Close X
Sunday, November 24, 2024
ADVT 
National

Canadian Organizations Distancing Themselves From Disgraced Royal

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 03 Dec, 2019 10:24 PM

    A prominent member of the Royal Family has little ground left to lose in Canada even as he faces fresh scrutiny and public rebukes closer to home.

     

    Canadian organizations had begun severing ties with Prince Andrew long before Monday night's bombshell interview with a woman who said she had sex with the prince three times while underage and at the command of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

     

    On Tuesday, the Queen did not include her disgraced second son as she greeted NATO leaders, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, at Buckingham Palace in London.

     

    But Canadian organizations that once welcomed Andrew's patronage had begun distancing themselves from him in droves since his disastrous interview with BBC last month. The interview, in which the prince denied the allegations, caused public backlash after he failed to express concern for Epstein's victims, including the woman whose accusations triggered the latest round of criticism.

     

    That woman, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, spoke out publicly on Monday during a BBC interview in which she described herself as a sex trafficking victim and alleged she slept with Prince Andrew three times while she was 17 years old.

     

    But long before Giuffre's appearance on BBC Panorama, Canadian organizations that once called the prince a patron were severing ties in light of his own remarks.

     

    "His Royal Highness issued a statement on November 20 declaring he has stepped down from all public duties," read a statement from the Sick Kids Foundation. "We believe this was important and appropriate for him to do. With that announcement, His Royal Highness is no longer in the role of Royal Patron to SickKids."

     

    The statement went on to say the foundation, which funds Canada's largest children's hospital, was preparing to address the prince's ongoing connection to the organization at an upcoming board meeting before he opted to step out of the public spotlight.

     

    At around the same time, Canada's Rideau Hall Foundation announced it would not be renewing an agreement with Pitch@Palace , an initiative started by Prince Andrew to help aspiring entrepreneurs.

     

    "We will continue to support Canada's incredible entrepreneurs and look forward to other opportunities to celebrate and grow Canada’s culture of innovation," read a statement issued by the foundation.

     

    Several other Canadian organizations have reportedly ended their associations with the prince in the days after his BBC interview, including Lakefield College School, which has ended Prince Andrew's term as honorary chair of the school's foundation board. The prince attended the school for six months in his teens.

     

    But the Prince is maintaining at least one title, according to Canada's Department of National Defence.

     

    "As is the custom, the Duke of York holds the honorary title of Colonel-in-Chief of The Princess Louise Fusiliers, The Royal Highland Fusiliers of Canada and the Queen's York Rangers," the department said in a statement.

     

    Meanwhile, Giuffre's BBC interview breathed fresh life into a scandal that has dogged the Royal Family for weeks.

     

    Giuffre described how she was trafficked by Epstein beginning in 2001 and made to have sex with Andrew three times, including once in London.

     

    "This is not some sordid sex story. This is a story of being trafficked, this is a story of abuse and this is a story of your guys' royalty," Giuffre told the program.

     

    Andrew, 59, has categorically denied having sex with Giuffre and apologized for his association with Epstein, who died in prison in August in what New York City officials said was a suicide.

     

    In the TV interview, Giuffre said she danced with Andrew at a London nightclub before having sex with him.

     

    "It was horrible and this guy was sweating all over me," she said. "His sweat was like it was raining basically everywhere, I was just like grossed out from it, but I knew I had to keep him happy because that's what Jeffrey ... would have expected from me."

     

    In his recent interview, Andrew said he had never met Giuffre. He said he had a medical condition that prevented him from sweating.

     

    MORE National ARTICLES

    War Of Words Escalates Between Legault And Pallister Over Manitoba's Quebec Ads

    Brian Pallister's government recently announced it is rolling out a series of newspaper and electronic advertisements in Quebec that welcome government workers to move to Manitoba if they feel threatened by their province's ban on religious symbols in the workplace.

    War Of Words Escalates Between Legault And Pallister Over Manitoba's Quebec Ads

    'Linda O'Leary Was Not Impaired' During Fatal Boat Crash, Says Defence Lawyer

    A lawyer for Linda O'Leary, the wife of celebrity businessman Kevin O'Leary, says his client was not impaired when she got involved in a boat crash on an Ontario lake that left two people dead.    

    'Linda O'Leary Was Not Impaired' During Fatal Boat Crash, Says Defence Lawyer

    Computer Issues May Delay Murder Trial For Alek Minassian In Toronto Van Attack

    Computer Issues May Delay Murder Trial For Alek Minassian In Toronto Van Attack
    TORONTO - The heavily encrypted digital devices owned by the man who carried out the deadly Toronto van attack are giving his own lawyer problems, court heard Thursday, which may delay the start of Alek Minassian's first-degree murder trial.    

    Computer Issues May Delay Murder Trial For Alek Minassian In Toronto Van Attack

    Cities Ask For Gas-Tax Fund Boost In 100-day Wish List For Trudeau Government

    Canada's cities say the federal Liberals are willing to find creative ways to remove political roadblocks from provinces to fund billions in municipal projects, a sign of hope that comes as they ask Ottawa for more money and new ways to fund local work.

    Cities Ask For Gas-Tax Fund Boost In 100-day Wish List For Trudeau Government

    Leader Jagmeet Singh Takes On Indigenous Affairs In NDP’s Shadow Cabinet

    NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says he'll be his party's critic on Indigenous matters and on intergovernmental affairs.

    Leader Jagmeet Singh Takes On Indigenous Affairs In NDP’s Shadow Cabinet

    Former Liberal Leona Alleslev Appointed Scheer's Deputy As Leader Vows To Stay On At The Top

    Toronto-area MP Leona Alleslev has been chosen as deputy leader of the Conservatives, replacing former deputy leader Lisa Raitt, a longtime Conservative who lost her own nearby seat in the October election.

    Former Liberal Leona Alleslev Appointed Scheer's Deputy As Leader Vows To Stay On At The Top