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From late Queen’s favourite son to accused: How royal was brought down by scandal

Once widely reputed to be Queen Elizabeth's favourite son and feted as a dashing young military officer, Britain's Prince Andrew will now always be seen in the public eye as the royal who was accused of sexually abusing a teenage girl. Andrew has repeatedly denied the allegation.

Andrew, 65, said he would give up his title of Duke of York after years of criticism about his connections to the late, disgraced US financier Jeffrey Epstein.

The brother of King Charles was accused by Virginia Giuffre of sexually abusing her when she was a teenager at properties owned by Epstein or his associates, and in February 2022 he made an undisclosed payment to settle a US lawsuit.

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FILE- Britain's Prince Andrew leaves King Edward VII hospital in London after visiting his father Prince Philip, June 6, 2012. (AP Photo/Sang Tan, File)

By the Queen's side

While he admitted no wrongdoing, Andrew – who had already stepped down as a working royal over his relationship with Epstein and following a disastrous BBC interview in which he had hoped to clear his name – was stripped of his military links, royal patronages and 'His Royal Highness' moniker.

"I never have really partied," he told the BBC.

"I was single for quite a long time in the early 80s but then after I got married, I was very happy and I've never really felt the need to go and party and certainly going to Jeffrey's was not about partying."

Increasingly unloved by the public, he was cast aside by his family who saw him as an embarrassment who might cause lasting damage to their whole institution.

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Only his late mother seemed to retain her affections, allowing him to escort her into a memorial service for her husband Prince Philip in March 2022.

His public appearances thereafter were limited to major family occasions such as the funeral of the queen later that year and his brother's coronation in 2023.

Earlier in his career, he served in the navy for 22 years and in 2001 he was named the United Kingdom's Special Representative for International Trade and Investment, a role he held until he was pilloried for his connections to Epstein.

Until that point, Andrew was probably best known for his 1986 marriage to the vivacious, flame-haired Sarah Ferguson, or "Fergie" as she was dubbed by the press.

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Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Andrew, center right, arrive for a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, at Westminster Abbey in London, Tuesday, March 29, 2022. (Richard Pohle/Pool via AP)

They separated in 1992, not long after he moved to a desk job at the Ministry of Defence so he could be at home more.

It was a year of travails and scandals for the royal family, which the queen described as an "annus horribilis".

Andrew was said to be devastated by the break-up from his wife, who described him as a gentle man who deserved to be loved.

The couple had two children, Beatrice and Eugenie, and the family remained close and on good terms after they divorced in 1996, going on holiday together and sharing the same house.

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'Air Miles Andy'

After leaving the military, Andrew's personal life still hit the headlines.

Tabloids linked him to a series of women, from swimwear models to entrepreneurs. Photographs appeared of Andrew cavorting on yachts or sunbathing surrounded by topless women.

The papers dubbed him "Air Miles Andy" for his jetset lifestyle.

But his long-term friendship with Epstein, who was jailed in 2008 for child sex offences, began to haunt him.

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Remembering Virginia Giuffre: The woman who helped bring down Jeffery Epstein

He was forced to quit his roving trade ambassador job in 2011 and Giuffre filed her allegations against him in 2015.

To critics, his downfall was a consequence of an arrogance and sense of entitlement.

A former royal protection officer told an ITV documentary that Andrew would throw tantrums if the teddy bears on his bed were moved.

With his reputation declining, Andrew turned his focus to a scheme called "Pitch@Palace", which aimed to use his royal influence to help young tech entrepreneurs find partners and investors.

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Queen Returns from Balmoral. The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, with Prince Edward and Prince Andrew, their youngest children, leave Euston Station by car after arriving back in London from Balmoral today, October 2, at the end of their summer holiday in Scotland. The Queen and her husband leave for a tour of Canada in four days' time. Princes Edward and Andrew will be two of the Royal youngsters gathered at Sandringham with their parents this Christmas. In this photograph, taken in October, t

But his royal world came crashing down not long after he gave what turned out to be a calamitous interview to BBC TV to explain why Giuffre's account of meeting him sweating and dancing at a London nightclub before having sex with him could not be true.

He was ridiculed for saying he went to see Epstein in New York to tell him he could no longer be seen with him, for saying Giuffre's story was wrong because he was visiting a pizza restaurant to celebrate his daughter's birthday on the night in question, and for saying he was unable to sweat.

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 Prince Andrew, Duke of York and Prince Charles, Prince of Wales attend the Order of the Garter Service at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle on June 15, 2015 in Windsor, England. The Order of the Garter is the most senior and the oldest British Order of Chivalry and was founded by Edward III in 1348.

He was also criticised for failing to show sympathy for those who say they were abused by Epstein and for saying he was not sorry about his friendship with the financier.

"I continue to unequivocally regret my ill-judged association with Jeffrey Epstein," he said in a later statement as he quit official royal duties.

But it came too late to save his reputation.

