The new editor of Vanity Fair magazine has told staffers to give favorable coverage to the children of ex-Prince Andrew — with whom he’s friends — according to a new report.
Mark Guiducci, who was chosen to succeed Radhika Jones as editor-in-chief of the glossy Condé Nast-owned publication, reportedly took issue with a mention of the disgraced royal’s progeny, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie in a Vanity Fair story about their father’s ties to the late convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
According to the news site Semafor, Guiducci “wanted to know if it was relevant to include the women in a piece about their father.”
The Vanity Fair piece about the former Prince Andrew, which appeared in the September edition of the magazine, “only mentioned the princesses in passing” following Guiducci’s intervention, Semafor reported.
A Vanity Fair spokesperson told The Post that “the references to Beatrice and Eugenie in the draft are identical to what ran and still runs on VF.com. Nothing was changed.
“Vanity Fair published the first excerpt of Virginia Giuffre’s devastating posthumous memoir,” the spokesperson noted.
In late September, Vanity Fair ran a story by reporter Erin Vanderhoof titled: “Sarah Ferguson Avoided the Worst of the Epstein Fallout — but a Newly Uncovered Email Has Led to New Consequences.”
The magazine reported on a newly surfaced email from April 2011 in which Andrew’s ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, apologized to Epstein for publicly disavowing him, calling him a “steadfast, generous and supreme friend.”
The resurfaced missive ignited outrage in the UK, which prompted at least seven charities to sever ties with the Duchess of York.
Ferguson’s events for her children’s book were also canceled.
Her spokesperson claimed the chummy email followed a menacing call from Epstein and was intended to defuse potential legal threats, despite her prior public vow to sever all contact.
Guiducci’s hiring sparked allegations of nepotism, given his longtime friendship with the daughter of legendary Condé Nast executive Anna Wintour. He got the gig thanks in part to his extensive social contacts with the celebrity elite, including the British royal family, Semafor noted.
The 36-year-old California native was promoted from his previous position as chief creative officer at another Condé Nast property, Vogue.
Under Guiducci, Vanity Fair has taken a “more deferential” tone toward celebrities — particularly given the fact that the publication’s business model relies on access to A-list stars for content in this age of media fragmentation — according to Semafor.
For a recent magazine story about singer Rihanna, her rapper husband A$AP Rocky and the birth of their third child, the article noted that the couple did not respond to a request for comment.
But Semafor reported that Guiducci asked for that line to be changed to “reps for Rihanna and Rocky did not immediately respond to Vanity Fair’s request for comment, their hands perhaps full with their three kids.”
According to the Semafor report, Guiducci believed that the edited line “sounded less harsh” and asked the reporter who authored the story, Kase Wickman, why she didn’t consult the company’s talent department before reaching out for comment.
The Vanity Fair spokesperson pushed back on claims that Condé Nast has recently required writers to coordinate with its talent department before contacting public figures, saying, “Vanity Fair’s global head of talent has been at Vanity Fair for nearly a decade and at the company for nearly three decades. VF has always had editors responsible for negotiating and booking entertainment talent. They are integral to the editorial team. This is nothing new.”
King Charles III has formally stripped ex-Prince Andrew of his titles and remaining royal privileges, ordering him to vacate his longtime residence at Royal Lodge near Windsor Castle as part of a sweeping effort to distance the monarchy from the fallout of his association with Epstein.
The former prince — who will now be known simply as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor — is also losing his final honorary military title and has been removed from the UK monarchy’s official website, signaling a near-total severance of his royal status.
The moves come in the wake of a recently published memoir from the late Giuffre, who detailed allegations of abuse by Mountbatten Windsor.
He has denied Giuffre’s claims that he sexually assaulted her.
This story originally appeared on NYPost
