Less than two months before a fairytale wedding anticipated by much of the world, Britain’s royal family finds itself fighting an inconvenient distraction: revelations that Prince Andrew, the queen’s second son, is friends with a convicted sex offender, was photographed with a teenage prostitute and has been accused of ties to Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi’s regime.
The Duke of York also hosted the son of the former Tunisian president shortly before a popular uprising drove him from power — and the buildup of embarrassment has sparked calls that he be stripped of his role as special UK trade representative.
Buckingham Palace is in damage control mode as it attempts to keep the public’s focus on the April 29 wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton, his university sweetheart.
British officials have rallied to Andrew’s defense. The foreign secretary expressed his “confidence” in Andrew on Sunday, and a UK trade official voiced support for the prince to remain in the position, saying he does a “very valuable job.”
However, pressure is mounting and there is growing speculation over how long Andrew can hang on to his post.
Andrew has courted trouble before: His much-publicized divorce from Sarah Ferguson, her -subsequent missteps, massive debt, a tell-all interview and a videotaped attempt to sell a UK tabloid access to Andrew stand in stark contrast to the glow surrounding William and Middleton’s courtship and upcoming nuptials.
Since becoming a special trade representative in 2001, Andrew has also drawn criticism for reportedly taking lavish trips in his role as an unpaid trade ambassador.
The latest revelations in the British media have centered on Andrew’s friendship with convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein and claims that Andrew also had close ties to Seif al-Islam Qaddafi.
Photographs recently published in the British media show Andrew strolling in a park with Epstein — a New York billionaire jailed for soliciting underage prostitutes in Florida. Most recently, a photograph emerged showing Andrew with his arm around the waist of the teenage prostitute at the center of that case.
While there has been no suggestion of any wrongdoing on the part of Andrew, the sum of events has prompted some soul-searching over whether the prince is a suitable representative for UK interests abroad.
“The duke recognizes that his association with Jeffrey Epstein was, in retrospect, unwise,” a person familiar with the matter said, noting that it can be understood Andrew will not be photographed with Epstein again anytime soon.
However, that’s not placating some who say enough is enough. Last week, British Member of -Parliament Chris Bryant claimed that Andrew had close links to Seif Qaddafi and called for Andrew to be fired, telling the House of Commons, “Isn’t it time we dispensed with the services of the Duke of York?”
Buckingham Palace on Sunday rejected Bryant’s claims, saying Andrew’s interactions with the Qaddafi regime — and Tunisia’s ousted dictatorship, too — fell within the mandate of his job as special trade representative.
“It was part of the British government’s engagement with Libya at the time,” a palace spokesman said on customary condition of anonymity.
The spokesman confirmed Andrew met Muammar Qaddafi twice. Both meetings were of public record and should not come as news, the spokesman said, adding that Andrew is “fully committed to his role as special representative.”
“It is understood that he has the support of the government behind him,” the spokesman said.
Government officials backed up that claim on Sunday, citing Andrew’s role in nurturing business interests.
“The Duke of York has made a valuable contribution to British business,” a spokesman for UK Trade & Investment said.
“We continue to support him,” he added, on customary condition of anonymity.
British Foreign Secretary William Hague also expressed his full confidence in Andrew’s work.
“I’m not an expert in ... the embarrassments,” Hague told the BBC. “But certainly I’ve seen around the world a lot of good that he has done for this country.”
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