Prince Andrew’s memorabilia is not seeing a surge in popularity among British auctioneers thanks to his “ill-judged” links to Jeffrey Epstein, The Telegraph reveals.
A senior valuer at Dominic Winter, Chris Albury, told the outlet that he had recently been offered a piece of cake from the royal’s 1986 wedding to Sarah Ferguson for auction. However, he firmly turned the item down, calling it “unsellable at any price”.
“History has not been favourable to that wedding and certainly, the current situation Prince Andrew finds himself in does him no favours”, Albury said, referring to a scandal around the royal’s friendship with Epstein, who was accused of abusing and sex trafficking dozens of underage girls to his powerful friends.
Albury says that it’s still possible that Prince Andrew “will be canonized one day” and something will change in relation to a value of his collectables.
Crow's Auction Gallery in Dorking was also not interested in acquiring Prince Andrew’s memorabilia in light of allegations made against him. But the gallery’s manager Louisa Chinery said that even before the Epstein scandal it was difficult to sell the duke’s items, which didn’t have “high value”.
Prince Andrew, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, and Ghislaine Maxwell. This photo was included in an affidavit in which Giuffre alleged that she was directed to have sex with Andrew
© Photo : Florida Southern District Court
“We have never had many offers for selling it [memorabilia] here, we did have some of his wedding cake for auction two or three years ago but that didn't sell and that was long before the Epstein allegations”, she told The Telegraph.
“Andrew would just not have financial rewards”, Chinery added. “If someone came in with some items we would kindly reject it based on economic value and in a matter of taste”.
But with “a black cloud hanging” over the royal, she believes the situation will only worsen. Chinery says that her gallery would now “turn down” items relating to him.
According to a vocal Epstein accuser, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, the Duke of York was one of those who abused her at the age of 17, when she was sex trafficked to London by Epstein and his friend Ghislaine Maxwell. Roberts Giuffre claims that she was ordered to have sex with Prince Andrew two more times, but the duke publicly dismissed her account, saying that he has “no recollection” of ever meeting the woman, despite of a widely circulated photo believed to be showing them together.
Roberts Giuffre has now filed a civil lawsuit against the royal under New York's Child Victims Act, but it’s unclear how far that will go. Prince Andrew, who reportedly remains a “person of interest” in a US probe into Epstein’s associates, is yet to comment on her lawsuit.