Embed from Getty Images

The Duke of York only had a few days of respite when Princess Beatrice’s engagement was announced. The spotlight was off, however briefly. But even then, Prince Andrew’s association with Jeffrey Epstein was still the specter no one could unsee – as much as people were happy for Beatrice, everyone was also like “whew, Andrew will walk her down the aisle huh, I wonder what the Epstein situation will look like THEN.” As it turns out, it continues to get worse and worse for Andrew. The FBI is apparently interviewing one hundred women who were victimized in Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell’s trafficking crimes, and the probe will also look at any connection to Prince Andrew:

The FBI is now probing any “connection” Britain’s Prince Andrew may have with the Jeffrey Epstein sex scandal, according to a stunning new report on Saturday. The agency is expanding its investigation into the late financier in order to identify more of the convicted pedophile’s victims, who may provide more details about the royal’s alleged involvement, the Sunday Times of London reported.

“The US investigation is focusing on several potential victims in the hope that they can provide more details about Prince Andrew and his connection to the Epstein case,” sources from the US Department of Justice told the outlet. “They are not going to dismiss it [claims relating to Andrew] because he is a royal.” Agents will interview trafficking victims in the coming months, according to the report, which said the FBI has briefed Scotland Yard on its expanded probe.

Dai Davies, former head of royal protection at Scotland Yard who was in charge of Prince Andrew’s protection in the late 1990s, told the Sunday Times a renewed investigation is in the “public interest.”

“I would have thought it’s in Prince Andrew’s interests to clear this matter up. Any residue of doubt or innuendo should be cleared up by a clear, unequivocal, structured investigation,” Davies said.

Giuffre’s are not the only claims the FBI is reviewing in relation to the Duke of York, the Sunday Times of London reported. About 100 of Epstein’s victims are expected to form part of the FBI’s investigation, most of whom were between 14 and 15 years old when they were lured into Epstein’s circle. More than 80 have already been identified.

[From The NY Post]

I actually feel the same way about this as I did following the whimpering Mueller Report – I’m sure that witnesses and victims will be interviewed and and maybe some details will come out and Andrew will be implicated in additional cases of sexual trafficking. I just doubt that anything will come of it beyond some really terrible headlines. That being said, anything can happen – I’m just not going to hype this as “the walls are closing in on Andrew.” He still lives in a palace and the Queen still protects her favorite son. Oh, but this is interesting too: it seems like the French authorities are ALSO looking into Prince Andrew’s crimes.

Prince Andrew was a regular visitor to a Paris home where his paedo pal Jeffrey Epstein abused young women, a whistleblower has told French cops. Detectives are probing reports that the Queen’s son was often at the £7million property. The home was raided last Monday with officers finding a custom-made massage parlour where Epstein and pals are said to have raped victims.

The caretaker of his Paris property has now sensationally revealed: “I saw Prince Andrew there.” The key witness, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told The Sun on Sunday: “Prince Andrew stayed at the address a number of times including when Epstein was not there.”

Reports in France say the Duke is expected to avoid travelling to the country while the probe is ongoing amid aides’ fears he could be hauled in for questioning. A hugely-important witness in the French enquiry is Epstein “sex slave” Virginia Roberts, who claims she was forced to have sex with Andrew when she was 17. Andrew, 59, has repeatedly denied her claims. Virginia is prepared to testify against him in court, saying that he was “an abuser, a participant” in a worldwide sex trafficking ring that included 12-year-old twin girls being “recruited” in Paris. The girls, whose identities are being withheld, are said to have been sent to the US for Epstein to have sex with, while numerous other girls were attacked in Paris.

Agents from France’s Office for the Suppression of Violence against Persons used keys provided by the man to carry out their raid. An investigating source said: “The apartment was searched from top to bottom, and everybody who was associated with (Epstein) will now need to be spoken to. Those regularly in residence in the Foch property included politicians, business people and plenty of young models and masseurs, who ended up being raped. Commenting on the French enquiry, a prosecuting source said: “The enquiry is ongoing. An appeal has been made for witnesses.”

[From The Sun]

It feels like it would be easy enough for Prince Andrew to dismiss the FBI probe, because who knows how long it will take and the American authorities have proven time and time again that connections, wealth, privilege and whiteness affect how people are investigated and/or punished. But the addition of a second investigation across the English Channel? Well, that’s something else. It’s more than possible that two investigations on different continents are both going to find that Andrew raped trafficked girls internationally.

Embed from Getty Images

Photos courtesy of Getty.