PRINCE Andrew has been weighed in the court of public opinion and found wanting.
The verdict against Ghislaine Maxwell was enough to see to that.
He’s now perceived as a one-time close friend with not only a convicted paedophile, but also a convicted sex trafficker.
I think the public were shocked by the explicit revelations of the girls who gave evidence against Maxwell during the trial.
They were also shocked to see the photographs taken by Andrew on his mother’s private property — especially the one of Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein relaxing at her log cabin on the Balmoral estate.
It shows an extraordinary lack of sense and judgment and is one of the reasons it’s so damaging to the Royal Family.
It’s arguably the final nail in the so-called coffin for Andrew.
And it’s quite sad because there are two faces to Andrew.
There’s the arrogant, royal face and then there is the loyal, kind face.
And he’s not an unkind person. His stupidity just knows no bounds.
It’s almost linked to the arrogance of the old-fashioned aristocracy who thought they were above the law.
The Queen is limited as to what she can do for him. She can support him financially, but can’t be seen to be doing so in public.
When this all came out originally, there were pictures of her riding with Andrew, but she’s distanced herself publicly.
However, in reality, he is up at the castle all the time, schmoozing up to her ears.
Despite everything, Andrew still has the loyalty from his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson.
I think the Queen really appreciates her, as Fergie really has held that family together.
If Maxwell starts throwing names about in order to reduce her sentencing, it could prove very damning.
In the Newsnight interview, Andrew kept referring to Maxwell as his “friend”, almost using her as a get-out-of-jail- free card.
So her guilty verdict must be a shock for him.
And it makes things far worse because he’s always maintained his friendship was with her, far more than with Epstein.
When it comes to Andrew’s future, it doesn’t look like he has one.
He won’t be able to do any of his military appointments. He won’t be able to head up any charities. He won’t be able to start a business.
His name is mud.
Maxwell and Epstein have blighted his life — and Epstein is continuing to do so from the grave.
