Prince Andrew says he stayed with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein because it felt like the 'honourable thing to do'

Katy Clifton16 November 2019

Prince Andrew has said he stayed at paedophile Jeffrey Epstein's house because it was "convenient" and felt like the "honourable" thing to do.

The Duke of York was interviewed on BBC Newsnight about his links to Epstein, a disgraced financier found dead earlier this year in prison while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

Speaking to presenter Emily Maitlis, Andrew said that he could see with "hindsight" that his decision to stay at Epstein's home was "definitely the wrong thing to do". He admitted that his judgement was "probably coloured" at the time.

When it was pointed out during the interview that he was staying at the house of a “convicted sex offender”, Andrew said: “It was a convenient place to stay… There is… I have gone through this in my mind so many times."

The Duke of York speaking for the first time about his links to Jeffrey Epstein
PA

He added: “At the end of the day, with the benefit of all the hindsight 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 is just the way it is.”

Prince Andrew
BBC

An accuser of Epstein claims she was forced into a sexual encounter with Andrew when she was 17 years old, an allegation he denies.

Virginia Giuffre, formerly known as Virginia Roberts, is one of 16 women who says she was abused by Epstein, and also named Andrew in previous court papers.

Jeffrey Epstein 
AP

During the interview, which is due to be aired on Saturday, Andrew told the BBC: “I have no recollection of ever meeting this lady, none whatsoever.”

He was asked by presenter Emily Maitlis for his response to claims by Mrs Giuffre, then known as Virginia Roberts, that “she met you in 2001, she says she dined with you, danced with you at Tramp Nightclub in London. She went on to have sex with you in a house in Belgravia.”

Ms Maitlis added: “You don’t remember meeting her?”, to which Andrew replied: “No.”

Mrs Giuffre’s allegations were struck from US civil court records in 2015 after a judge said they were “immaterial”.

Buckingham Palace has branded the allegations “false and without any foundation” and said “any suggestion of impropriety with underage minors” by the duke was “categorically untrue”.

The Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson described the duke, who is her ex-husband, as “stoically steadfast” and a “real gentleman” in a Twitter post.

The full interview, Prince Andrew And The Epstein Scandal: The Newsnight Interview, will air on BBC Two at 9pm on Saturday.

It is the first time the duke has answered questions on his relationship with Epstein. In 2015, he used a public appearance at Davos in Switzerland to deny the claims.

The full interview will air on Prince Andrew & The Epstein Scandal: The Newsnight Interview on BBC Two at 9pm on November 16.

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