Rather like a monarchical relay race, it seems Prince Andrew has passed the baton of royal scandal to his elder brother. Having finally settled the claims against the Duke of York levelled by Virginia Giuffre, Buckingham Palace might have thought the royal family could catch their breath, get back to normal and start judging the entries for the platinum jubilee cake competition.
The palace cannot yet, as the phrase goes, “move on” from a deeply damaging chapter, however.
The news that the Metropolitan Police are to investigate allegations of “cash for honours” connected to The Prince’s Foundation, Prince Charles’ charity, merely adds to the sense of an institution in perpetual crisis. As the Met has stated, their inquiries will be related to media reports alleging offers of help were made to secure honours and citizenship for a Saudi Arabian national.
