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'I was at Pizza Express that afternoon.' Prince Andrew denies having sex with a 17-year-old.

 

 

Prince Andrew, Queen Elizabeth’s second son, has once again denied allegations that he had sex with Virginia Roberts-Giuffre when she was 17 years old in 2001.

Prince Andrew claims he was at Pizza Express in Woking on the night of the alleged incident, meaning he couldn’t have slept with the teenager that night.

The royal sat down with BBC‘s Emily Maitlis on Saturday night as he was questioned about his relationship with late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Since Epstein’s death in August this year, details about the disgraced billionaire’s sex trafficking ring have continued to be revealed.

Prince Andrew, however, says he does not regret his relationship with Epstein.

“The people that I met and the opportunities that I was given to learn either by him or because of him were actually very useful,” the 59-year-old said.

Prince Andrew on Roberts-Giuffre’s allegations.

Virginia Roberts-Giuffre says she was trafficked by Epstein who directed her to have sex with Prince Andrew, as well as his other friends, on multiple occasions.

Prince Andrew said in the interview that he has wracked his brain and “been through it and through it” but insists: “I do not remember anything.”

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Roberts-Giuffre, who now lives in Queensland, claims they danced at Tramp nightclub in London on March 10, 2001 before the Queen’s son had sex with her.

When asked about the allegations levelled against him by Roberts-Giuffre, Prince Andrew said: “I was with the children and I’d taken [daughter Princess] Beatrice to a Pizza Express in Woking for a party at, I suppose, sort of 4pm or 5pm in the afternoon.

“And then because the Duchess [Sarah Ferguson] was away, we have a simple rule in the family that when one is away, the other is there.”

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When asked how he could possibly remember with such specificity what he was doing that night, he responded because it was a “very unusual thing for me to do”.

Despite the Duke of York claiming he has no recollection of meeting Roberts-Giuffre, there is photographic evidence of the two meeting.

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Prince Andrew photographed with Virginia Giuffre, one of Epstein's most vocal accusers. Image: Twitter.

As for this photo, Prince Andrew remained adamant: "I do not remember the photograph being taken and I’ve said consistently and frequently that we never had any sexual contact whatever."

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"I’m at a loss to explain this particular photograph."

He added: "I'm afraid to say that I don't believe that photograph was taken in the way that has been suggested. If the original was ever produced, then perhaps we might be able to solve it but I can't."

When asked if he would testify or give a statement under oath, Prince Andrew said he "would have to take all the legal advice there was before I was to do that sort of thing".

"But if push came to shove, and the legal advice was to do so, then I would be duty-bound to do so."

Prince Andrew on his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein.

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Epstein allegedly took his own life in a New York jail cell in August 2019, where he was awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. Image: AAP.
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When asked why he stayed in Epstein's house after the financier spent time in jail for being a convicted sex offender, Prince Andrew said he believed it was the "honourable" thing to do, and added it was a "convenient place to stay".

"I kick myself for on a daily basis because it was not something that was becoming of a member of the royal family and we try and uphold the highest standards and practices and I let the side down, simple as that," the Duke of York said.

"I mean I’ve gone through this in my mind so many times. At the end of the day, with a benefit of all the hindsight that one can have, it was definitely the wrong thing to do.

"But at the time I felt it was the honourable and right thing to do and I admit fully that my judgment was probably coloured by my tendency to be too honourable but that’s just the way it is."

Epstein allegedly took his own life in a New York jail cell in August 2019, where he was awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.


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