In a brazen display of apparent defiance, the Duke of York was spotted driving himself through Windsor just hours before the court-ordered release of a massive trove of documents related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
A Calculated Display of 'Static Resilience'
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, 65, was photographed behind the wheel of his Range Rover near Windsor Castle on 19 December. This public sighting came at a critical juncture, with the US Justice Department mandated to release most of the Epstein files in its possession by the end of the day, following the passage of the Epstein Files Transparency Act by Congress.
Body language expert Judi James analysed the images, describing a stark contrast from the "bedraggled, downtrodden" figure seen earlier in the week. She told the Mirror that Andrew appeared to have deployed a high-tensile "emotional force field".
"There's an aura of solidity from the body language here making it look as though Andrew has an emotional force field up in place in the face of all the new waves of headlines," James observed.
The Hidden Signals in a 'Ghost of a Smile'
According to the communications guru, the choice to drive himself was a significant non-verbal signal. "He sits squarely at the wheel of his large car, driving himself to suggest an enduring desire for leadership and control," she said.
James pointed to his posture and grip as evidence of a man bracing for impact. "His head is pulled into his neck to create a thickened, solid appearance," she noted, while a "meaty looking hand clamped to the top of the wheel" suggested a grip on remaining status.
However, it was Andrew's facial expression that revealed the performance. James described a "ghost of a smile" – a self-satisfied but inauthentic attempt to appear upbeat. "The smile has no traits of being linked to authentic happiness though. The cheeks aren't rounded and the 'smile' doesn't touch the eyes," she explained, calling it a "sickly" and "performed" look.
A Message to the Palace and the Public
The expert concluded that the Duke was sending a deliberate message of "static resilience and authority" to both the public and the Palace, aiming to show he remains unbowed despite being stripped of his royal titles and military affiliations.
This outing follows the recent release of shocking photos from the Epstein estate by Democrats in the US, which included images of Andrew. The Duke has consistently and vehemently denied all allegations related to his association with Epstein.
The impending document dump, which could run to hundreds of thousands of pages, threatens to reveal further details about investigations into Epstein's sex trafficking network, including additional victim claims and the names of high-profile associates. The files may also shed light on how Epstein, who counted figures like Donald Trump and Prince Andrew among his circle, evaded justice for years.
As the clock ticked down, Andrew's carefully constructed "force field" faced its ultimate test, with the world watching to see what the long-awaited Epstein files would reveal.
