Prince Charles believes Andrew has no hope of return to public life, The Times of London reports.Virginia Roberts Giuffre filed a lawsuit against Andrew, accusing him of sexual assault.- A source told the publication that the lawsuit will damage the monarchy's reputation.
Prince Charles believes that
An unnamed source close to the prince told the publication that Charles believes Virginia Roberts Giuffre's lawsuit has caused "unwelcome reputational damage to the institution."
Giuffre filed a lawsuit against Andrew in New York on Monday, accusing him of sexually assaulting her at Jeffrey Epstein's mansion in 2001 when she was aged 17.
"The prince loves his brother and has the ability to have sympathy for the slings and arrows that his brother endures, whatever the reasons may be. His ability to support and feel for those having a tough time is well known," the source told The Times of London.
"However, this will be unwelcome reputational damage to the institution. He has long ago concluded that it is probably an unsolvable problem," the source added. "This will probably further strengthen in the prince's mind that a way back for the duke is demonstrably not possible, because the spectre of this [accusation] raises its head with hideous regularity."
The Duke of York stepped back from royal duties in November 2019, just four days after his BBC "Newsnight" interview where he discussed his friendship with Epstein.
While reports at the time suggested he was "forced" to resign by the
However, the Sunday Times reported in October 2020 that Andrew was considering returning to royal duties in the future.
A source close to Andrew told royal correspondent Roya Nikkhah at the time that the prince was "working out how he can serve his country and support the monarchy in the future."
Representatives for the Prince of Wales and Duke of York did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.