Prince Andrew speaks publicly about his relationship with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein – Daily Mail, Dailymail.co.uk

Prince Andrew has finally broken his silence on his controversial friendship with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein in a prime timeBBCspecial to be shown tomorrow evening.

The Duke of York was interviewed by Newsnight’s Emily Maitlis at Buckingham Palace last night and the show: ‘Prince Andrew & the Epstein Scandal’ will be broadcast on BBC 2 at 9pm on Saturday.

The BBC has not released any footage – but Ms Maitlis said today it was a ‘no holds barred interview’ with ‘no questions vetted’ by Andrew or palace officials.

It is the first time the duke has been grilled on his friendship with the American sexual abuser found dead in his New York prison cell three months ago while awaiting trial for sex-trafficking.

He will also be confronted with allegations made by Epstein’s ‘slave’ Virginia Roberts that she was flown to London on the American’s private jet, nicknamed the ‘Lolita Express’, for sex with the prince.

Andrew has ‘vehemently denied’ claims he slept with Virginia three times – including once during an orgy with nine women on Epstein’s private ‘paedo island’ in the US Virgin Islands – but only ever in pre-prepared statements released by Buckingham Palace’s press office, never in a TV interview.

Some critics said today that instead of talking to the BBC, Andrew should be helping the police with their inquiries into Epstein’s crimes.

The Duke of York was rocked by Jeffrey Epstein’s unexpected death in a New York prison in August – with questions raised about whether it was suicide or murder.

And in the chaos that followed, Victoria Roberts Giuffre appeared on American television this summer repeating her allegations against the Duke of York.

The 36 – year-old alleges she was coerced by paedophile US businessman Jeffrey Epstein, a friend of the Duke, into having sex with Andrew on three occasions, in London, New York and the US Virgin Islands.

She claimed in court documents that on the final occasion she also had ‘sex with Andy … in an orgy ‘involving nine young women.

Miss Giufre said that Andrew was a ‘participant’, adding that even though the duke may deny it ‘he knows the truth and I know the truth’.

She said: ‘I know their faces and I know what they’ve done to me.’

Miss Giuffre claimed that she once had sex with the prince in a bathroom – and that he had said ‘thank you’ afterwards.

The 35 – year-old was a teenager when she appeared in a now notorious photograph with Andrew’s arm around her waist, alongside Epstein’s friend, the British socialite and daughter of Robert Maxwell, Ghislaine Maxwell, now 57.

She also alleged that beforehand she was told by Miss Maxwell: ‘I want you to do for him what you do for [Jeffrey] Epstein. ‘

The prince has always denied any inappropriate behavior or being aware of any such behavior from Epstein, and in 2015 her allegations about Andrew were thrown out by a US judge who ordered them struck out as ‘immaterial and impertinent’.

She repeated her claim that she was loaned out to Andrew for sex in March 2001 when she was 17 after Epstein flew her to the London townhouse owned by Miss Maxwell.

At the time, Miss Roberts had been in Epstein’s orbit for months and was being paid to have sex with him at his command. She claimed in court documents that she was loaned out to his friends.

Now a 36 – year-old married mother-of-three she said: ‘That first time in London I was so young. Ghislaine woke me up in the morning and said you’re going to meet a prince today. I didn’t know at that point I was going to be trafficked to that prince.

‘That night Prince Andrew came to her house and we went out to Club Tramp. Prince Andrew got me alcohol, it was in the VIP section, I’m pretty sure it was vodka. Prince Andrew was like let’s dance together, I was like OK.

‘We leave Club Tramp and Ghislaine said he’s coming back to the house and I want you to do for him what you do for Epstein. I couldn’t believe it’. Miss Roberts, who wiped away tears during the interview, said that after sex in the bathroom ‘he wasn’t rude or anything, he said thank you and some kind of soft sentiments like that and left’.

She said: ‘I just couldn’t believe it, I couldn’t believe that even royalty were involved.’ Miss Roberts has also claimed that Andrew had sex with her in New York and on Epstein’s private island in the Carribean. She said: ‘He denies that it ever happened but he knows the truth and I know the truth’.

Prince Andrew has strenuously denied the allegations of ‘impropriety with underage minors’ as ‘categorically untrue’ and the allegations naming him were struck out of the earlier proceedings.

Miss Maxwell also denies any wrongdoing.

Asked if the Duke of York would respond to the news of his former friend’s death, a Buckingham Palace spokesman said recently: ‘This relates to proceedings in the United States, to which The Duke of York is not a party.

‘ Any suggestion of impropriety with underage minors is categorically untrue. ‘

Mark Epstein fears that he and his children will be murdered like he claims his brother Jeffrey was after ‘sham suicide probe ‘

A defiant Mark Epstein is lashing out at federal officials in the wake of his brother Jeffrey’s death.

In a rare interview with Julie Brown of theMiami Herald, Mark says that the investigation into his brother’s suicide was both incomplete and inconclusive, making it impossible to determine his cause of death.

Mark also reveals that even he has seen no evidence to support theNew York CityMedical Examiner’s conclusion that his brother committed suicide, and cannot think of a single reason why the pedophile would have taken his own life.

He now says that he fears he or his family members could be targeted by the same individuals who may have wanted Jeffrey dead, and implores those who so quickly labeled the death a suicide to take another look at the ****

‘*** It’s All very suspicious, too much to be a coincidence,’ says Mark.

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In the interview, Mark makes it clear that he cannot accept the idea that his brother would want to take his own life.

‘I could see if he got a life sentence, I could then see him taking himself out, but he had a bail hearing coming up,’ explains Mark.

He later goes into more detail, arguing: ‘He had a bail hearing in two days. He agreed to be on house arrest. He was going to hire armed guards to keep an eye on him at his own expense. ‘

Mark then adds:’ He was the most recognizable person on the planet. Where is he going to run and hide? ‘

At the same time, it is unclear how he would be able to make that determination given his own description of the relationship he had with Jeffrey prior to his death.

‘Jeffrey and I were not that close, we shared brother stuff, but I was not involved in what he was doing,’ reveals Mark.

‘When he first got in trouble he called me. We were very straight with each other. I wasn’t going to lecture him. ‘

Three months after his death, officials have still not released any details at all about the case.

This has left Mark concerned that he and his children could suffer a fate similar to Jeffrey’s at the hands of a person or persons that officials have no interest in trying to identify.

‘Jeffrey knew a lot of stuff about a lot of people,’ notes Mark.