Prince Andrew is still set to be honored for his birthday with the ringing of the bells at Westminster Abbey, despite the scandal that has ensued from his connections to the late billionaire pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Fox News reported that Westminster Abbey just released its official bell-ringing schedule, which showed that the Duke of York’s birthday on February 19, 2021 will still be honored. Andrew is one of the 12 royals —including Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip, Prince Charles, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, Princess Anne, Prince Edward, Prince William, Kate Middleton, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis— whose birthdays are marked with bells at Westminster Abbey.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are not honored with a ringing of the bells because they stepped down as senior members of the British royal family back in January.
Andrew has found himself in hot water in recent months after Epstein’s former “sex slave” Virginia Roberts Giuffre accused him of having sex with her on three occasions, including at least once when she was an underage 17-year-old. Though Andrew has denied the allegations against him, he announced in November that he would be stepping back from public life.
“It has become clear to me over the last few days that the circumstances relating to my former association with Jeffrey Epstein have become a major disruption to my family’s work and the valuable work going on in the many organizations and charities that I am proud to support,” he said in a statement at the time. “Therefore, I have asked Her Majesty if I may step back from public duties for the foreseeable future, and she has given her permission.”
“I continued to unequivocally regret my ill-judged association with Jeffrey Epstein,” Andrew concluded. “His suicide has left many unanswered questions, particularly for his victims, and I deeply sympathize with everyone who has been affected and wants some form of closure. I can only hope that, in time, they will be able to rebuild their lives. Of course, I am willing to help any appropriate law enforcement agency with their investigations, if required.”
Epstein committed suicide in prison in August of last year while awaiting trial on multiple sex crime charges.
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