Prince Andrew finally breaks silence on friendship with Jeffrey Epstein
Prince Andrew has addressed his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, denying that he had any knowledge of the disgraced financier’s criminal behaviour after weeks of speculation surrounding their relationship.
In a statement released on Saturday by Buckingham Palace, the prince said he did not “see, witness or suspect any behaviour of the sort that subsequently led to his arrest and conviction”.
Epstein was found dead on August 10 in his jail cell in Manhattan, where the disgraced financier was being held on sex trafficking charges.
“I met Mr Epstein in 1999. During the time I knew him, I saw him infrequently and probably no more than only once or twice a year,” the prince wrote.
“At no stage during the limited time I spent with him did I see, witness or suspect any behaviour of the sort that subsequently led to his arrest and conviction.”
The Duke of York said it was “a mistake and an error” to see Epstein in 2010 after he was released from prison, where he served nearly 13 months in custody for soliciting an underage girl for prostitution.
“I have previously said it was a mistake and an error to see him after his release in 2010 and I can only reiterate that I was mistaken to think that what I thought I knew of him was evidently not the real person, give what we know now,” he wrote.
The prince said he had “tremendous sympathy” for the people affected by Epstein’s actions. “I deplore the exploitation of any human being and would not condone, participate in, or encourage any such behaviour,” he wrote.
This is the third statement released by the royal family this month on Prince Andrew’s relationship with Epstein. Earlier this month, the palace issued a statement saying the prince is “appalled” by Epstein’s alleged crimes. The announcement came after a 2010 video footage of the prince waving to a woman from the money manager’s home emerged.
The Palace also responded to reports of crime allegations against the prince, saying “any suggestion of impropriety with underage minors is categorically untrue”.
Newly disclosed flight logs revealed that the prince took a flight on Epstein’s private jet from St Thomas to Palm Beach in Florida. Epstein reportedly had properties on both sites.