzi became engaged in Italy earlier this month. The wedding will take place in 2020. Further details will be announced in due course.⁣ ⁣ These photographs were taken by @princesseugenie. The 2nd photo shows Princess Beatrice’s engagement ring, which was designed by Edo in collaboration with the British jewellery designer Shaun Leane.⁣ ⁣ “We are extremely happy to be able to share the news of our recent engagement. We are both so excited to be embarking on this life adventure together and can’t wait to be married. We share so many similar interests and values and we know this will stand us in great stead for the years ahead, full of love and happiness.” - Princess Beatrice and Mr Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi⁣ ⁣ “We are thrilled that Beatrice and Edoardo have got engaged, having watched their relationship develop with pride. We are the lucky parents of a wonderful daughter who has found her love and companion in a completely devoted friend and loyal young man. We send them every good wish for a wonderful family future.” - The Duke and Duchess of York.⁣ ⁣ “We are truly delighted about Edoardo’s and Beatrice’s engagement. The family have known Beatrice for most of her life. Edo and Beatrice are made for each other, and their happiness and love for each other is there for all to see. They share an incredibly strong and united bond, their marriage will only strengthen what is already a wonderful relationship.” - Nikki Williams-Ellis and Alessandro Mapelli Mozzi

Публикация от The Duke of York (@hrhthedukeofyork)

The Unabated Scandal

Earlier in the week, Prince Andrew, who has recently been embroiled in a scandal due to his ties to the late paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, made a surprise appearance at an event hosted by the Queen, weeks after he was dismissed from formal royal duties.

Leaked photos showed him leaving the palace grounds after a Christmas soiree hosted by the Queen on Monday, 16 December, in line with an annual tradition to express gratitude to her Majesty’s palace staffers.

Late last month, the embattled Prince Andrew was ordered to step down from royal duties by the Queen after giving a “car crash” interview to the BBC where he dismally failed to clear his name after becoming embroiled in the Jeffrey Epstein sex scandal.

The Prince’s appearance on Newsnight saw him fail to apologise for his friendship with the now-deceased convicted paedophile, who allegedly killed himself in his New York prison cell this year while facing child sex trafficking charges.

The Duke of York continues to face accusations from alleged sex trafficking victim Virginia Roberts Guiffre, who claims she was ordered to have sex with him in 2017.

© AP Photo / Bebeto MatthewsIn this Aug. 27, 2019, photo, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, center, who says she was trafficked by sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, holds a news conference outside a Manhattan court where sexual assault claimants invited by a judge addressed a hearing following Epstein's jailhouse death in New York
'Embarrassed' Prince Andrew Reportedly Skips Daughter’s Engagement Party Amidst Epstein Scandal  - Sputnik International
In this Aug. 27, 2019, photo, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, center, who says she was trafficked by sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, holds a news conference outside a Manhattan court where sexual assault claimants invited by a judge addressed a hearing following Epstein's jailhouse death in New York

On 2 December Giuffre gave her first UK television interview for BBC Panorama on the Epstein scandal, claiming she was an underage trafficking victim forced into intimate relations with Prince Andrew when she was 17 on three occasions, including once in London.

Giuffre, now 35, described how she was reportedly recruited by British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, a close associate of the financier, to give Epstein massages when she was working as a locker room attendant at Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, FL., and later taken to London to meet Prince Andrew.

The alleged sex trafficking victim said that Maxwell told her she would have to do for Prince Andrew what she had done for Epstein, meaning she would have to have sex with him.

“That just made me sick,'' Giuffre said.

Royal Denial

Prince Andrew has been insisting he has no recollection of ever meeting Guiffre, claiming he was at home with his daughters on the night that his accuser says she was forced to have sex with him.

Buckingham Palace and Prince Andrew have also strongly denied having had knowledge of the crimes committed by the convicted sex offender Epstein.

Convicted sex abuser Jeffrey Epstein had been under investigation for nearly two decades at the time of his death in custody earlier this year. The death was officially ruled a suicide but gave rise to speculations of foul play, as the influential American paedophile’s name was linked to many powerful people.

Epstein had pleaded not guilty to all charges but faced up to 45 years in prison had he been convicted.

 

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