What Prince Harry said about Uncle Andrew’s ‘shameful scandal’ in his book Spare

In his 2023 memoir Spare, Britain’s Prince Harry alluded to the “shameful scandal” involving his uncle, the former Prince Andrew. Harry’s direct reference to the sex scandal has come under the spotlight again at a time when Andrew is under severe public scrutiny for his involvement in Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking ring.This undated photo shows British former prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor kneeling over a woman lying on the floor. (AFP)The US Department of Justice on Friday released 3 million more documents related to the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein. The latest release sheds more light on Andrew’s close ties with the convicted sex offender, who ran a long-term sex trafficking operation involving underage girls.Prince Harry on his Uncle AndrewIn his memoir Spare, Prince Harry spoke about how Andrew continued to receive taxpayer-funded security even after he was accused of sexually assaulting a young woman. Harry contrasted this with the treatment meted out to him when he and his wife Meghan decided to step down as senior members of the royal family and had their security pulled.(Also read: New woman claims Ex-Prince Andrew, Jeffrey Epstein sexually abused her: ‘Dragged me through hell’)Harry, the younger son of UK’s King Charles, said that he did not imagine his security would be retracted.However, in February 2020, the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec) ruled that Harry and Meghan’s personal security should be downgraded when he visits the UK. The ruling came a month after January 2020, when Harry and Meghan announced they were stepping down as senior royals and would move to North America.Harry noted in his book that his uncle, Andrew, continued to receive security even after he was accused of sexual assault.“Shameful scandal”Below is an excerpt from Harry’s memoir, Spare, where he talks about Andrew:Meg asked me one night: You don’t think they’d ever pull our security, do you?Never. Not in this climate of hate. And not after what happened to my mother.Also, not in the wake of my Uncle Andrew. He was embroiled in a shameful scandal, accused of the sexual assault of a young woman, and no one had so much as suggested that he lose his security. Whatever grievances people had against us, sex crimes weren’t on the l.What was Harry referring to?Harry was referring to the claims made Virginia Giuffre, who alleged in 2014 that she had been trafficked Epstein and forced to have sexual relations with Andrew on three occasions. Giuffre alleged that Andrew sexually abused her in the early 2000s, when she was just 17.A civil lawsuit filed Giuffre was settled out of court in February 2022 for an undisclosed sum, with Andrew making a payment to Giuffre without any admission of liability.Andrew’s long ties with EpsteinAndrew, the younger son of Queen Elizabeth II, had a long‑standing association with Jeffrey Epstein. This has led to massive public anger against him in the UK, where critics of the royal family are now questioning why no action has been taken against him.In 2022, one year before Harry published Spare, Queen Elizabeth removed Andrew’s military affiliations and patronages due to his ties to Epstein. He also ceased using the style “Royal Highness”.In 2025, after Charles ascended to the throne, he removed Andrew’s remaining royal styles and honours. He can now longer be referred to as “Prince”.Anger against Andrew has deepened with the latest drop of the Epstein files, which contain durbing pictures of the former prince kneeling on all fours over a woman.(Also read: New Jeffrey Epstein emails hint at Indian victim of his sex abuse ring)