Lady Victoria Hervey stands by Duke as Maxwell meeting drags his name back into spotlight
Just as Prince Andrew appeared to be putting years of controversy behind him, new developments have thrust the Duke of York back into the centre of the Jeffrey Epstein scandal—prompting one of his former partners to speak out in his defence.
The Duke, who lost his royal roles in 2019 due to his ties with Epstein and accusations made by Virginia Giuffre, had recently found some relief after the FBI concluded that claims tied to the Epstein files were “unfounded theories.” While the investigation cleared him of potential criminal charges, Andrew’s public image has remained damaged.
Now, the scandal has resurfaced after reports claimed Epstein’s longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell mentioned Prince Andrew among “100 men” in discussions with the U.S. Department of Justice during a jailhouse meeting. No additional details about her alleged comments on Andrew have been disclosed.
Friends close to the Duke say he is “dismayed” by the renewed attention, just as he had hoped to move on from the controversy. Speaking to The Daily Beast, one friend remarked that the allegations surrounding Giuffre continue to cast a shadow over Andrew’s life.
In a show of support, Lady Victoria Hervey, a former girlfriend of the Duke, publicly defended him, calling the entire case a “gigantic shakedown.”
“This story is not going to go away until Andrew is exonerated for a crime he clearly did not commit,” she said. “Virginia’s suicide was tragic, but I’m afraid that doesn’t change the fact that everything she said about being forced to have sex with Andrew was fabricated.”
Hervey also stated that Giuffre had never legally challenged her repeated public denials of the allegations. “I said this publicly and regularly while she was alive, and she never sued me or challenged me.”
As the Duke of York continues to live away from public life, this latest twist reinforces that—for better or worse—his name remains entangled in one of the most high-profile scandals to ever touch the British royal family.
