Prince Andrew is going to retain his bodyguards, costing to about $380,000 (£300,000) a year. Palace sources revealed that Queen Elizabeth intervened "at the last minute" for her son, the Duke of York, to still have a three-person security team.
According to The Sun, Prince Andrew was supposed to have no more bodyguards as of Monday, June 1. However, the Queen reportedly asked royal aides not to cut her son's protection.
The source said that Queen Elizabeth was unhappy with the proposal to axe Prince Andrew's three-man security. Instead, the royal aides will be reviewing and revising the proposal in line with the cost-cutting measures for the royal family.
It comes as the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) has officially asked the British government to hand over Prince Andrew for questioning over the sexual trafficking and prostitution case of his friend, the billionaire Jeffrey Epstein. According to reports, the U.S. DOJ filed a "mutual legal assistance" (MLA) request addressed to the U.K. Home Office.
Representatives of the Duke of York will not comment on the matter, citing that the legal discussions are strictly confidential. The spokesperson said that they are choosing to abide by the rules following the filing of the MLA in May.
The U.K., however, will still have to reply to the U.S. DOJ request, according to reports. If the U.K. agrees, Prince Andrew may voluntarily participate in the FBI investigations as a witness. He won't be placed under oath if this is the case.
If the Duke of York still refuses to testify, prosecutors in the U.S. might seek Prince Andrew's appearance at London's Magistrates Court, where he will be under oath. He could also be summoned by the DOJ's lawyers so they can directly ask him about Epstein's illegal activities.
To be clear, the U.S. has not asked the extradition of Prince Andrew just yet but he does not have any diplomatic immunity, unlike his mother, the Queen. He could also "plead the fifth" based on the U.S. Constitution but some legal eagles warn this could backfire on the royal.
In November 2019, Prince Andrew sat down for an interview with BBC so he could clear his name by talking about and clarifying his friendship with Epstein, who killed himself in prison while awaiting the conclusion of his sex trafficking case. However, the interview became a PR nightmare for Prince Andrew as one accuser, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, whom he denied ever meeting, had a photo of herself and the duke at Epstein's private island.
The move forced Prince Andrew to step back from his royal role indefinitely. However, sources now say that the royal might be permanently out as a working royal family member as there have been no interest to revisit his status since his resignation.
