In 2010, Britain’s Prince Andrew attended a party at his friend Jeffrey Epstein’s New York City Mansion. Epstein, a US multimillionaire and sex offender, had been released from prison just months before.
Epstein had served 13 months from 2008-2009 – not behind bars, but housed in the private wing of a Florida jail and allowed to leave for 12 hours a day, six days a week for work – after being convicted of two state prostitution charges involving a 17-year-old girl.
It was one of the most lenient sentences for serial sex offences in US history.
Watch the trailer for Netflix documentary, Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich below. Post continues after video.
At the height of his success, Epstein counted the likes of Donald Trump, Bill Clinton, Kevin Spacey, Woody Allen and Prince Andrew among his social circle.
As reported by The Mirror, Prince Andrew, 59, was a guest at a party hosted by Epstein in 2010, which was also attended by Woody Allen during a four-day stay at Epstein’s home. This was the same month the prince, who is Queen Elizabeth’s third child and eighth in line to the throne, was photographed walking through Central Park with Epstein.
It has also emerged the Duke of York holidayed with Epstein in Thailand in 2001 and invited him to stay at Windsor Castle and the Queen’s Sandringham estate.
In September 2019, Epstein was arrested and charged with one count of sex trafficking and one count of sex trafficking conspiracy. He pleaded not guilty.
An indictment unsealed in federal court in Manhattan accused the 66-year-old of arranging for girls as young as 14 to perform nude “massages” and other sex acts, and paying some girls to recruit others, from at least 2002 to 2005.
According to investigators he sexually abused nearly three dozen girls, mostly 13-16 years old, at his Palm Beach mansion from 1999 to 2006.
How do Jeffrey Epstein and Prince Andrew know each other?
Epstein's confidante and alleged "pimp" Ghislaine Maxwell, the son of a British media mogul, introduced the pair when she and Epstein were dating in the 1990s.
Epstein was known for socialising with powerful people. He previously counted US President Donald Trump and former president Bill Clinton as friends.
A Buckingham Palace spokesperson told The Mirror Prince Andrew, father of Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, had not seen Epstein in close to a decade.
"The Duke of York has not visited any home of Mr Epstein or met with him since December 2010 when the photograph in Central Park was taken."
Is Prince Andrew implicated in Jeffrey Epstein's case?
Prince Andrew was not mentioned in Epstein's last indictment, but his association with Epstein and past claims have raised questions.
In 2011, Vanity Fair published a story alleging a sworn deposition by Juan Alessi, a former employee at Epstein’s Palm Beach estate, stated Prince Andrew attended naked pool parties at the house and was treated to massages by a harem of adolescent girls. Prince Andrew denied this to Vanity Fair, saying he did not know of any such parties.
That same year, not long after Prince Andrew was photographed talking to Epstein in New York's Central Park, it emerged the prince's ex-wife Sarah Ferguson received money from Epstein to pay off a debt she owed her former assistant.
"I personally, on behalf of myself, deeply regret that Jeffrey Epstein became involved in any way with me," Ferguson told the Evening Standard newspaper in 2011, the New York Post reported.
"I abhor paedophilia and any sexual abuse of children and know that this was a gigantic error of judgement on my behalf. I am just so contrite I cannot say. Whenever I can, I will repay the money and will have nothing ever to do with Jeffrey Epstein ever again."
According to the Miami Herald, alleged victim Virginia Giuffre, previously known as Virginia Roberts, worked at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club when she was introduced to, and began to be sexually abused by, Epstein.
Giuffre alleged in court documents Epstein forced her to have sex with Prince Andrew in a number of places including New York, London and a private island. Public records and flight logs obtained by The Sunday Times suggest the prince was in the same place as Giuffre on the three occasions she claims they had sex.
When the allegations came out in 2015, Buckingham Palace issued three separate statements saying the story was false.
"It is emphatically denied that the Duke of York had any form of sexual contact or relationship with Virginia Roberts. Any claim to the contrary is false and without foundation," one read.
A photo from 2001, showing Prince Andrew with his hand around a then 17-year-old Giuffre's waist does show that they met. In the background of the photo, Maxwell is smiling at the camera.
In 2015 Maxwell branded Giuffre a "liar", prompting Giuffre to successfully sue her for defamation.
What has Prince Andrew said in response?
On Saturday, August 10, 2019, Epstein, 66, was found unresponsive in his New York jail cell, according to the Metropolitan Correctional Center.
Efforts to save him were initiated by prison staff and emergency medical services but he was pronounced dead at hospital, the prison's statement said.
Following Epstein's death, Prince Andrew released a statement addressing his relationship with the financier.
The third child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip said he was "eager to clarify the facts to avoid further speculation".
"I met Mr Epstein in 1999. During the time I knew him, I saw him infrequently and probably no more than only once or twice a year. I have stayed in a number of his residences" the 59-year-old confirmed.
"At no stage during the limited time I spent with him did I see, witness or suspect any behaviour of the sort that subsequently led to his arrest and conviction."
He went on to acknowledge "it was a mistake and an error" to see the US Financier after he left prison in 2010. He added he feels "tremendous sympathy for those affected by his actions and behaviour".
"This is a difficult time for everyone involved and I am at a loss to be able to understand or explain Mr Epstein's lifestyle. I deplore the exploitation of any human being and would not condone, participate in, or encourage any such behaviour."
Has Prince Andrew been involved in any other scandals?
Prince Andrew's relationship with Epstein has caused him trouble in 2011, 2015 and now 2019.
Prince Andrew was previously known by nicknames 'Randy Andy' and 'Playboy Prince'.
Before marrying Sarah Ferguson in 1986, Prince Andrew had a reputation of partying
In 2006, musician Courtney Love detailed in her book an encounter she had with Prince Andrew 10 years after he and Fergie divorce. Love said that the prince turned up at her house a little after midnight because he wanted to party.
"He's come to Hollywood to look for chicks," Love said. "I don’t know what he expected at my house; I think he thought it was going to be like a party."
A number of other scandals include holding close ties to Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the son of former Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi and enjoying holidays paid for by those connected to the Libyan regime.
His links with Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan have been a particular source of scrutiny: one Kazakh billionaire was found to have paid significantly higher than was listed for the prince's former home.
Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich
In new Netflix documentary, Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich, which will premiere on May 27, new allegations are made against Prince Andrew.
In the documentary, it's alleged Prince Andrew groped, kissing, and "grinded against" his accuser, Virginia Giuffre.
According to The Sun, the claims were made by former Epstein employee Steve Scully, who recalled seeing the incident by the pool on the island Epstein owned.
"They were engaged in foreplay. He was grabbing her, and grinding against her," he alleged.
"He was grabbing her ass and stuff like that. They were kissing. He was grinding against her and groping her."
Feature Image: Getty.
This article was originally published in July 2019, and was updated in May 2020.
Four-part documentary series Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich premieres on Netflix on May 27.
Top Comments
The Queen, Prince Phillip and Anne are about the only decent members of the RF, although William and Kate are pretty scandal free. The rest of them think they are celebrities, behave as such and are for sale to the highest bidder. Andrew's friendship should not surprise anyone. Hook up with a sleazy sex offenderin for money, wild parties, women and in exchange the sex offender gets access to Royal palaces.
Where theres smoke theres usually fire.
I tend to agree.... just seems unlikely Prince Andrew has no idea about this mans character.
The fact that he still spent time with him *after* he's been to jail says a lot.
Yes, but equally we assume innocent until proven guilty. He has some questions to answer at this stage and I assume any innocent person would be keen to cooperate with the aid of legal counsel.