Andreu Mountbatten Windsor will end up like Joan Carles I, "in the Middle East, in a country without an extradition treaty"

LondonAndreu Mountbatten Windsor and Joan Carles I are distant relatives: third cousins separated by one generation. In a search of the former Spanish head of state within the more than 3.5 million declassified files by the United States Department of Justice about the pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, the name of Joan Carles appears on few occasions, at least under his identity or as King or King of Spain. So far, the most revealing message found by ARA refers more to Corinna Larsen, his ex-lover, than to the monarch himself. Epstein refers to her in a reply addressed to Olivier Colom, former diplomatic advisor to former French president Nicolas Sarkozy: "[...] He is trying to involve us in business in Russia. I have never met him, but he doesn't give me a good feeling." It is an email from 2013, one year before his abdication. Andreu, a black sheep of European royalty as much as Joan Carles –there are many more, as the mentioned archives demonstrate–, may end up, more or less, the same way as the Bourbon: seeking refuge in the Middle East with the aim of saving the British Crown from the shame of having him under its roof, just as the Zarzuela has saved itself from the emeritus after all the string of scandals that have tarnished him. This is the opinion of historian Andrew Lownie, author of the book Entitled: The rise and fall of the House of York [Authorized: rise and fall of the House of York], an unauthorized biography about the abuses and privileges of the third son of the late Queen Elizabeth II and brother of Charles III. "I don't think he will stay at Sandringham [a property of the King, in Norfolk, about 160 kilometers northeast of London]. I think he will spend time in the Middle East. Andrew does a lot of business in Bahrain and there are also links to Abu Dhabi and Qatar... He will travel there like his relative, King [Emeritus] Joan Carles I of Spain," he said this week, during a press briefing with members of the Foreign Press Association of London, which this correspondent attended. And he added: "It is likely that Andrew will go to a country without an extradition treaty. The last thing the royal family wants is a trial that brings their dirty laundry to light and undermines the monarchy. But if people took accountability seriously, he would be forced to testify before the House of Commons." A demand that some MPs are beginning to voice.

But the British monarchy remains practically untouchable. And the measures taken so far by Charles III are little more than cosmetic. This week, the Royal Household issued a statement in which it promised to "cooperate" with the police, who are currently investigating revelations from the Epstein archives according to which Andrew leaked confidential information to the pedophile about possible business in Afghanistan when he was a trade envoy for the British government in 2009. But Lownie assures that all this "is pure show." He is right because, in fact, Andrew has not officially had his titles stripped, but rather "he is simply no longer listed as an active or ceremonial member of the royal family, and has been moved to a five-bedroom house with staff." Buckingham Palace assures that it will cooperate with the police, if necessary, but "they have known what was going on for twenty-five years, and they have covered it up, sending legal threats to journalists." There is plenty of evidence. For example, the American network ABC suppressed in 2015 an interview with Virginia Giuffre after Buckingham Palace threatened the broadcaster with the loss of all access to the royal family if they broadcast it. The future of the monarchy

Andrew Lownie believes that the end of the story will define Charles III's reign. "The King has to clean the stables before William inherits them. Support for the monarchy is falling, especially among young people. Social media is driving this story now, and the public demands accountability." The historian asks questions that, more or less, in a country full of inequalities, everyone asks: "This is not just a sex scandal; it is also a national security scandal. I have seen intelligence documents that show links with Russian intelligence, money laundering, and sex trafficking. Epstein was a Russian asset – says Lownie – with the mission of compromising influential people, which explains the cameras in his houses." And in this network of influence and blackmail, the role of the former prince was, according to Lownie, to pass "confidential information to business partners, including Epstein and David Rowland." Now both the government and some MPs and the Public Accounts Committee are finally showing some interest. Will they take a definitive step and demand a formal statement from Andrew Mountbatten Windsor in Parliament? Unlikely. Because it would be opening Pandora's box and, in Lownie's words, "also addressing why Beatrice and Eugenie – daughters of Andrew and members of the royal family without official duties – have subsidized accommodation at St. James's Palace and Kensington Palace, renovated at the taxpayer's expense. This is corruption in the very heart of the royal family, protected by the institution." But the author has little faith in the system and the police: "They have had years to investigate and have consistently stated that there was nothing." When Lownie's book was released at the end of November, which was not kind to the Duke of York or his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, or even the Crown, Buckingham Palace leaked to the press that the entire scandal, and the accusations of rape by victim Virginia Robert Giuffre, had driven Andrew to a state close to suicide. Nothing could be further from the truth, says Lownie: "Andrew is a complete narcissist. He has shown no remorse for his behavior. Fergie [Sarah Ferguson] is the same; Andrew has no regrets whatsoever. He feels like a victim." What remains to be revealed? Many details, assures the author: "We are only seeing the tip of the iceberg. A lot of material remains within Epstein's estate or in court statements under seal."