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Are the British royals trying to distract us from Prince Andrew’s scandal? How Queen Elizabeth, Kate Middleton, Prince William and Princess Eugenie are showing off feel-good moments

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The British royal family, including Queen Elizabeth and Kate Middleton, had some heartwarming press over 2021’s winter holidays. Photo: AP
The British royal family, including Queen Elizabeth and Kate Middleton, had some heartwarming press over 2021’s winter holidays. Photo: AP
Royalty

  • Amid Virginia Giuffre’s sexual assault allegations against Andrew, Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, the royal family heaped on the wholesome Christmas cheer
  • The Firm appeared to use a similar tactic after the bad press following Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s bombshell Oprah Winfrey interview – but will it work?

To the untrained eye, it would seem like the royal family had a wholesome winter holiday season.

Prince William and Kate Middleton rang in the new year by sharing a glamorous photo from a film premiere. Princess Eugenie released a never-before-seen photo of her son’s christening. The Duchess of Cambridge even charmed a crowd with a piano performance.

Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, performs at a Christmas carol concert at Westminster Abbey in London on Christmas Eve in 2021. Photo: AP
Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, performs at a Christmas carol concert at Westminster Abbey in London on Christmas Eve in 2021. Photo: AP
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But amid the holiday cheer, Virginia Giuffre’s sexual assault lawsuit against Prince Andrew has continued to haunt the monarchy, with 2022 bringing renewed attention to the accusations.

As the Duke of York’s sexual assault trial looms, the royal family seems to be trying harder than ever to project a squeaky clean image.

The royal family is putting on a parade of positive press moments amid Prince Andrew’s sexual-assault lawsuit

Virginia Giuffre, an alleged victim of Jeffrey Epstein, exits from federal court in New York, US, in August 2019. Photo: Bloomberg
Virginia Giuffre, an alleged victim of Jeffrey Epstein, exits from federal court in New York, US, in August 2019. Photo: Bloomberg
Giuffre sued Prince Andrew in August 2021, accusing the royal of sexually assaulting her at Jeffrey Epstein’s mansion in 2001 when she was 17.

Giuffre first accused Andrew of sexually abusing her as part of a defamation case she filed against Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell in 2015, in which she alleged the duo sex-trafficked her.

Andrew has made multiple attempts to block or delay the lawsuit with the help of a legal team that the queen is reportedly privately paying for, most recently claiming a 2009 settlement between Giuffre and Epstein protects him from litigation.

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