HOW TO THINK ABOUT IT

Royal pain … Hoping to mitigate damage to his reputation, including a claim that he slept with an underage girl caught in Epstein’s trafficking ring, the prince addressed his relationship to the shadowy moneyman in a BBC sit-down last weekend that was described as disastrous. Coming off as callous and uncaring toward Epstein’s victims, the Duke of York riled viewers with what they saw as his detached disposition. The resulting maelstrom prompted the 59-year-old to ask Queen Elizabeth (pictured) whether he could stay out of the public eye for the time being.

… but still serving? Even before Wednesday’s statement, big businesses like Cisco and KPMG had abandoned their support for Pitch@Palace, a private initiative run by Andrew that supports entrepreneurs. But Buckingham Palace confirmed today that the work by Pitch@Palace will continue. The organization was launched in 2011, after Andrew gave up his post as British trade envoy following an earlier controversy over his relationship with Epstein, who opened his many homes to the British royal. During his tenure as special trade representative, Andrew is said to have burned through around $18 million in public funds on travel and security — and that’s despite not having much formal economic training (his first career was in the Royal Navy). Now, officials say royal coffers won’t cover any of Pitch@Palace’s costs, but at least one question remains: What’s with the “palace” in the name, then?

Crying foul. It’s just one of many hits Andrew’s public image has suffered over the years, from topless escapades on private yachts to brokering a questionable deal with a well-connected Kazakh businessman. But his latest flubs seem to be galvanizing critics more than ever, prompting some to ask whether it’s time for “a drastically slimmed-down monarchy.” That’s one in which public expenses are spared on, say, less-than-dignified figures who are merely eighth in line to the throne. For inspiration, the British royal family might look to Sweden, where King Carl XVI Gustaf last month stripped five of his grandchildren of their royal titles, allowing them to live relatively normal lives while also saving taxpayer cash.

Get a job. Recent research conducted by job-training organization The Knowledge Academy provides a look at how royals might fare in the real world. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Meghan Markle — an actress in her previous life — would fetch around $450,000 per year. Then there’s the rest of the pack: Though she’d be the first British queen with a university degree, Kate Middleton should only expect around $30,000, given her administrative experience. Princes William and Harry would bank even less, some $27,000, as entry-level charity workers (though they could have fared better if they had stayed in the military).

WHAT TO READ

Manners Maketh Monsters by Anna Leszkiewicz in New Statesman
“Prince Andrew showed little emotion and seemed not to realise the seriousness of the situation (or even the damage he was doing to the monarchy).”

I Believe Prince Andrew. But His Honesty Doesn't Excuse a Naive Royal Arrogance by Dominic Lawson in the Daily Mail
“Whatever else you might think, there was nothing shifty or evasive in his responses, or in his body language. Quite the reverse: He was almost grotesquely naive in his expression, quite evidently un-coached.”

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