Prince Andrew files to remain secret until 2065; UK government rejects Freedom of Information request

 Secret documents regarding Prince Andrew will be kept sealed until 2065 after a royal family biographer's Freedom of Information request was rejected by the U.K. government.

According to multiple outlets, biographer Andrew Lownie sought documents regarding the disgraced prince, who was forced to resign from his government role after he was pictured having a meeting with Jeffrey Epstein, who had just served 18 months for sex crimes. 

Prince Andrew was the U.K.'s special representative for trade and industry from 2001 to 2011, according to Express.

The delay in the files' release would mean that the prince would have to live to be 105 years old in order to be around to witness the document dump, a rule that is reportedly customary with the royal family.

Documents reportedly must remain sealed away from public view until 105 years after the birth of the individual in question, for the purpose of protecting royal family members from scrutiny and even to “preserve the mystique," the National Pulse reported. 

The royal family is given special treatment in terms of the release of information. The Times reported that records from the U.K.'s national archives are usually kept secret for 20 years.

The biographer questioned the "culture of secrecy" and said it is "often the default position" of the royal family. “It does seem quite extreme," Lownie said. 

The royals should be "subject to scrutiny" as everyone else is, the biographer went on.

“We are in the absurd position that Prince Harry can reveal the most intimate details of royal life from months ago for personal commercial gain and Royal households currently brief against each other, yet historians cannot look at files,” Lownie continued.

Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, have been famously mocked over their consistent requests for privacy despite publishing books, releasing podcasts, and going on press junkets in the United States.

"Many questions remain about his role as trade envoy, a public appointment paid for by the taxpayer, and his associations with figures such as Jeffrey Epstein," Lownie explained. "There is also a strong public interest in knowing, for example, who is paying for his security now he is no longer a working royal."

Despite the unofficial excommunication, Prince Andrew still lives at a royal lodge with his ex-wife, where he has lived for 20 years.