
© The Associated Press / Michel Euler
In this Wednesday Jan. 23, 2008 file photo Britain's Prince Andrew, gestures while speaking during a session at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. As Buckingham Palace prepares to celebrate the wedding of Prince William, officials are rushing to contain a flurry of negative publicity from the side of the family that has long been a cause embarrassment. Prince Andrew, the queen's second son, is friends with a convicted sex offender _ pictures have been published of him with his arm around the waist of the teenage prostitute at the center of that case _ and his hosting of the son of the Tunisian dictator, shortly before a popular uprising drove him from power, has led to calls for him to be stripped of his role as special UK trade ambassador.
As Buckingham Palace prepares to celebrate the wedding of Prince William, officials are rushing to contain a flurry of negative publicity from the side of the family that has long been a source of embarrassment.
Prince Andrew, the queen's second son, is friends with a convicted sex offender. He has also been accused of having close ties to Moammar Gadhafi's regime in Libya. And his hosting of the son of the Tunisian dictator, shortly before a popular uprising drove him from power, have all led to calls for the Duke of York to be stripped of his role as special U.K. trade ambassador.
British officials have rallied to the royal's defence, with the foreign secretary expressing his "confidence" in Andrew and a U.K. trade official voicing support for the prince to remain in the position, saying Sunday he does a "very valuable job."
But pressure and speculation over how long Andrew will remain in his post are mounting as his activities are generating unwanted scrutiny. Buckingham Palace is in damage limitation mode as it attempts to keep the public's focus on the April 29 wedding between William and Kate Middleton.
In the past, Andrew's name has been synonymous with a dark spot for the royal family. His much-publicized divorce from Sarah Ferguson, her subsequent missteps, tell-all book and videotaped attempt to sell a U.K. tabloid access to Andrew stand in stark contrast to the fairy tale glow surrounding William and Kate Middleton's courtship and upcoming nuptials.
Comment: Endless British shenanigans in the affairs of other nations. This story reminds us of the SAS men caught "dressed in Arab garb" driving around Basra in a car laden with explosives in 2005.
Flaming APCs! Now There's a Heart-Warming Story! Just Don't Mention The False Flag