Despite his desire, he responded to such directives and remained under the radar.
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The strategy was beginning to bear fruit. But the release of court documents this week is only a reminder of the salacious accusations against him.
Back to the headlines, there are details of the three occasions on which he allegedly forced Giuffre to sleep with him, including once on Epstein's private island in the Caribbean, “in an orgy with several other underage girls.”
Elsewhere in court papers, one of Epstein's victims, Joanna Sjoberg, alleges that Andrew touched her breast while the photo was taken.
The fact that his name is mentioned 69 times in more than 900 pages of documents indicates the nature of his relationship with Epstein and convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell.
Prince Andrew with Virginia Roberts Giuffre (centre) in 2001 and Epstein's then-personal assistant Ghislaine Maxwell.
While there don't appear to be any new allegations about Andrew, the coverage will make uncomfortable reading at Buckingham Palace, which was hoping to draw a line under this whole sorry affair.
His name is back in the spotlight alongside a host of unwanted headlines, including the claim that Bill Clinton, the former US president, “loves them when they're little”.
Meanwhile, Maxwell mentioned Clinton and Andrew in a 2015 email to her attorney, in which she expressed concern about facing “more questions” about them. She admits she feels “out of her depth” about the lawsuits against her and fears “ American legal trials. nightmare”.
In another document, Giuffre's lawyers described Clinton as a “key person who could provide information about his close relationship” with Maxwell and Epstein.
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Andrew's small but loyal group of supporters will dismiss the latest developments as simply nothing new. They believe his links to Epstein have been exploited and used as a welcome distraction by others with more to hide.
But even if they don't reveal anything new, regurgitating well-worn allegations about Andrew won't make for pleasant reading at the Royal Lodge, his home in Windsor.
Or more than 800 kilometers away in Balmoral, where the King is fervently hoping for a quiet start to the year.
