In the UK, where air ambulance organizations find a lot of community support, public sentiments matter. It is for this reason that medical flight charity of Yorkshire has withdrawn its connection with the Duke of York. The decision was recently taken by the trustee board of this organization. The Prince had earlier inaugurated their base at Nostell in the year 2015. The fall from grace has been rather drastic and shocking for most people in the country. It was revealed that he had ties with the notorious financier from the United States, Jeffrey Epstein. Epstein had been convicted of sex offences earlier.
Why has the Air Ambulance Charity taken the Decision?
The decision by the air ambulance charity has come after Andrew’s BBC interview for the popular program Newsnight where the controversy was discussed. Even prior to that, his connection with Epstein had been a matter of public discussion. Epstein took his own life earlier, in the month of August. He had been convicted of sex trafficking. The final nail in the coffin was the claim by Virginia Giuffre who was among the accusers of Epstein. She revealed that she had been forced to indulge in physical relationship with the prince on three different occasions. The Duke, however, refuted these allegations.
Several Charities have Dissociated Themselves
The air ambulance charity moving away from the prince is not an isolated occurrence. In the UK, it is common for the royals to associate themselves with several charities with the intent of bringing publicity to worthy causes. The Duke, following this tradition, was a part of several charities. All of them have now moved away from him. In fact, he will no longer be holding any public engagements. The only events that he will attend going forward would be those related to the royal family matters.
