Prince Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein.Photo: Ian Forsyth/Getty Images; Neil Rasmus/Patrick McMullan
Prince Andrewis opening up about his links to disgraced financierJeffrey Epsteinfor the first time.
“[She] has made allegations against you. She says she met you in 2001, she says she dined with you, danced with you at Tramp Nightclub in London. She went on to have sex with you in a house in Belgravia belonging to Ghislaine Maxwell, your friend. Your response?”
Andrew responds, “I have no recollection of ever meeting this lady, none whatsoever.”
Maitlis then asks, “You don’t remember meeting her?”
The Duke confirms his initial denial, saying, “No.”
A second BBC clip focuses on Prince Andrew regretting his relationship with Epstein, who he first met in 1999 and continued to associate with long after the financier pleaded guilty to a felony charge of procuring a person under the age of 18 for prostitution in 2008.
Epstein was sentenced to 18 months in prison for the crime but was granted work release after he’d been incarcerated for 13 months. He also registered as a sex offender.
“The problem was the fact that once he had been convicted… I stayed with him and that’s…that’s…that’s the bit that…that…that, as it were, I kick myself for on a daily basis,” the royal tells Maitlis.
Prince Andrew — who was pictured strolling in New York’s Central Park with Epstein as late as 2010 — adds, “It was not something that was becoming of a member of the royal family and we try and uphold the highest standards and practices.
“I let the side down, simple as that.”
On September 20, Giuffre doubled down on her claims, describing the Duke as“an abuser” and “a participant”in her sexual abuse, during an interview withSavannah Guthriefor NBC’s Dateline.
In reply to the NBC interview, a Buckingham Palace statement “emphatically denied” the Duke had any form of sexual contact or relationship with Virginia Roberts.”
It added, “Any claim to the contrary is false and without foundation.”
Alexander Koerner/Getty; Today
In a second case, former student Johanna Sjoberg also alleges that Prince Andrew touched her breast while they sat on a couch in Epstein’s Manhattan apartment in 2001.
“I just remember someone suggesting a photo, and they told us to go get on the couch,” Sjoberg said in the court documents.
“And so Andrew and Virginia sat on the couch, and they put the puppet, the puppet on her lap.
“And so then I sat on Andrew’s lap, and I believe on my own volition, and they took the puppet’s hands and put it on Virginia’s breast, and so Andrew put his on mine.”
In October this year, Giuffre and two other Epstein survivors were honored in PEOPLE’s annual Women Changing the World edition.
“I started screaming, ‘No way. He’s arrested,'” Giuffretold PEOPLEabout the moment she learned of Epstein’s arrest. “Tears of joy [were] streaming down my face.”
Andrew’s former wife Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York posted a message of supportfor her ex-husband on Twitteron Friday, writing: “It is so rare to meet people that are able to speak from their hearts with honesty+pure real truth, that remain steadfast and strong to their beliefs. Andrew is a true+real gentleman and is stoically steadfast to not only his duty but also his kindness + goodness.”
The couple, who remain close following their split in 1996, share two children,Princess EugenieandPrincess Beatrice.
source: people.com
