Royals Divided as William Pushes to Cut Ties

President Trump at St. James’s Palace. Photo courtesy of The White House. Public domain.

The House of Windsor just can’t seem to stay out of the headlines - and this time, it’s Prince Andrew once again at the center of a cringe-inducing scandal that’s dredging up his ties to Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein.

A ‘Famous’ Client and an Awkward Encounter

Monique Giannelloni, now 60, a former massage therapist, says she was hired in 2000 by none other than Ghislaine Maxwell to provide a massage to “someone more famous than God,” the Daily Mail reported. That VIP turned out to be Prince Andrew.

According to Giannelloni, when she arrived at the Palace and set up her table, the Duke walked in, dropped his robe, and climbed onto the table completely nude. She said the experience left her stunned - not because of nudity itself (she’s a “trained professional”) - but because of how casually it was done. “Of course, I have seen naked bodies while working before, but his behaviour was driven by his sense of entitlement,” she said to the Daily Mail. “As a member of the Royal family, he should be showing a greater sense of decorum and taste.”

Andrew reportedly joked with her later during the session after realizing she’d accidentally used massage oil designed for pregnant women. But Giannelloni says the overall behavior still didn’t sit right. “I was not impressed by his behaviour. It was an abuse of his privilege,” she told the Daily Mail.

Cue Ghislaine Maxwell, a Boat Party Invite, and a Hard ‘No’

Giannelloni also claimed that Maxwell tried repeatedly to recruit her for Epstein’s notorious “VIP boat parties.” One invite came with the line: “What happens on the boat stays on the boat.” Suspicious of the tone - and Maxwell’s attention - Giannelloni says she turned the offers down, worried she’d be expected to perform more than just massages for Epstein’s wealthy circle.

Fast forward two decades, and the same trio - Prince Andrew, Ghislaine Maxwell, and Jeffrey Epstein - are now forever tied in scandal. Epstein died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking. Maxwell was convicted in 2021 of helping him abuse young girls and is now serving a 20-year prison sentence.

Prince Andrew? He’s spent the last several years trying (and mostly failing) to distance himself from his one-time friends. He was stripped of his royal duties in 2019 and paid an undisclosed settlement to Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre in 2022 - without admitting guilt.

What’s the Palace Saying?

Not much. Buckingham Palace declined to comment on Giannelloni’s new claims. Royal experts say Prince William is reportedly “fed up” with his uncle’s ongoing drama, while King Charles is said to be “beyond exasperated,” according to Fox News.

“Prince William so wants his uncle Andrew to vanish from public view,” one royal insider told Fox News. Another source described Andrew as “struggling to be away from his beloved public life.”

What’s Next?

Giannelloni now lives in the south of France and runs a restaurant. She’s releasing a memoir detailing her brushes with the royal and his notorious social circle. And while Andrew hasn’t commented publicly, the renewed headlines are another thorn in the side of a royal family already juggling scandal, cancer diagnoses, and endless public scrutiny.

In the meantime, Prince Andrew’s towel-drop moment lives on - in memoirs, in headlines, and probably in a few palace nightmares.

References: Prince William wants Prince Andrew to ‘vanish’ after nude massage accusations: expert | EXCLUSIVE’Prince Andrew threw off his bathrobe and jumped on the table’: Shocked masseuse reveals bizarre encounter with Royal at Buckingham Palace as new tell all memoir explores his friendship with disgraced pal Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein