Prince Andrew has been labelled a "lingering threat" to the Royal Family by a Royal author, who fears that more allegations about the Duke could surface.
The Duke of York was sued in the US last year by Virginia Giuffre, who claimed she was forced to have sex with Andrew three times after being trafficked by Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. She was just 17 at the time. Andrew has always denied these claims.
In early 2022, a "settlement in principle" was reached, with Andrew promising to make a significant donation to Ms Giuffre's charity, which supports victims' rights. The settlement was not an admission of liability by Andrew.
Now, there are rumours that Ms Giuffre is penning a memoir. Omid Scobie, co-author of Harry and Meghan's biography Finding Freedom, warned: "There's always this lingering threat of more to come out."
Speaking to The Sunday Times, Mr Scobie, whose new book Endgame is due for release at the end of this month, described this as a crucial time for the Royals.
He suggested they were facing a crisis due to a combination of indifference from young people, a growing republican movement, and questions over whether they still uphold the same values as the late Queen Elizabeth II.
The Royal Family is trying to "stay relevant" but is actually resistant to change, according to Mr Scobie. He said: "To stay relevant, the system, in an almost Trumpian twist, leans on patriotism – even jingoism – to shore up its purpose.
"Rather than ever facing or confronting challenges of modern times, whether that is diversity or other social issues, the institution of the monarchy regularly turns away from that, and relies on support for things of the past as opposed to widening the following of the royal family."
Mr Scobie's latest book, which has been serialised in French magazine Paris Match, makes some explosive claims. One of these is that King Charles, who was "overworked", avoided meeting Prince Harry when he was in London earlier this year.
The book alleges that the King did not respond to a "meeting request" from his youngest son and instead asked an assistant to dismiss him with the excuse that he was "overworked".
It also suggests that communication between father and son had become strained, with them reportedly barely speaking over the phone the previous Christmas.
Prince Harry shocked his father by announcing the release of his autobiography, Spare, three weeks after a meeting request was declined. In his book Endgame, subtitled Inside the Royal Family and the Monarchy's Fight for Survival, author Mr Scobie aims to reveal claims the turmoil within the Royal institution and suggests changes needed for its survival.
Originally set for an August release, Endgame was delayed to include events from the King's Coronation. Now due on November 28, publisher HarperCollins has teased that the book will get everyone talking. Scobie hints at revealing moments the royals would rather keep hidden.
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