Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, never saw anything that struck him as suspicious when he was around the now-disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, the prince told the BBC.
“At the time there was no indication to me or anybody else that that was what he was doing,” he said in an interview with BBC Newsnight’s Emily Maitlis that aired Saturday. “And certainly, when I saw him in the United States… or when I was staying in his houses in the United States, there was no indication, absolutely no indication.”
Prince Andrew faces allegations stemming from his relationship with Epstein, who died by apparent suicide in August while awaiting trial on federal charges that he sexually abused underage girls and ran a sex trafficking ring. Epstein had pleaded not guilty.
One of Epstein’s accusers, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, has alleged that she was forced into sexual encounters with the prince while underage. In a 2015 federal court filing, Giuffre alleged Epstein forced her to perform sex acts with several prominent men, including Prince Andrew in 2001. All of them have denied the allegations.
The interview, recorded Thursday at Buckingham Palace, was the first time Prince Andrew has spoken about the accusations publicly, though he has repeatedly denied them through statements issued by Buckingham Palace.
Prince Andrew was asked about Giuffre’s accusations and her account that she and the prince dined together and went dancing at a nightclub in London before having sex at a house that belonged to Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s then-girlfriend.
“I have no recollection of ever meeting this lady, none whatsoever,” Prince Andrew said. – READ MORE