Former Prince Andrew's ex-assistant emerges as 'key witness' in his investigation: experts
Former Prince Andrew’s ex-assistant, Charlotte Manley is a "key witness" who may "shed valuable light into Andrew’s dealings and activities" from when he was the United Kingdom’s trade envoy, British broadcaster and photographer Helena Chard told Fox News Digital this week.
Chard added that Manley, who served as Andrew’s private secretary and treasurer from 2001 until 2003 and was his assistant private secretary and treasurer from 1996, is the "talk of the town."
Manley told The Times in London after they found her at her home in the U.K. – that she would be willing to talk to police about her time with the former Duke of York.
"I would rather talk to the police than the press, not that I would have much to tell them," Manley told The Times when they asked if she had any Andrew revelations.
Manley often went with Andrew on his frequent trips abroad while he served as the U.K.’s special representative for trade and investment starting in 2001.
Chard added that "those connected to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor are feeling increasing public expectation and pressure to come forward," calling Manley a "dutiful British citizen."
"'Operation Ironville, the name given to Andrew's investigation, is in full swing," Chard explained. "Manley is a key witness and rather than be hounded by the press, Manley has made it clear she prefers to speak with the police."
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The former prince, now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, was arrested on Feb. 19 on suspicion of misconduct in public office in relation to his ties to Jeffrey Epstein.
While Manley said she doesn’t have much to offer police, Chard said she’s sure "she will offer a few gems which will lead to further investigation and more people coming forward."
"Manley may well have seen telling moments behind the scenes and will wish to tell her side of that infamous £75 cheque she signed from Buckingham Palace funds to pay a masseuse," she added.
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Andrew’s former assistant paid for the massage arranged by Ghislaine Maxwell in 2000 from a Buckingham Palace account, according to The Times.
The sought-after masseuse, Monique Giannelloni, a woman who had a massage clinic in London, said she was "embarrassed" when Andrew came out in the nude for the massage at Buckingham Palace, but kept her composure for the massage.
"He did not do anything or suggest anything untoward, but I was very uncomfortable, and a bit shocked that he had acted like that," she told The DailyMail last year.
Royal expert Hilary Fordwich suggested Manley might be able to "share some off-camera behavior during Andrew's trade envoy trips abroad, where she accompanied him frequently," including "who approved for payments linked to travel, hospitality, or services arranged by Maxwell’s network."
Fordwich even said that Manley "might attempt to reshape the narrative shifting from Epstein introductions to patterns of palace-enabled impropriety."
"She no doubt, at the time, had detailed logs of Andrew’s activities," Fordwich said. "These could be used to assist authorities in corroborating other allegations. She may well reveal how access to Andrew was arranged and who facilitated such."
Due to her service in the Royal Navy and more recently as a clerk for St. George’s Chapel at Windsor, Fordwich believed she "might well feel compelled by a sense of duty and upstanding principles, now particularly with the knowledge of [King Charles III’s] statement regarding the ‘law must take its course,’ his being on sides with full cooperation. Such cooperation, of course would help her protect herself too."
She added that if Manley does "expose palace facilitation," Andrew’s daughters, princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, "are likely to be implicated."
Richard Fitzwilliams, another royal expert, told Fox News Digital that Eugenie and Beatrice seem "increasingly to be moving into the line of fire as more details of their parents' links to Epstein emerge."
He said that Eugenie had "stepped down as patron of Anti-Slavery International. The Mail has reported they will not join the royal party at Royal Ascot or appear at royal events ‘foreseeably.’ This almost certainly marks the beginning of the end of their royal appearances. Questions are also being asked about how their jet-set lifestyle was funded in earlier years."
Royal expert Ian Pelham Turner told Fox News Digital that the "innuendo of a masseur is a euphemism for a sexual act as similar to the Epstein stories but in reality it could have been a normal massage by a trained professional for an injury."
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He noted that Andrew goes horseback riding most mornings and might be prone to back pain.
Still, he called the allegations and Andrew’s arrest the "biggest mess of the twenty-first century for the Royal family and [Monday] at the Commonwealth service in London both Charles and William were heckled by a growing crowd of protesters about the Andrew affair and their belief the Monarchy should no longer exist."
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"As to current and former staff being questioned by police over any knowledge they may have regarding Andrew and the Epstein affair, it is an unprecedented move that this has ever happened before and just goes to show how seriously this investigation is being treated by the authorities," he added.
Royal commentator Meredith Constant told Fox News Digital that it’s not clear if Manley has been contacted by police and some people are worried that "Andrew will evade accountability like he has his entire life."
The palace is also planning to distance itself from Eugenie and Beatrice, she said a source told her. "They told me they wouldn't be surprised if titles for the girls and the use of royal housing were stripped," she added.
"There have been people sounding the alarm for years that Andrew and Sarah might have gotten their daughters involved in some of the family business," Constant continued. "What it comes down to — as it does with every Royal, quite frankly — is financial transparency. Is everything above board? Where is the money coming from and why? It's interesting to see the punishment seemingly extend to Beatrice and Eugenie after months of hearing that King Charles was bringing them into the Royal fold, while Andrew has started to disappear from the headlines."