WHAT is Prince Andrew trying to achieve by staying silent when faced by historic sexual abuse allegations?

It does not look good that his team are arguing about whether legal papers have been properly “served” upon him. Serving papers is an important legal process as it ensures people are fully aware of what they are being accused of, but, given that Andrew has done a television interview about the accusations, it merely looks as if he is trying to hide away behind the tall walls and gatehouses of his royal mansion.

He’s effectively sticking his fingers in his ears so he cannot hear, but that will not make the allegations go away – his former friend, Ghislaine Maxwell, is due to be tried in November on sex trafficking charges and they will form part of the case against her.

The prince denies all the allegations against him, but the longer he is seen to be obfuscating, the more people are going to doubt him.

The royal family are among the most watched over people on the planet. Surely there are diaries and even royal police protection logs that can be used to prove Andrew’s innocence.

The current tactic of silence is only going to diminish his family’s reputation.