The Duchess of Yorkâs charities have cancelled her as patron and her brand is now utterly toxic. As Prince Andrew and his ex-wife hunker down hoping the backlash over the latest revelations about her extensive friendship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein will go away, the Yorks must be wondering whether things can get any worse.
Well, yes they can. And they are about to.
The revelation by The Mail on Sunday this week of an email she sent to Epstein in 2011 was bad enough.
In it, she called Epstein her âsupreme friendâ, said she wanted to âhumbly apologiseâ to him and that she knew Epstein would âfeel hellaciously let downâ by her.
The supine apology came, of course, a few weeks after she had publicly denounced him, saying in an interview it had been a âgigantic error of judgmentâ to have had dealings with him and vowing to âhave nothing ever to do with Jeffrey Epstein ever againâ.
Once again, Fergieâs egregious behaviour painted the Yorks in the worst possible light.
And yet the scandal surrounding Andrew and his association with Epstein is about to plumb new depths.
Because in a few weeks the posthumous autobiography of the late Virginia Giuffre, the young woman who claimed she was trafficked by Epstein for sex with Prince Andrew (which the Prince denies) will be published.
As Andrew and Fergie hunker down hoping the backlash over her friendship with Jeffrey Epstein will go away, they must be wondering whether things can get any worse, writes Amanda Platell
In a few weeks the posthumous autobiography of Virginia Giuffre, who claimed she was trafficked by Epstein for sex with Prince Andrew (which the Prince denies) will be published
Will King Charles banish Prince Andrew from Royal Lodge?
It means Andrew will be on trial once again, in the unforgiving court of public opinion.
The publishers Alfred A. Knopf reveal Giuffre completed the 400-page manuscript before she took her own life in April this year and have made clear it was her âheartfelt wishâ the memoir would still be published in the event of her death.
Without giving the exact date, they have let it be known publication will take place next month. And they claim the book contains âintimate, disturbing, and heartbreaking new details about her time with Epstein, Maxwell, and their many well-known friends, including Prince Andrewâ.
And so in a few short weeks the memoir will be heaping yet more scandal upon not only the Yorks but by association the entire Royal Family. And this, inevitably will resurrect calls for Andrew and Fergie to be exiled from the royals for ever.
Who knows what salacious details a memoir about a very young woman trafficked by Epstein will contain? How much will the Duke be implicated or disgraced?
Will Prince Andrew attempt another TV interview to try to exonerate himself? He reached an out-of-court settlement with Giuffre in 2022 in which he reportedly paid her around ÂŁ12 million, but has denied all claims against him including her allegation that he sexually abused her three times. One of those occasions was, she claimed, at the London home of his friend Ghislaine Maxwell, currently serving 20 years in a US prison for her role in recruiting and trafficking minors for sex.
Prince Andrew pictured with his arm around a young Virginia Giuffre as Ghislaine Maxwell smiles in the background
We do not yet know what the book will say. But we can be certain that when it is published, the headlines it generates around the world will be lurid, accusatory, shameful and humiliating.
Whether Giuffreâs accusations are true or not, whatever Andrewâs response, we will all be reminded of the greed, the idiocy and the arrogance of the disgraced Prince and Duchess who climbed into bed with a monster and a paedophile.
Truly Virginia Giuffre will continue to haunt the Yorks from beyond the grave for as long as they live.
Portilloâs on track
Michael Portillo was once my nemesis. I was even blamed for him missing out on the Tory leadership by one vote after my boss William Hague resigned, because I described him as part-man, part-ego, so vain he couldnât pass a spoon without admiring his reflection in it.
Now I like him and look forward to his Great British Railway Journeys series. In hindsight, he should be grateful to me because leaving politics â showbusiness for ugly people â turned him into a TV star.
Cabbie Gary Poland fled after dropping off the Southport killer despite hearing âblood-curdling screamsâ of girls ârunning for their livesâ. He didnât call the police for almost an hour, saying he âpanicked and fled for his own safetyâ. But he did call a friend who told him the killer had stabbed âabout 15 kidsâ. Poland replied: âUnbelievable, innit. Christ.â His cowardice should haunt him for the rest of his miserable days.
Thanks Rihanna, for sharing your joy
While pretentious minor âstarsâ post pictures of mum and new baby with their precious childâs face covered and refuse to divulge the childâs name for security reasons, superstar Rihanna and her husband AS$P â worth $1.4billion â share a beautiful picture of their daughter cradled in mumâs arms. The babyâs angelic face is revealed.
And they tell us her name: Rocki.
Much guessing as to why Coleen Rooney stayed with her serial cheating, alcoholic husband Wayne. Of course, sheâs a millionairess off the back of his fame and their upcoming Disney+ TV show. But most importantly, if heâs sloshed when he gets home, she can âfriend-zoneâ him as they say on Love Island.
Nineties series Baywatch is to return. Although in this woke world how will that work? The cast would have to tick boxes for inclusivity. And itâs unlikely an actress with bazookas like Pamela Anderson would make the final cut. Unless she wore a burkini.
Redfordâs Sundance Kidding
After Robert Redfordâs death it was revealed that far from being the handsome, ruthless, sharp-shooter portrayed by Redford in the movie Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, the real Sundance, aka Harry Longabaugh, was short, stooped and dentally challenged. He was also a hopeless grifter, henpecked by his wife. Oh, and he was unlikely to have shot anyone⌠except by accident.
After his triumphant pseudo royal tour, Prince Harry sources let it be known he plans to visit the UK more and spend more time with his father King Charles. A bit of a slap in the face then that after his 55-minute chat with Pa over a cuppa heâs back in California â while William is in Scotland with the King, spending serious father and son time.
Launching his undie range, David Gandy reveals that at 45 heâs left his budgie smuggler days behind him as he prefers his new Ultimate Trunk range, snug stretch-fit âshortsâ available in packs of three for ÂŁ45.
Before we ladies rush out and buy them for our better halves, we should stop and think what snug stretchy shorts would look like on them â and probably agree to stick to M&Sâs baggy cotton boxers.
Westminster Wars
Tony Blair has put forward plans to personally lead an interim government in post-war Gaza to establish peace. This from a war-hungry PM who ordered British troops into combat five times. Crikey, havenât those poor Palestinians suffered enough?
A heart-sinking moment when we learned that while 100,000 more pensioners wonât get the winter fuel allowance, up to 364 illegal migrants are living in a four-star London Hilton hotel with free meals and rooms heated day and night.
And who would have believed it was a legal right of migrants in asylum hotels to get taxis to their doctors â while the rest of us wait weeks for a GP appointment and catch the bus there?
Who cares that Colin Firthâs ex-wife Livia is so upset over the King hosting Donald Trump that she has returned her MBE and ripped up the accompanying certificate. The woman who makes hideous clothes out of recycled plastic bottles, bamboo wool, pineapple leaves and old leather shoes, doesnât even live in the UK. Thankfully, Her Smugness Livia has gone back to her native Italy.
Model citizen Maya
Perfectly rounded and utterly gorgeous Love Island presenter Maya Jama earned ÂŁ2.5million from her TV work and brand deals last year â and paid ÂŁ570,326 in tax. Heartening to see Maya didnât follow some TV celebs who, with their elaborately complicated tax avoidance arrangements, try to skip paying their fair share.
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