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Newspaper headlines: Queen ‘let down’ by ‘outcast’ Prince Andrew
The Daily Telegraph claims the Duke of York is “preparing to give formal evidence” to a US investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Sources tell the paper that a summons to give testimony under oath is “imminent” – but Buckingham Palace declined to comment.
The Daily Mirror is one of several papers leading with a picture of the duke taken as he left Buckingham Palace on Tuesday. The paper doesn’t hold back in its take on how the saga would have played out among the royals , and reports that Prince Andrew has “kissed goodbye” to a £249,000 allowance.
A sour twist on a classic nursery rhyme from the Metro. The paper focuses on the duke’s pledge to help with investigations and a letter from his former private secretary that says he met Epstein years before he claimed in the Newsnight interview.
The i newspaper brands the ordeal a “crisis at the palace”. The Queen wanted to “shut down outcry”, it reports. It adds that Buckingham Palace declined to comment on whether Prince Andrew will keep his private allowance.
The Express says the monarchy has been “badly damaged” by Prince Andrew’s association with Epstein, and that the Queen is “saving” it from “further damage” by advising him to step down from public duties.
The Times quotes royal biographer Robert Lacey as saying: “Nobody will imagine that [the Duke of York] has done this of his own free will.” The paper reports that he will step back from more than 200 charity patronages “temporarily” and will still be seen on Buckingham Palace balcony at events such as Trooping the Colour.
The Daily Mail labels Prince Andrew an “outcast” and claims the Queen and the Prince of Wales made the “dramatic intervention” together after “lengthy discussions” while Charles was in New Zealand.
The Queen was “let down” by her son, the Sun reports. The paper also focuses on Prince Andrew’s pledge to assist with legal investigations.
And what about the election? The Guardian alone splashes on Labour’s pledge to “[set] aside £75bn over five years to fund the most dramatic increase in the number of council homes since the Second World War”. Party leader Jeremy Corbyn’s advisers hope to “hold on to long-time Labour voters” by switching the focus of the campaign from Brexit to “bread-and-butter issues”, the paper reports.
The Financial Times, meanwhile, splashes on the latest development in the impeachment inquiry into US President Donald Trump. The paper notes that Gordon Sondland, US ambassador to the EU, is the first of Mr Trump’s inner circle to publicly acknowledge a “quid pro quo” with Ukraine.
The Daily Star’s festive front accuses “killjoys” and “barmy business bosses” of wanting to “do away with” Christmas crackers and wrapping paper because of the waste.
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