It’s harsh but true. Whatever the Royal Family do – like the King’s successful and difficult trip to Trumpland or Princess Catherine’s high-profile visit to Italy – the bad smell of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor follows them, distracting from their work.
Now, even the City of London Corporation is trying to shake off any remnants of its association with Mountbatten-Windsor. Last month, they wrote to the former prince asking him to relinquish the Freedom of the City awarded to him 14 years ago. Their decision, they said, was in “solidarity and support for Jeffrey Epstein’s victims and survivors and all victims of sexual abuse and exploitation”.
So how did Mountbatten-Windsor respond? With total silence. In precisely the same way that he appears to have ignored the many requests from the American authorities to give evidence about Epstein, Mountbatten-Windsor has left the Corporation twiddling its thumbs.
But it is twiddling no longer. It has now passed a motion of censure expressing its disapproval of the disgraced royal’s refusal to reply. It says that, not withstanding his denial of any wrongdoing, his association with Epstein is “wholly unacceptable and inconsistent with his status and obligations as a Freeman of the City of London”. Since Mountbatten-Windsor can’t be bothered to answer their letter, it has now begun proceedings to take the honour away.
