IN an astonishing open letter to Prince Andrew, former Royal Correspondent Philip Dampier reveals how the disgraced duke can make a triumphant return to the public eye and redeem his image… but it won’t be easy.
Dear Andrew, in 1986 my first job as a royal reporter on The Sun was to cover your marriage to Sarah Ferguson, known to all as Fergie.
I was sent to the Azores in the middle of the Atlantic ocean to check out your honeymoon destination aboard the Royal Yacht Britannia.
And along with 750 million people around the world I watched your wedding at Westminster Abbey followed by a kiss on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, as Sarah teased the crowd pretending she couldn’t hear their cries for a smacker.
At the time you were still a handsome Prince, a Naval officer who had returned from the Falklands four years earlier a war hero.
Your new wife was seen as a breath of fresh air, the daughter of the then Prince Charles’s polo manager Major Ron Ferguson.
She was no Princess Diana, but she had a sparkling personality and cheeky sense of humour, and you seemed made for each other.
Soon the sisters-in-law were playfully poking a friend with umbrellas at Royal Ascot, and Diana was there for Fergie while you were away for long periods at sea.
You had two daughters, Beatrice and Eugenie, who have grown up to be caring and loving adults with careers, causes and families of their own.
But then it all went wrong.
You separated in 1992, the year the late Queen called her“annus horribilis” and divorced in 1996.
You lived up to your “Randy Andy” nickname with numerous partners.
And you both got sucked into dodgy financial deals with shady characters.
But your arrogance – and your womanising – has always let you down.
I don’t believe you had a penchant for teenage girls like your friend Jeffrey Epstein.
But the American pervert led you astray, and the photo of you with Virginia Giuffre spoke volumes.
Associating with Epstein doesn’t seem to have damaged President Trump or Lord Mandelson, and you may feel unfairly scapegoated.
But you made a massive mistake in continuing to contact him after he had been convicted of sex offences.
So we are where we are.
As you reach 65 it’s time for a fresh start.
The first thing to do is look in the mirror and realise you are finished as a working royal. There is no way back.
Even Prince Harry and his American kids are ahead of you in the line of succession, and you are no longer needed as a Counsellor of State.
You will still be welcome at family events like summer holidays at Balmoral and Christmas at Sandringham.
And although you have reportedly struck a deal to make money from your contacts by selling them to a Dutch tech and data company, you should move out of Royal Lodge and accept the King’s offer of a smaller new home.
You should apologise for your past behaviour and show contrition, which you did not in your infamous Newsnight interview.
And, if possible, you should try and find a charity or cause which will have you and work away quietly in a Profumo-esque show of repentance.
If that doesn’t work why not push the nuclear option and become a celebrity in your own right?
A spell in the jungle on I’m A Celebrity might show you in a better light, particularly to a younger audience.
Or alternatively you could emigrate full-time to the Middle East – where you have friends – and start again.
The arrival of a fourth grandchild will have given you and Sarah a much-needed boost.
But sitting at home licking your wounds for the next twenty years would be a sad end indeed.
- Prince Andrew has always strenuously denied all allegations brought against him.
