'Can't sit around at Royal Lodge forever': Prince Andrew likely to dust off his passport and hit the skies after FBI drops Epstein probe

Sky News AU

a day ago

Prince Andrew is reportedly preparing to dust off his passport after an FBI memo confirmed the agency has closed its investigation into his ties with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The 64-year-old Duke of York, once dubbed "Air Miles Andy" for his lavish overseas travel while serving as a working royal, has kept a low profile at Royal Lodge in Windsor for the past six years, largely avoiding international trips for fear of legal trouble abroad.
But that may be about to change.
According to the memo, obtained by Axios, the FBI and the US Justice Department under President Donald Trump found no evidence to suggest Epstein had blackmailed powerful figures or kept a so-called "client list".
The memo states no further charges will be laid in connection with the Epstein case, apart from those already brought against the disgraced financier's former associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year sentence for child sex trafficking and related offences.
As part of its findings, the Department of Justice also released hours of CCTV footage from Epstein's 2019 death in a Manhattan jail cell, concluding the disgraced financier died by suicide, despite the conspiracy theories that have swirled in the years since.
For Prince Andrew, the memo brings a potential reprieve, as a close friend revealed on Tuesday that he had been "very nervous" about travelling abroad due to fears of arrest or civil lawsuits.
"He has been abroad once since the scandal erupted," the source told The Sun, referencing a 2022 private jet trip to Bahrain.
"He has always been very nervous about going abroad and felt he'd always be looking over his shoulder as he could be subject to civil action or at worst, being arrested.
"Hopefully with this out of the way it means he can at least leave the country."
They added: "What's he supposed to do with the rest of his life? He hasn't been convicted of any crime and can't sit around doing nothing at Royal Lodge forever."
The Duke of York's fall from grace began more than a decade ago with his questionable ties to Epstein, but intensified in 2019 after he was accused by the late Virginia Giuffre of sexual misconduct when she was just 17.
Giuffre, who claimed Epstein trafficked her to Andrew on three occasions, filed a civil suit against him in 2021.
Andrew has always denied the allegations but reached a reported multi-million-dollar settlement with the American-Australian in 2022.
Following the scandal, the late Queen Elizabeth II stripped her second-eldest son of his HRH style and military titles.
Since then, the father of two has been largely sidelined from royal life and has been absent from high-profile events, most recently the Royal Box at Wimbledon and the Royal Procession at Royal Ascot.
Tensions are also understood to be simmering between Andrew and King Charles III, over the Duke's refusal to vacate Royal Lodge, his long-time residence shared with ex-wife Sarah, Duchess of York, which has reportedly fallen into disrepair.
Once celebrated for his decorated naval career, including service in the Falklands War, Andrew's public image later took a hit as criticism mounted over his extravagant travel habits and expenses as a royal.
He was dubbed "Air Miles Andy" after reportedly racking up enormous costs while serving as a UK trade envoy, including a £100,000 (about AUD$200,000) private jet trip to the US in 2008 and a £30,000 (AUD$60,000) taxpayer-funded visit to China and the Far East that same year.