Prince Andrew dominating the headlines is likely to take its toll on King Charles, a former royal butler has claimed.
Newly released court documents mentioned Andrew more than 70 times in nearly 1,000 pages of interviews and transcripts relating to the Jeffrey Epstein scandal.
The Duke has previously denied the allegations and paid millions a year ago to settle a civil case out of court with Virginia Giuffre with no admission of guilt, after she accused him of sexually assaulting her when she was 17.
Grant Harrold spoke to GB News about the difficulties the resurfaced claims pose to the King.
Grant Harrold says King Charles will be impacted by claims made about Prince Andrew
GETTY / GB NEWS
“I think that the stress will certainly have an impact”, he said.
“The thing about the King is, he’s very professional. We have seen this in recent years.
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Mark Dolan spoke to Grant Harrold on GB News
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“Losing his parents, he gets on with the job, everything that’s taken place with his brother, obviously they’re just allegations, but the King will still take it seriously.”
Andrew stepped down from public life after the furore over his friendship with Epstein, and is not likely to return anytime soon, Harrold stated.
“I don’t think there’s a sign in returning to do anything”, he said.
“I think with families, there’s always sometimes with families there can be things that happen and families normally get together and support each other to get through it.
“It’s really difficult though, because it’s just not going away.”
The King is reportedly considering withdrawing private funding for Andrew’s security at Royal Lodge.
Buckingham Palace declined to comment, but The Telegraph said Andrew will have to fund the multi-million pound security costs at Royal Lodge himself if he wants to stay in the 30-room mansion in Windsor Great Park.
The move will be seen as the monarch distancing himself publicly from his younger brother, who walked to church with the Royal Family on Christmas Day.
The latest batch of legal papers detailed how Epstein’s former housekeeper claimed Andrew had daily massages when he spent “weeks” at the paedophile financier’s Florida home.
Juan Alessi, who worked at Epstein’s Palm Beach residence, said both Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah, Duchess of York, were friends with Epstein and the now convicted sex-trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell.