Buckingham Palace is being accused of having “double standards” to investigate allegations of bullying made against Meghan Markle – but not allegations of sexual abuse involving Prince Andrew.
Palace watchers shouted “The Firm” on Friday after Queen Elizabeth ordered an investigation into allegations that Markle mistreated officials during her stint as a senior royal.
“Why is there an investigation into this bullying, but there is no investigation into Prince Andrew and the charges surrounding Jeffrey Epstein?” Carolyn Durand, co-author of a biography of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, asked on Sky News.
“Why was he not asked to cooperate with the US authorities?” she added about Andrew, a former close friend of the wealthy convicted pedophile, Epstein.
Considered the queen’s favorite son, Andrew, 61, was involved in the Epstein scandal after one of the financier’s victims claimed she was forced to sleep with the king when she was 17.
The scandal over Andrew’s friendship with Epstein prompted the Duke of York to step back from his royal duties in November 2019, after a disastrous interview with the BBC in which he made a series of bizarre claims to defend himself against Virginia Roberts Giuffre’s claims. .
While Andrew was marginalized, Buckingham Palace never ordered an investigation into the charges against him.
Durand, the co-author of “Finding Freedom,” also noted that Prince Harry was stripped of his three honorary military titles when he and his wife stepped down as royalty last year to seek a new life in California.
“Why were Prince Harry’s military honors withdrawn, but Prince Andrew’s were not?” Durand asked.
She added that “double standards” were something that Markle had “really fought” during her time as a royalty worker.
Both Markle, 39, and her husband, Prince Harry, 34, have denied allegations of bullying against the Duchess, although they are allegedly involved in the investigation.
The couple say they are victims of a calculated “smear campaign” by the royal family before Oprah Winfrey’s long-awaited interview.