Secret documents relating to the disgraced Prince Andrew will not be released to the public by the British Foreign Office until 2065, meaning, he will no longer be alive when they are published unless he lives to be 105 years old.
The historian Andrew Lownie was made aware of the restrictions after he requested access to them for an upcoming biography on the British royal family member, who has become notorious in recent years due to his connections with the convicted pedophile and child trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. In 2022, Andrew paid £12 million (around $15 million) to Virginia Giuffre, who accused him of sexual assault while she was 17 and underage.
The denial of access forms part of a general rule that documents concerning the royal family must remain hidden from public view until 105 years after the person’s birth to protect family members from scrutiny and even “preserve the mystique.”
“This culture of secrecy is often the default position,” argued Lownie, continuing, “It does seem quite extreme.”
“We are in the absurd position that Prince Harry can reveal the most intimate details of royal life from months ago for personal commercial gain and Royal households currently brief against each other, yet historians cannot look at files,” Lownie added.
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