“Bullish” Prince Andrew believes he could return to public life as soon as the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee next year, sources have revealed.
The Duke of York has told his closest confidants that the scandal surrounding sexual assault allegations will “blow over”.
And he is said to be “utterly convinced” he will brush off claims of “rape in the first degree” from a former sex slave of his disgraced late pal Jeffrey Epstein.
Andrew, 61, has earmarked a return to the royal front line in time for the Queen’s historic anniversary next year.
Despite palace sources’ insistence that Andrew will “not take part” in any of the official celebrations – when Her Majesty will mark a record-breaking 70 years on the throne – the Duke believes there is time to salvage his battered reputation.
Insiders have spoken of Andrew’s “incredibly bullish” attitude as he continues to maintain a “wall of silence” over lurid allegations by sex trafficking victim Virginia Giuffre. Virginia, now 38, has accused the Duke of sexually abusing her at financier Epstein’s Manhattan mansion as well as his private Caribbean island, and at the London home of Ghislaine Maxwell, who is currently in a New York jail on sex abuse and grooming charges.
Virginia is claiming damages for emotional harm and distress which could run into millions of pounds if successful.
One source close to the royal said: “It is clear he [Andrew] has a clear and burning desire to return to work as soon as possible. That may look entirely impossible but if anything he’s become emboldened in recent weeks and remains utterly convinced he will not only be exonerated but will certainly forge a way back to public life.
“Certainly he has given the incredibly bullish impression that this will all blow over within a short while, rather than become a protracted issue.”
Andrew this week visited the Queen’s Balmoral estate in Scotland, for the second time in a month, after attempts to serve legal papers at his Windsor mansion.
He was reportedly “going stir crazy” staying in his Royal Lodge house, after choosing not to respond to the lawsuit filed in New York by Virginia, also known as Virginia Roberts.
She has claimed the Duke sexually abused her on three occasions when she was 17. Her lawyer David Boies has said Andrew “cannot hide behind wealth and palace walls” and must respond to the allegations.
After travelling to Balmoral with his live-in former wife Sarah Ferguson, 61, on Tuesday, another source revealed the Duke was in a “buoyant” mood, despite facing a “tsunami of s***”.
The source added: “The plan, if you can call it a plan, is to say absolutely nothing in the face of these allegations. Andrew claims he hasn’t read the news and hasn’t kept up with what is happening around him, which anyone can see is not only catastrophic for his reputation but very damaging for the wider Royal Family.
“Whether he can keep it up remains to be seen but it’s not a good look by any stretch of the imagination.”
The Prince was yesterday seen at a secluded forest lodge, six miles from Balmoral Castle, after a lunch meeting with the Queen.
He arrived with his security shortly before 1pm, spotted by an onlooker on a porch, before vanishing inside.
Her Majesty was seen leaving the property about 90 minutes later but Andrew is thought to have left by another exit.
He has continued to refuse to make a public statement following a civil lawsuit being lodged on August 9 in New York seeking damages and accusing him of “rape in the first degree”.
US lawyers are set to return to court on Monday to apply for more time in a case that legal experts say could go on for “up to five years”. It is believed Andrew’s lawyers will not be present at the hearing in New York.
Andrew has been named a “person of interest” by investigators probing the sexual exploitation of young girls by Epstein and former lover Maxwell.
Sources close to the investigations in the US have revealed a “total and utter lack of willingness to co-operate” from Andrew and his legal team.
Prince Andrew has vehemently denied claims he had sex with Giuffre, and said he has no recollection of meeting her. A spokesman for the Duke of York offered no comment.
