RUSSELL MYERS: Prince Andrew may think he has ‘more to give’ but public won’t forget

The FBI has formally ended its investigation into Prince Andrew’s links to Jeffrey Epstein – and the Mirror’s royal editor Russell Myers says it remains to be seen if the Duke of York continues to stay away from public life

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FBI ends investigation in Prince Andrew’s links with Epstein

The decision by the FBI to formally end its investigation into Prince Andrew’s links to the late paedophile Jeffrey Epstein – or any of the late billionaire financier’s cronies – sadly delivers more questions rather than justice for his many victims.

Authorities in the United States had vowed to pursue Epstein’s inner circle, as well as those who aided and abetted his tawdry web of abuse, lies and blackmail that destroyed the lives of women he trafficked around the world.

This latest development will no doubt be welcomed by the Duke of York, who notoriously cemented his own exile from the royal family after failing to acknowledge or apologise to Epstein’s victims during his car crash interview on BBC Newsnight.

The pampered Prince’s extraordinary attitude, as well as his half baked excuses for his relationship with Epstein, remains one of the most shocking moments in recent royal history.

Such is his own lofty opinion of himself, Andrew may even be tempted to fall back on the misguided view that his vehement denials of allegations of sexual assault, as well as his belief that he has “much more to give”, may now finally forge him a path to redemption.

But the public – and indeed the royal family, the public and those organisations he was once associated with – will not forget.

Nor will the many victims of Epstein who have consistently been denied justice on an industrial scale. The puppet master behind the scandal that rocked the institution took his own life rather than face up to his crimes, leaving his sick mistress Ghislaine Maxwell to rot alone in a maximum security jail for the next 20 years.

Dozens of their victims, many who have bravely spoken up in the pursuit of answers and justice, remain scarred by their experiences. Once again they are left to question how the current situation has unfolded.

Andrew’s vehement denials that he sexually assaulted Virginia Giuffre – one of Epstein’s victims who tragically took her own life earlier this year after years of campaigning – will also hold little weight in the court of public opinion.

Whether he was shepherded into making his out of court settlement for £12million to escape the further shame and scandal of a civil court case will do nothing to resurrect his reputation that lies in tatters.

The late Queen Elizabeth II – as well as King Charles and Prince William – all insisted there would be no way back for Andrew, instead imploring him to disappear quietly from public view.

Sadly, as we often see with him riding horses around the Windsor estate or popping up at any family function of note, the notion seems to have escaped the Duke’s interest. Until recently he still sought to cash in on his royal connections by offloading his Dragon’s Den style idea ‘Pitch at Palace’ to wealthy investors looking for a scalp, as well as seeking ways to boost his profile in the Middle East.

Whether the Duke takes the advice of his family or listens to the public outcry as he seeks his redemption remains to be seen.