Prince Andrew ‘Devastated’ by Release of Epstein Documents

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Andrew has ‘no idea how to respond’ after release of Epstein docs

A source close to Prince Andrew has told the Mail on Sunday that he has been “devastated” by the publication of his name and various allegations in this week’s raft of Jeffrey Epstein-related documents.

“He doesn’t have the emotional bandwidth to deal with this,” the source told the paper. “He has locked himself away in a room and has no idea how to respond. He's devastated.”

A source close to Prince Andrew has told the Mail on Sunday that he has been “devastated” by the publication of his name and various allegations in this week’s raft of Jeffrey Epstein-related documents.

“He doesn’t have the emotional bandwidth to deal with this,” the source told the paper. “He has locked himself away in a room and has no idea how to respond. He's devastated.”

In response, the Met on Friday said “no investigation” has been launched into Andrew, whose name appears more than 70 times in nearly 1,000 pages of interviews and transcripts unsealed in the U.S.

In a statement, the Met said: “We are aware of the release of court documents in relation to Jeffrey Epstein. As with any matter, should new and relevant information be brought to our attention we will assess it. No investigation has been launched.”

In 2021, the Met announced it had completed its investigation of Giuffre’s claims in her U.S. civil action—alleging Andrew had sexually assaulted her when she was a minor and being trafficked by Epstein—stating that it would take no further action. However, the force said it would continue to “liaise with other law enforcement agencies who lead the investigation into matters related to Jeffrey Epstein.”

The Mail also reported that Ghislaine Maxwell’s lawyers were instructed to scour all her electronic devices for any mention of Andrew, other acquaintances of Epstein, and words including “Prince,” “Andrew,” “Duke,” “York,” “Royal,” “underage,” “massage,” “slave,” “sex,” “nipple,” and “dildo,” according to legal papers.

Andrew has denied all accusations of wrongdoing, and claims to have no memory of meeting Giuffre, but settled Guiffre’s civil claim in 2022 for a reputed $14 million. Neither Andrew nor Buckingham Palace have yet responded to the latest set of allegations.

The allegation against Andrew is made on behalf of Jane Doe No. 3 (believed to be Guiffre), who says she was recruited in 1999, when she was 15, by Maxwell.

The document alleges that Maxwell persuaded the 15-year-old “to come to Epstein’s mansion in a fashion very similar to the manner in which Epstein and his other co-conspirators coerced dozens of other children … When Jane Doe #3 began giving Epstein a ‘massage,’ Epstein and Maxwell turned it into a sexual encounter, as they had done with many other victims.”

The document then goes on to allege: “Perhaps even more important to her role in Epstein’s sexual abuse ring, Maxwell had direct connections to other powerful individuals with whom she could connect Epstein. For instance, one such powerful individual Epstein forced Jane Doe #3 to have sexual relations with was a member of the British Royal Family, Prince Andrew (aka Duke of York). Jane Doe #3 was forced to have sexual relations with this Prince when she was a minor in three separate geographical locations: in London (at Ghislaine Maxwell’s apartment), in New York, and on Epstein’s private island in the U.S. Virgin Islands (in an orgy with numerous other under-aged girls).

“Epstein instructed Jane Doe #3 that she was to give the Prince whatever he demanded and required Jane Doe #3 to report back to him on the details of the sexual abuse. Maxwell facilitated Prince Andrew’s acts of sexual abuse by acting as a “madame” for Epstein, thereby assisting in internationally trafficking Jane Doe #3 (and numerous other young girls) for sexual purposes.”

Friends of Andrew and Charles told The Daily Beast Thursday that Andrew would continue to enjoy the “full support” of his brother. Andrew no longer has a formal press spokesperson, and Buckingham Palace has declined to comment on his behalf; however, The Daily Beast has contacted a solicitor known to work with and advise Andrew for comment. They have not responded. Buckingham Palace have not yet responded to questions about whether the king would continue to stand by Andrew.

Andrew under pressure to move, again?

Renewed speculation that Prince Andrew is to be forced out of his palatial Windsor home is all over the U.K. papers this weekend.

The Telegraph says that King Charles “is preparing to withdraw the private funding he ploughs into the security operation at Royal Lodge,” and that Andrew will therefore “need to conjure up the small fortune required to maintain security and upkeep. He has no discernible income, and the house is in need of extensive repairs.”

