Prince Andrew's siblings had meeting about his royal future even before sex abuse case

Prince Andrew's three siblings- Prince Charles, Princess Anne, and Prince Edward, held a meeting about his future in the British monarchy in view of the alleged sex scandals surrounding him, and made the decision that he would never make a return to public duties.

According to a report in the Sun on Sunday, the summit was held in January this year, over a year after the Duke of York was forced to step down from his royal duties due to public uproar over his association with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein and his "car-crash" television interview for the BBC's "Newsnight" programme over the matter. A source told the outlet about the secret discussion: "Nine months ago Charles, Anne and Edward had a meeting, a summit, and agreed there was no way back for him." Another insider said that there is "no way in the world" Andrew is ever coming back to his royal duties, as his family will never let it happen.

Meanwhile, a report in the Sunday Times claimed that Prince William, second-in-line to the British throne after his father, was also at the meeting to decide the fate of his disgraced uncle. Sources close to the Duke of Cambridge told the newspaper that he also holds the opinion that his uncle who has an "ungracious and ungrateful" attitude to his position should not be allowed to return to public life.

"Any suggestion there isn't gratitude for the institution, anything that could lead the public to think that senior members of the family aren't grateful for their position, is really dangerous," the insider said about William's stance on the matter.

In addition, the meeting was held even before Epstein's accuser filed a rape case against Andrew in the US in August, alleging that he had sex with her on three occasions when she was just 17. The Duke's decision to hide at his mother Queen Elizabeth II's Balmoral estate to avoid legal papers last month had invited a lot of criticism, with royal insiders expressing concerns about the impact of his actions on the Queen herself and the British monarchy.

The 61-year-old continues to refute the allegations levelled against him by Giuffre, and denies having any recollection of ever meeting her despite the existence of a photograph of them together available in the public domain. Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Police refused to reopen an investigation into the allegations after Giuffre requested a review in light of her new case.