Queen Elizabeth II was unaware of Prince Andrew's friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, according to an expert.

Buckingham Palace was reported to have been rocked by the controversy surrounding Prince Andrew's friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, which was said to have been a "blind spot" for Queen Elizabeth II.

According to Christopher Andersen, author of "The King," Elizabeth was dubbed the "Queen of Denial" when the Jeffrey Epstein-Prince Andrew scandal broke in 2011.

"The queen accepted Andrew's denial of the salacious accusations, despite his history of sexual exploits and the nickname "Randy Andy." Buckingham Palace issued statements on behalf of Andrew, who claimed he did not see, witness, or suspect Epstein's notorious sexual abuse of underage girls."

"The late queen had a blind spot when it came to Andrew, whose sexual exploits earned him the nickname ‘Randy Andy’ decades before the Epstein affair." — Christopher Andersen, author of "The King"

The palace issued a statement claiming that Prince Andrew was "appalled" and the suggestion he would condone, participate in or encourage any such behavior was "abhorrent" after a 2010 video surfaced showing him standing inside Epstein's New York mansion, waving to a very young woman outside.

Ephraim Hardcastle, a DailyMail columnist, stated that Andersen's claims about Andrew's connection to Epstein were made after Hardcastle reported that the late monarch was dismissive of the allegations.

"According to him, three senior members of the Royal Household wrote to Her Majesty suggesting it would be prudent to suspend Andrew from royal duties until a comprehensive investigation was conducted. However, they received a brusque response from an assistant private secretary, and their invitations to the staff Christmas party that year seemed to have gone missing in the mail."

Buckingham Palace did not immediately respond to Planet Chronicle Digital's request for comment.

The former Prince Charles, according to Andersen, tried to intervene, as the latest claims assert.

According to Andersen, when one of Epstein's victims, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, directly accused Andrew of abusing her on three separate occasions, Andrew decided to sit for a lengthy prime-time BBC-TV interview to refute the charges. However, that backfired, spectacularly.

"The BBC interview was a disaster, as Queen Elizabeth and others agreed, while Charles convinced the queen to take drastic action against his brother Andrew, who was summoned to Sandringham for lunch with Charles and Prince Philip, who informed him of his retirement as a senior member of the royal family."

Andersen stated that eventually, the queen reluctantly decided to distribute Andrew's patronages among other members of the royal family, remove his honorary military titles, and instruct him not to utilize his HRH status in any official capacity.

The queen reportedly rescued her favorite child and paid the $14 million settlement using her own funds, as pointed out by Andersen.

Andersen claimed that the queen didn't feel Prince Andrew was guilty, but rather didn't want the negative headlines from a civil trial to tarnish her Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June 2022.

"Although the monarchy has been shamed because of Andrew, the late queen continued to love him, and their relationship remained strong until her death."

England's longest-reigning monarch, the queen, passed away in September 2022 at the age of 96. Despite rumors of sibling rivalry, it was reported that Charles invited his younger brother to Balmoral Castle for the rest of the summer, where he will be hosting loved ones.

The Scottish retreat was also where the queen died.

"Andersen stated that summers at Balmoral are a cherished tradition for the royal family, and Charles often reminisces about the Scottish Highlands, which was his mother's favorite place on earth. Perhaps it is due to his cancer battle and his desire to bring the family together that Charles has invited Andrew to Balmoral."

Hilary Fordwich, a royal expert, stated to Planet Chronicle Digital that Andrew is now on his own without the presence of his beloved matriarch.

"Queen Elizabeth II, as any mother would, was protective of her son. However, it took more than 150 Army, Royal Air Force and Royal Navy veterans to persuade her to strip him of all his military titles and ranks within the British Armed Forces. They wrote to the queen, signing a joint letter. They were all well aware of her most difficult position, addressing it head-on: 'We understand that he is your son, but we write to you in your capacity as head of state and as Commander-in-Chief of the Army, Navy and Air Force.'"

Royal author claims that Queen Elizabeth remained incredibly close to Prince Andrew right up until her death.

"Fordwich stated that the letter concluded: "British Armed Forces officers must maintain the highest standards of probity, honesty, and honorable conduct. Prince Andrew has not met these standards." Although there is no chance of a full rehabilitation, Prince Andrew has been invited to join his former wife, who is recovering from breast cancer, at Balmoral with King Charles III and the rest of the family. However, his royal public life has ended."

"Fordwich advised that he should concentrate on doing something valuable to benefit others, rather than remaining secluded in his private life. However, his lack of remorse and lack of empathy towards Epstein's accusers has only made his situation worse."

Katie Nicholl, a royal author and Vanity Fair correspondent, previously stated to Planet Chronicle Digital that the queen had frequent interactions with Andrew until her passing.

She was very protective of him and they remained incredibly close, she said.

The late queen questioned her son about the Epstein allegations.

"Nicholl stated that Andrew was innocent of the allegations. She believed him, as he was her son, and she stood by him."

Nicholl was informed by a close family friend that Andrew had assured his mother of his innocence on multiple occasions. However, those near the queen believed she should have been "more ruthless."

An insider close to the monarch informed Nicholl that there was a question posed: Had some of her sharpness mellowed?

Andrew stepped back from royal duties in 2019.

In 2020, Giuffre filed a lawsuit accusing Andrew of exploiting her sexually on three occasions in 2001 when she was 17. Andrew has consistently denied any wrongdoing.

In 2022, a U.S. judge dismissed the sex abuse lawsuit against Andrew, who settled with Giuffre. The prince made a substantial donation to his accuser's charity and declared he never intended to harm her reputation.

In 2019, at the age of 66, Epstein was discovered deceased in his cell. The U.S. attorney in Manhattan charged Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's former girlfriend, with aiding in the recruitment of his underage victims. She was found guilty in 2021 and is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence.

Andrew was mentioned in previously concealed court records concerning Epstein that were made public in the new year. This was part of a 2015 lawsuit brought against Maxwell by Giuffre.

The documents, including interviews with some of Epstein's accusers and old police reports, revealed that the wealthy businessman had been associated with prominent and influential individuals, some of whom have also been implicated in wrongdoing.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.