Calls for ‘honest debate’ about monarchy as assist falls amid Epstein scandal | EUROtoday

Support for the monarchy has fallen amid the continued Jeffrey Epstein scandal, a brand new ballot has revealed.

The proportion of the British public in favour of the monarchy has dropped three share factors, all the way down to 45 per cent, a survey commissioned by anti-monarchy marketing campaign group Republic discovered.

It comes as Buckingham Palace stated on Monday that the King had made his “profound concern” clear concerning allegations about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s conduct.

The Palace added it’ll “stand ready to support” the police if approached over recent claims.

Thames Valley Police confirmed it was assessing ideas that the King’s brother shared confidential reviews from his function because the UK’s commerce envoy with intercourse offender Epstein.

The new allegations emerged among the many tranche of three million paperwork made public by the US division of justice referring to Epstein.

There are additionally claims {that a} second lady was despatched to the UK by paedophile Epstein for a sexual encounter with Andrew, and that the previous prince and Epstein requested an unique dancer for a threesome within the latter’s Florida dwelling.

The analysis by Savanta, which was carried out over the weekend earlier than the Palace’s feedback, confirmed that those that would favor an elected head of state remained at 32 per cent, however those that didn’t know had risen from 20 per cent to 24 per cent since October.

The Prince and Princess of Wales in the meantime publicly addressed the Epstein scandal for the primary time on Monday, with Kensington Palace saying they had been “deeply concerned” on the “continued revelations” and that their ideas “remain focused on the victims”.

The King was heckled on an away day to Lancashire when a person shouted, “How long have you known about Andrew?” after he arrived at Clitheroe prepare station.

Republic’s chief government Graham Smith, who reported Andrew to the police over the commerce envoy allegations, stated: “The monarchy is losing its one claim to legitimacy, opinion poll ratings.

“The trend across most polling is declining support, and this poll shows how low that support has gone.

“Falling support is unsurprising given the gravity of accusations against Andrew.”

He burdened the “urgent need” for a “serious and honest debate” a few post-monarchy Britain.

Mr Smith added: “The monarchy is not going to reverse this trend of falling support. The late queen was the one person keeping this creaking institution going. Even her legacy is now being tainted by the Andrew scandal.”

The ballot requested greater than 2,100 adults “What would you prefer for the UK: a monarchy or an elected head of state?”.

Savanta’s earlier analysis was carried out shortly after Andrew agreed to cease publicly utilizing his royal titles and honours in October 2025 and earlier than the King stripped him of his proper to be a prince and eliminated his dukedom.

Virginia Giuffre, who died by suicide final yr, alleged she was compelled to have intercourse 3 times with Andrew, which he vehemently denies, together with when she was 17, and in addition throughout an orgy, after she was trafficked by Epstein.

Andrew paid hundreds of thousands to settle the civil intercourse case together with her in 2022, regardless of insisting he had by no means met her.

The former duke has at all times denied any wrongdoing.