The Mail has been running with a similar theme since the Epstein document dump, saying that Charles is restarting efforts to get Charles out of the property which stalled last year when Andrew refused to move out.

A source told the Mail: “When it comes to family, it is difficult. But this association is just never going to go away. And that means he [Andrew] has to.”

All this conveniently ignores the salient fact that Buckingham Palace is making no such claim; in fact, it is suggesting quite the opposite with courtiers actively reminding reporters this week, when the subject came up, that Andrew’s lease, which runs to 2078, is with the Crown Estate, not the king.

As for the argument put about that Andrew is short of money, his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, who occupies half the Royal Lodge property, bought a £5 million Mayfair townhouse last year, which is an unusual manifestation of being broke. Maybe she could lend him a few quid?

The idea that security can be simply stopped if Andrew doesn’t pay for it also seems far-fetched as the property sits within the envelope of the royal Windsor Estate.

Ultimately, Andrew will probably only leave if he is bought out—and he is likely to demand spectacular terms. Imagine how that would look.

Introductions

Could Prince Andrew have lied about the role of Ghislaine Maxwell in introducing him to Jeffrey Epstein?

Contradicting the account he gave to the BBC in his disastrous Newsnight interview, documents released from the 2015 defamation case brought by Virginia Giuffre against Maxwell show Maxwell claimed she did not know how the pair met.

“What I do know is that I did not introduce them,” she said during the deposition, per a report in the Telegraph.

Asked if she introduced the Duke to Epstein, Maxwell replied: “That would be another of Virginia’s lies and the lies you perpetrate. I never introduced Prince Andrew to Jeffrey Epstein at any time ever, so just add that to the long list of lies.” She added that “clearly he [Epstein] knew him”, but said: “I do not know [how] Jeffrey met Prince Andrew.”

The Prince told the BBC he met Epstein “through his girlfriend [Maxwell] back in 1999.” Andrew settled a claim by Ms Giuffre for a reputed $14 million in 2022 without admitting any wrongdoing.

Andrew asks: Why are you filming me?

Prince Andrew seemed perplexed by those who had turned up to see the royals perform their annual traipse to church on Christmas morning. As the Mail reported, helpfully supplying footage of the encounter, Andrew asks a group who had made the trip to St. Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham, how they were, and where they were from (answer: Spalding, Lincolnshire), he said: “I find this fascinating. Why does everybody have their cameras on?”

One fan says, “We are not the Press.” Andrew: “It’s not about whether you are the Press or not. It’s just, why video it?”

Told the scenes of the royals doing their Christmas Day thing are “wonderful” and “lovely moments,” Andrew, channeling his inner Norma Desmond, responds: “You ought to come and stand on this side, and see what it’s like. All you have is cameras facing you.”

He says the experience is a “really bizarre sensation,” after which—perhaps understandably exhausted by his entitled whining—the group call past him to try and get the attention of his ex-wife, Sarah, Duchess of York.

Farewell Margrethe

Queen Margrethe II of Denmark took a final ceremonial ride through Copenhagen in a golden horse-drawn coach Saturday, marking her last public appearance before her abdication.

Thousands of cheering Danes braved cold weather to express their support and affection for the queen, who will officially step down on January 14, handing over the throne to her son, Crown Prince Frederik whose marriage to his wife Princess Mary has been under the spotlight in recent weeks.

The abdication was announced in a New Year’s Eve speech.

Margrethe rode in the Danish Gold Coach pulled by six white horses, according to the Daily Mail, which said she used a walking stick and wore a fur coat and white gloves.

“Spare” tops British book charts for 2023

Prince Harry’s tell-all memoir, Spare, topped UK sales charts last year, selling over 700,000 copies, the Mail reports.

Spare caused huge friction within the royal family as Harry made extraordinary criticisms of family members, delving into his fraught relationship with his brother, painting a vivid picture of their escalating tensions. He portrayed Prince William as domineering and dismissive, a dynamic that fueled a growing resentment between them.

Harry also candidly discussed his use of alcohol and drugs—and his frostbitten penis.

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This week in royal history

Happy birthday Kate Middleton! She turns 42 on Tuesday, January 9.

Unanswered questions

Will Prince Andrew, King Charles, and/or Buckingham Palace have anything to say about the accusations contained in the Epstein documents’ release? Or will they continue to practice the familiar royal-silence routine?