Prince William and Kate Middleton Spotted With Disgraced Royal

Prince William and Kate Middleton were recently spotted with one of their disgraced Royal Family members. According to PEOPLE, the Prince and Princess of Wales were photographed while driving with William's uncle, Prince Andrew, to Crathie Kirk church, near Balmoral Castle in the Scottish Highlands. The outlet notes that William drove the group to a service at Crathie Kirk on Sunday, with his wife in the passenger seat and the Duke of York in the back.

It's no secret that Prince Andrew has been a controversial member of the U.K.'s Royal Family over the past few years, stemming from his connection to financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Earlier this year, Andrew settled a lawsuit filed by Virginia Giuffre, who accused him of sexually assaulting her when she was 17. The allegations are related to other claims from Giuffre that Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell trafficked and abused her when she was a teenager. She has alleged that the abuse began after she started working at Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida.

According to Huffpost, the lawsuit claimed that Prince Andrew was a friend of Epstein and that he sexually assaulted Giuffre on multiple occasions. "During each of the aforementioned incidents, Plaintiff was compelled by express or implied threats by Epstein, Maxwell, and/or Prince Andrew to engage in sexual acts with Prince Andrew," the lawsuit states. It goes on to explain that Giuffre "feared death or physical injury to herself or another and other repercussions for disobeying Epstein, Maxwell, and Prince Andrew due to their powerful connections, wealth, and authority."

Additionally, the legal filing stated that Andrew's alleged "sexual assault and battery of Plaintiff have caused her, and continue to cause her, significant emotional and psychological distress and harm." Notably, in 2021 Giuffre issued a statement to ABC News, which was shared at the same time she filed her civil case. "I am holding Prince Andrew accountable for what he did to me," she said in the statement. 

"The powerful and rich are not exempt from being held responsible for their actions. I hope that other victims will see that it is possible not to live in silence and fear, but to reclaim one's life by speaking out and demanding justice," Giuffre added. "I did not come to this decision lightly," she added. "As a mother and a wife, my family comes first – and I know that this action will subject me to further attacks by Prince Andrew and his surrogates – but I knew if I did not pursue this action, I would be letting them and victims everywhere down."