UK heir apparent Prince Charles believes sexual assault allegations against Prince Andrew are an “unsolvable problem” that will forever bar his brother from returning to public life, according to a report.
Andrew, 61, was booted from royal duties in November 2019 after his disastrous attempts to justify his friendship with late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein and accused madam Ghislaine Maxwell.
But the ongoing scandal escalated this week when longtime accuser Virginia Roberts Giuffre sued Andrew in Manhattan federal court, with UK police re-examining whether to launch their own full investigation.
Charles “loves his brother and has the ability to have sympathy for the slings and arrows that his brother endures,” a source close to the Prince of Wales told the Times of London.
“However, this will be unwelcome reputational damage to the institution,” the source insisted of the latest bombshells.
“He has long ago concluded that it is probably an unsolvable problem,” the sources close to Charles said of the 72-year-old heir to the throne.
“This will probably further strengthen in the prince’s mind that a way back for the duke is demonstrably not possible, because the specter of this [accusation] raises its head with hideous regularity,” the source insisted.
Andrew had been eager to step back into royal duties, making moves to do so until recently, the UK paper noted.
However, the latest lawsuit “is a reminder that that would be very difficult to achieve,” the source close to Charles said.
Andrew is currently with his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, at her Scottish estate, Balmoral, arriving a day after the lawsuit was filed.
A summons was sent to Andrew’s Royal Lodge, the grade II listed house in Windsor he shares with his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, who was also with him when he arrived at Balmoral.
Andrew has been given 21 days to reply, although if he accepts the summons and signs a waiver form, he will get more time, the UK Times said.
Andrew’s representatives have yet to comment on Giuffre’s lawsuit. Buckingham Palace told the UK Times that it does not speak for the duke on his personal legal matters.
Andrew and Buckingham Palace, however, have previously vehemently denied Giuffre’s allegations, with Andrew telling the BBC, “I can absolutely categorically tell you it never happened.”
“I have no recollection of ever meeting this lady, none whatsoever,” he said.
Andrew also expressed regret for his friendship with Epstein — who hanged himself while awaiting trial for further serious sex crimes — while insisting he had no idea about his alleged deviancy.
Maxwell is in federal custody in Brooklyn awaiting trial for allegedly recruiting underage girls for Epstein. She has pleaded not guilty.