LONDON – Britain’s Prince Andrew stepped down from public duties on Wednesday, saying the controversy surrounding his “ill-judged” association with late United States financier Jeffrey Epstein had caused major disruption to the royal family’s work.
Andrew, Queen Elizabeth’s second son, denied an allegation that he had sex with a 17-year-old girl procured for him by his friend Epstein, who killed himself in a US prison in August while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
“I have asked Her Majesty if I may step back from public duties for the foreseeable future, and she has given her permission,” said Andrew, whose official title is the Duke of York.(Reuters)
