The Archbishop of Canterbury has suggested the disgraced Prince Andrew is “seeking to make amends” as he urged the nation to be more forgiving.
The Duke of York stepped down from public life after a scandal that stemmed from his friendship with paedophile billionaire Jeffrey Epstein and ended with him paying millions to settle a civil sexual assault case.
He was cast out of the working monarchy and no longer uses his HRH style after Virginia Giuffre, who was trafficked by Epstein, accused him of sexually assaulting her when she was 17. The duke denied the claims.
The Most Rev Justin Welby, in an interview with ITV, called on people “to step back a bit” and said the Queen’s second son was seeking to make amends, adding: “I think that’s a very good thing.”
He stressed that he could not tell people how to respond, saying the “issues of the past in the area of abuse are so intensely personal and private for so many”.
Asked how the public should respond to Andrew after his appearance at the Duke of Edinburgh’s memorial service, Mr Welby said: “At a big public occasion the Queen is fully entitled to have one of her children supporting her.
“Secondly, forgiveness really does matter. I think we have become a very, very unforgiving society. There’s a difference between consequences and forgiveness.
“I think for all of us, one of the ways that we celebrate when we come together is in learning to be a more open and forgiving society.
“Now, with Prince Andrew, I think we all have to step back a bit. He’s seeking to make amends and I think that’s a very good thing.
“But you can’t tell people how they’re to respond about this. And the issues of the past in the area of abuse are so intensely personal and private for so many people. It’s not surprising there’s very deep feelings indeed.”
In the wide-ranging interview to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, the archbishop was also asked about the rift between brothers the Duke of Cambridge and the Duke of Sussex.
“Of course, it’s sad when families are struggling, but what family isn’t? Jesus says anyone who’s never sinned cast the first stone, and they all go away,” he said.
He also praised the Queen for her “absolute consistency” during her 70-year reign and said the royal family was doing a good job of handling the difficult subject of Britain’s imperial past.
The interview will air on Tuesday evening as part of the ITV’s News At Ten bulletin.
