Queen Elizabeth II reportedly stood by Andrew Mountbatten Windsor throughout both his private and public controversies, despite growing criticism surrounding his behaviour and ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The former Duke of York, who has faced years of public backlash over his association with Epstein, was said to have relied heavily on his mother’s support during some of the most difficult periods of his life.
Royal expert Ian Lloyd claimed that in August 2021, lawyers representing Virginia Giuffre struggled to serve legal papers to Andrew because he was staying with the late Queen at the secluded Balmoral estate in Scotland.
Lloyd wrote: “In August 2021, when Giuffre’s lawyers tried to serve legal documents to Andrew, he made it virtually impossible by staying with The Queen on the secluded Balmoral estate, giving rise to criticism that he was hiding behind his mother’s skirt, so to speak.”
According to Lloyd, the late monarch also instructed her solicitors to warn British media organisations against taking or publishing paparazzi photographs of members of the royal family and their guests while at Balmoral. However, photos of an unhappy-looking Andrew still emerged in the press.
In his book, Lloyd described Queen Elizabeth II’s loyalty towards her second son as “understandable,” adding that she remained deeply devoted to him despite the damage caused by the scandal.
The expert further explained that the Queen was likely relieved when Andrew reached an out-of-court settlement with Virginia Giuffre in February 2022. Even so, he argued that Andrew’s connection to Epstein caused lasting harm to both his own reputation and the image of the monarchy.
Lloyd concluded that the controversy would have “broken The Queen’s heart” and cast a shadow over the final years of her historic reign.
