78. Poisonous misuse of wealth and influence
I am unable to understand why the British people cannot do away with the monarchy.
Loving the royal family feels oppressive to me. The intense attraction, openly displayed even by figures such as Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi and his countless followers who signed ‘your obedient servant,’ is hard to explain.
But later, regarding the monarchy.
Today, I read an excerpt from Virginia Roberts Giuffre’s moving posthumous memoir, “Nobody’s Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice,” published in The Guardian. The book will be released next week.
Her name is associated with scandals involving the late billionaire sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his associates, such as Prince Andrew and others. Epstein exploited numerous girls with the assistance of his influential friends.
Giuffre writes in her book that many people were complicit in Epstein’s crimes; “I was trafficked to a succession of wealthy and powerful men, and everyone knew what was going on; they watched and they didn’t care.”
She has explained how trafficking and sexual exploitation of young women took place at Mar-a-Lago, where she was recruited when she was only 16.
What Mar-a-Lago is and who owns it are widely known.
Giuffre, born in the US, took her own life on 25 April 2025 at a secluded Australian farmhouse at 41, leaving many questions likely to go unanswered. However, her book exposes some of the truth.
The Guardian has published a photo of her and Prince Andrew, taken in London in 2001.
In the photo, there are three characters - at the center is Giuffre, the smiling teenager who is now dead.
Epstein’s partner in crime, Ghislaine Maxwell, who is in a US prison, is praising Donald Trump’s integrity in hopes of a better cell or a pardon.
And behind the camera, Jeffrey Epstein, who took the photo, died in jail in 2019, facing sex trafficking charges.
The third one is a smiling Prince Andrew with his arm around Giuffre, the teenage girl.
Prince Andrew has always strongly denied all the accusations against him involving Giuffre. But he reached an out-of-court settlement in 2022, in which he paid an undisclosed amount.
Why did an innocent Prince do this?
Andrew continued to be friends with Jeffrey Epstein after Epstein went to prison.
After Epstein's release, Andrew flew to New York to spend time with him. The New York Post published a picture of them with a headline: “PRINCE & PERVA,” showing the pair walking in Central Park.
The drama unfolds at Mar-a-Lago as Giuffre writes, “I still remember walking onto the manicured grounds of Mar-a-Lago for the first time. It was early morning – my dad’s shift began at 7 am, and I’d caught a ride to work with him. Already the air was heavy and moist, and the club’s 20 acres of carefully landscaped greens and lawns seemed to shimmer. My dad was responsible for maintaining the resort’s in-room air-conditioning units. I remember he gave me a brief tour before presenting me to the hiring manager. I was given a uniform – a white polo shirt, emblazoned with the Mar-a-Lago crest, and a short white skirt – and a name tag that said JENNA in all capital letters.”
What I found most appalling is the description of Prince Andrew.
Giuffre writes: “When Prince Andrew arrived, Maxwell urged him to guess my age. Andrew, who was then 41, guessed correctly: 17, adding, ‘My daughters are just a little younger than you.’…..In the years since, I’ve thought a lot about how he behaved. He was friendly enough, but still entitled – as if he believed having sex with me was his birthright.”
And Epstein in Downing Street
The UK National Archives has released documents as a result of a freedom of information request, which had been blocked by the government earlier. The papers show that Tony Blair met Jeffrey Epstein in Downing Street on 14 May 2002, while he was the prime minister, after a recommendation by Peter Mandelson, who was his trusted ally.
A week before the meeting, Mandelson wrote an email to Blair’s then chief of staff, Jonathan Powell: “Do you remember when Clinton saw TB [Tony Blair], he said he wanted to introduce his traveling friend, Jeffrey Epstein, to TB? I mentioned to TB that Jeffrey is in London next week, and he said he would like to meet him.”
According to papers, a briefing memo by civil servant Matthew Rycroft described Epstein as a friend of Mandelson and former US president Bill Clinton. The memo also noted his close ties to Prince Andrew, the Duke of York.
Right now –
Mandelson is sacked as US ambassador after new information emerged about how close he was to the convicted sex offender.
Powell is now PM Keir Starmer’s national security adviser.
Tony Blair has won the endorsement of the Palestinian Authority to be involved in the reconstruction of Gaza after Donald Trump announced Blair’s role in his 20-point plan.
And Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, is enjoying life as if nothing had happened.
The world is as it was.
Talking about all those culprits who are still alive – Prince Andrew, about whom she writes: “The way he viewed women and girls – as playthings to be used and discarded – is not uncommon among certain powerful men who believe they are above the law. And many of those men are still going about their daily lives, enjoying the benefits of their power.”
That is enough to prove why the Monarchy must be abolished from this planet.
Worldwide, the law provides limited justice for survivors of sexual abuse.
It must have been tough for Giuffre, who experienced greater backlash and negative consequences for telling her stories than most of the men she has accused.
Throughout history, survivors who speak out have faced scrutiny and ridicule, just for daring to challenge their perpetrators and the systems.
The Epstein episode shows how perpetrators with power, wealth, and status can silence victims of sexual violence by weaponising the law.
I agree with columnist Marina Hyde that the king and his family will remain silent because they suspect that removing Andrew could lead to a slippery slope where there is no longer a tent at all.
So the lone surviving culprit will one day die happily in his 30-room mansion on a 98-acre farm.
Donald Trump may be off the hook legally, but there is no doubt that, whatever method he employs to show his ignorance, he cannot be called a clean guy.