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A Royal Mess: Britain's Monarchy Facing Biggest Crisis Since 1990s

Henry Ridgwell

   LONDON -- Britain's royal family is facing its biggest crisis since the
   1990s, a decade that was marked by divorce and the death of Princess
   Diana, according to many royal observers.

   Prince Andrew, the second son of Queen Elizabeth and eighth in line to
   the throne, announced last week that he is stepping back from public
   duties, following a sharp backlash against his remarks in a recent BBC
   television interview.

   The prince was asked about his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, a U.S.
   financier and convicted sex offender who killed himself in jail in
   August. Andrew was questioned on why he had stayed at Epstein's house
   after his conviction.

   "I felt that doing it over the telephone was the chicken's way of doing
   it, I had to go and see him and talk to him," Prince Andrew said in the
   interview.

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