Epstein scandal lingers as princess visits Australia
Kat Wong |
Princess Anne is set to land in Australia in one of the royal family’s first international appearances since King Charles sensationally removed his brother’s princely title.
The monarch’s younger sister, often dubbed the hardest-working British royal, is expected to spend four days travelling the country with her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, to mark the centenary of the Royal Australian Corps of Signals.
The trip was likely planned months ago, without prior knowledge of the King’s actions against their brother, the former prince now known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor.
University of Sydney monarchy expert Cindy McCreery said the tour could present an opportunity to take some heat off the royals.
“The best-case scenario for the monarchy is to have an example of what the public want to see – which is a hardworking royal being met by people who are glad to see her,” Associate Professor McCreery told AAP.
“People will try and ask her questions, but I suspect she will say very little, if anything.
“Princess Anne is widely respected and admired in Australia … so I don’t think that she personally will suffer any particular negative impacts because of her brother’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.”
King Charles III announced in late October he would strip his younger brother of his title and evict him from his mansion after more details emerged of the ex-prince’s ties with high-profile sex offender Epstein.
The scandal had dealt a huge blow to Australians’ perceptions of the royal family, Assoc Prof McCreery said.
“It does call into question what the monarch knew in advance, whether he acted swiftly enough and whether he’s only responding to public criticism and media pressure rather than acting in the interest of victims of abuse.”
Australian Monarchist League national chairman Philip Benwell said the former prince had been less involved with Australia, which could work in the princess’s favour.
“Princess Anne and the King have had a lot to do with Australia, but Prince Andrew has had very little to do,” he told AAP.
“It’s tremendous that Princess Anne is visiting Australia.”
Despite this, her trip is unlikely to attract as much attention as previous royal visits such as the King and Queen’s 2024 tour.
Princess Anne is expected to attend Remembrance Day services and centenary events in Sydney and Brisbane.
AAP
