AMANDA PLATELL: I feel sorry for Prince Andrew, but Charles needs to ban him from public life

But wasn’t it also an indication of his naivete? Was the king unaware that just a week later the latest set of lurid documents detailing Andrew’s friendship with convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein would be made public by a New York court?

And that new lawsuits would emerge with accusations from his accuser Virginia Giuffre – with whom he settled after paying her £10 million without admitting any liability?

Giuffre was so gleeful when the platform crashed after countless people tried to download the files on their release that she bragged on Twitter, “We broke the website!”

That King Charles invited the disgraced Prince Andrew and Andrew’s ex-wife Fergie to join the royal family for their traditional walk after the Christmas church service at Sandringham is certainly a sign of the monarch’s great kindness to his brother.

Perhaps the king was unaware that his brother would be mentioned 69 times in the documents, which alleged, among other things, that the prince had committed “acts of sexual abuse” and participated in an “underage orgy.”

King Charles’ new year has only just begun. To prevent further damage to the monarchy and from this becoming his own ‘annus horribilis’, he must act quickly to distance himself from his younger brother.

There is no way back for Andrew and he can never realize his ambition to regain a public role.

That’s why Charles’ first step should be to evict him from the absurdly large, thirty-room Royal Lodge he rents in Windsor Great Park. Every day Andrew spends there is a stain on the monarchy.

Charles’ first step should be to evict him from the absurdly large, 30-room Royal Lodge he rents in Windsor Great Park.

Secondly, Andrew and Fergie are never allowed to appear at official royal events. Every time he is seen with the royal family, their reputation is besmirched.

And yet I have to say that part of me feels sorry for Andrew. Those of my generation still remember the handsome Falklands war hero, the loving son who landed his helicopter at Windsor to have tea with his mother.

What if he is innocent of the charges he has always denied? What if he is only guilty of his own arrogance and pathetic desperation to mingle with the rich and powerful? He would not be the first famous man to be so falsely and publicly accused.

His few remaining friends say he is bereft, a shadow of his former self. So yes, I feel sorry for him, and I’m sure the king does. But that is no reason to allow Andrew back into public life.

Terrifying for Man City star Jack Grealish and his family when thieves raided his £5.6million mansion in Cheshire while he was playing live on TV – and they were watching at home. Police say officers and a helicopter responded within minutes. You try to call the police when your home has been broken into. You’re lucky if they show up within a week.

Kate’s courage

Sad news that Derek Draper has passed away at the age of 56 after a long battle with Covid – a battle also heroically fought by his wife Kate Garraway.

The mother-of-two turned the ground floor of their home into a haven of peace for bedridden Derek, getting up at dawn every day to appear on Good Morning Britain to keep the family afloat financially.

And she “held his hand for the last long hours.”

I hope she will finally find peace now that he has too.

How appropriate it is in these difficult times following the October 7 atrocities that Anthony Hopkins’ new film One Life portrays the rescue of Jewish children from Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia, saving them from certain death. A timely reminder of the horrors of the Holocaust and the persecution of Jews that many pro-Palestinian supporters today so quickly forget.

Is that strictly true, Claudia?

Claudia Winkleman’s second series of Traitors is receiving rave reviews, despite the strange premise that it’s a badge of honor to be bad.

Claudia Winkleman’s second series of Traitors gets rave reviews, despite the strange premise that it’s a badge of honor to be bad

Business manager Paul claims he is ‘competitive and cruel’, while insurance broker Andrew says he is ‘good at turning off my emotions, I’m a pretty good liar’.

To promote the show, Claudia revealed that she wanted to quit Strictly and not make a second series of Traitors.

Heaven forbid the reason she’s so brilliant at hosting the show is because lying comes naturally to our adorable multi-talented TV star!

Nominated for two Golden Globes, Saltburn is the film about Oxford bigwigs and a vengeful citizen. It’s a rough copy of The Talented Mr Ripley, as evidenced by character Oliver Quick having fun on a friend’s grave and dancing naked around a castle. Saltburn is so awful it gave me heartburn.

Tired moms know Jen is in dreamland!

She’s a mother of two, stepmother of three, singer and actress, worth $400 million – now at 54, Jennifer Lopez tells us the secret to her perfect abs.

She’s a mother of two, stepmother of three, singer and actress, worth $400 million – now Jennifer Lopez tells us the secret to her perfect abs at 54

It’s all about eight to 10 hours of sleep a night (and early morning workouts with personal trainers). Most mothers in their 50s would settle for ten hours of sleep. . . even if it means waking up with a stomach ache.

Nick Ferrari’s LBC morning radio program is now the number 1 commercial breakfast show in terms of audience reach. That gives him the dubious distinction of being the one man whose voice I’ve wanted to hear when I wake up in my bed every morning for twenty years.

Barry is a Lukealike. . .

After five million of us were captivated by teenager Luke Littler’s epic World Darts Championship final, a bidding war is underway to make a film of his life.

Pictured: On the left is 16-year-old darts champion Luke Littler and on the right is Barry Keoghan

But who could play a 16-year-old who looks twenty and weighs almost the same?

Matt Lucas in a wig would have been a hit, but he’s too old.

So it has to be Banshees Of Inisherin star Barry Keoghan – in a fat suit.

Following the successful release of prehistoric animal stamps, the Royal Mail is launching a set featuring The Spice Girls. . . continuing the dinosaur theme.

Westminster Wars

• Keir Starmer promises that a Labor government will not only be the party of economic rejuvenation, but also one that will ‘end the despair of a downtrodden country’. It is not a good starting point that he already sees Great Britain as a basket case. If this is the best Keiry can do, heaven help us.
• What an own goal for Rishi Sunak when his New Year’s campaign speech was just 15 miles from the Nottingham epicenter of the worst flooding in decades – and yet he couldn’t spare the time to visit the victims.

During an interview with the Home Secretary on the BBC’s Today programme, presenter Mishal Husain asked James Cleverly seven times if he had ever used the word ‘s***’ – on a day when her job was to bash the Tories questions about their dubious claims about reducing migration. . Is it any wonder that the Beeb’s flagship political show, which lost 800,000 listeners last year, is going to the toilet?

Danielle gives women a major lift

Skeptics of early episodes of the second series of The Tourist, starring Jamie Dornan, should stick with it. I have, until the end.

Crikey, the story of a handsome former assassin with amnesia, worked for Matt Damon – his Jason Bourne series spawned five films.

And powerful Australian actress Danielle Macdonald as Jamie’s savior gives hope to us bigger ladies.

A study shows that the divorce rate has fallen to its lowest level since 1970 as men have become more caring.

Or could it be that they’ve seen the financial devastation divorce has wrought on male friends? Isn’t that an incentive to take out the trash every now and then and get to know the Hoover?