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Scattered thunderstorms set to develop across NSW and QLD

Severe thunderstorms are looming across Queensland and towards the New South Wales border, carrying potentially damaging winds and large hail.

Developing thunderstorms could also reach the Gold Coast this afternoon before hitting the Sunshine Coast in the early evening.

The Sunshine Coast is still set to face temperatures as high as 29 degrees.

Scattered late afternoon showers and thunderstorms are expected to hit the Queensland coastline south-east of the Sunshine Coast.

Moderate humidity levels plus temperatures in the low to mid-30s further inland from the coast are set to create thunderstorms across the Darling Downs regions in the early to mid-afternoon.

These thunderstorms are not a major threat to the major population areas near the coast.

Later in the afternoon, a line of thunderstorms is expected to develop along the New South Wales coast and the inland ranges.

Severe thunderstorms remain a possibility mid-afternoon across NSW's north-east ranges.

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Severe thunderstorms and hail currently threaten Bargo and Appin, south of Sydney and continue to move in an easterly direction.

The forecast comes as a trough continues to move through the state's south-east Saturday afternoon and evening before moving off the coast by Sunday. 

Due to this shift, thunderstorms could hit the state's coastal areas between K'gari and Moreton Bay Island as the conditions move offshore.

As the southerly change hits south-east Queensland, it is expected to face a highly unstable airmass, which is likely to enhance one to two thunderstorms along the change.

This could turn them into a severe thunderstorm with large hail and damaging wind gusts.

Isolated thunderstorms are also expected to potentially affect regions such as Wide Bay-Burnett, Darling Downs and Maranoa's far east.

No weather warnings have been issued, however, people are being urged to remain vigilant and alert to any updated warnings throughout the afternoon and evening.

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‘She’s still very scared when she’s in public’: Family of Melbourne stabbing victim speak out

The family of the woman who was allegedly stabbed in a random attack in Melbourne's CBD says, despite making a strong physical recovery, she remains fearful of leaving her home alone after the incident.

Wan Lai was on her way to work and was near the intersection of Little Bourke and Spencer streets when she was allegedly stabbed by an unknown woman.

Lai's brother-in-law told ABC that, despite making a physical recovery, she is still suffering.

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A capture from the CCTV footage of a random stabbing attack in Melbourne's CBD in October

"She's still very scared when she's in public," he said.

"When she sees a stranger go past her, she'll be like 'oh, I need to stay away from [them]'."

Footage showed the alleged offender stopping in front of Lai before stabbing her and fleeing.

Wan Lai told 9News she felt someone tap her from the back and turned around to be stabbed immediately.

A passerby rushed to her aid before she was taken to hospital suffering a punctured lung.

It has since been learned that her alleged attacker was on bail at the time of the attack.

She is set to apply for bail again at Melbourne Magistrate's Court on Tuesday.

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Sweeping reforms set to hit every school across Australia

The Federal Government has put $10 million towards stamping out bullying at schools, as proposed new national standards will push schools to act on bullying complaints within 48 hours of being reported.

Minister for Education, Jason Clare, announced the Anti-Bullying Rapid Review in February, aiming to examine what responses and prevention are working in the fight against bullying in schools and what needs to be strengthened.

The review came after reports to the eSafety Commissioner found that 53 per cent of young Australians reported experiencing cyberbullying.

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Students using a digital tablet in a classroom. There is a boy and a girl, both are wearing school uniforms and are happy and smiling.

A study by Bullying No Way also found that one in four students from year four to year nine reported being bullied every few weeks or more often.

The $10 million investment from the government as part of this review will be split evenly between an awareness campaign and resources for parents, teachers and students.

"We're going to allocate $5 million to provide some tools for teachers. While parents have told us they want action earlier, parents of teachers have told us that they need the tools and the training so that they can do the job," Jason Clare told Today.

"There are programs that are already being used by some schools. We're going to put all of those online in a hub, so that they can go to one place to get the best tools and the best programs to roll out in their schools."

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A classroom with white walls and black chairs and desks.

"Parents have told us that they think it's really important that we nip this in the bud, where there's a complaint that bullying has happened, the school needs action within the first 48 hours."

"And that involves talking to the children, but it also involves talking to the mums and dads, the parents of the child that's been bullied and the parents of the child that's been doing the bullying."

One of the main recommendations was the need for quick and clear action when a complaint or incident occurs.

"[Punishments] can involve suspension. It can involve expulsion in the most extreme circumstances.

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Jason Clare speaking in a park in an interview with Weekend Today.

"What happens here is that if you act early, you can stop the harm from repeating. You can stop the action from recurring."

The review contained over 1700 submissions from parents, students, teachers and staff recommending that schools should respond to incidents within two school days.

"A lot of parents told us it was taking too long for some schools to act on bullying complaints," said Clare.

The Federal Government's under-16 social media ban is set to come into effect on December 10, which the review expects will also drastically help in reducing cyberbullying.

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