Prince Andrew slammed for ‘lack of empathy’ for Jeffrey Epstein’s victims in interview about his friendship with paedo
PRINCE Andrew’s bombshell interview has been branded a “car crash” as viewers slam the royal having “no empathy” for his paedo pal Jeffrey Epstein’s alleged victims.
The Duke of York spoke about his links with the disgraced millionaire during an “unvetted questions” interview with BBC2 Newnight’s Emily Maitlis last night.
Andrew denied he had sex with 17-year-old Virginia Roberts in 2001 after going to Tramps nightclub in London, claiming he was at a Pizza Express in Woking with his daughter Princess Beatrice.
Ms Roberts claims she had sex with the prince three times – which he strongly denies.
The 59-year-old also said he didn’t regret his friendship with Epstein, who he referred to as “Jeffrey”, because met “useful” people through him.
Prince Andrew described his pal’s behaviour as a convicted sex offender as “unbecoming”.
Piers Morgan branded the interview “desperate, toe-curling bull***t from Prince Andrew”.
And many viewers took to social media to slam the Queen’s third child, saying he seemed to have no empathy for the alleged victims.
The biggest takeaways from the Prince Andrew interview:
- Epstein was invited to Windsor Castle as a ‘plus one’ for Ghislaine Maxwell
- Prince Andrew doesn’t regret his friendship with Epstein
- The royal regrets visiting the paedo in NYC in December 2010 and said he went to end his friendship – when the infamous photo was snapped
- The 59-year-old claims he was at a Pizza Express in Woking on the night Virginia Roberts alleges she had sex with him aged 17
- The prince claims he can’t sweat after Ms Roberts alleged he ‘sweat profusely’
- The Duke of York would testify under oath ‘if push came to shove’
- Prince Andrew described Epstein’s behaviour as ‘unbecoming’
One said: “How about ‘I’m sorry’ for associating with Epstein in the first place?
“‘I’m sorry for having an ongoing friendship with him knowing he is a convicted sex offender and now proven human trafficker?’
“How about EMPATHY for the victims? No remorse, compassion or reaction.”
One called him a “monster” and said: “No condemnation of the sex offender he befriended. No empathy for his victims. #PrinceAndrew is a cold-blooded monster.”
Another wrote: “#PrinceAndrew I am staggered that not once did he say he had empathy for Epstein’s victims! Who advised him!!?”
Ms Maitlis grilled the royal on whether he had any regret or shame about his friendship with the convicted sex offender.
Andrew said: “Do I regret the fact that he has quite obviously conducted himself in a manner unbecoming? Yes.”
Ms Maitlis replied: “Unbecoming? He was a sex offender.”
He clarified: “Yeah, I’m sorry, I’m being polite, I mean in the sense that he was a sex offender.”
‘UNBECOMING’
Many viewers picked up on this, with one writing: “Unbecoming.. What a way to end that train wreck of an interview.. WOW #PrinceAndrew”
Another said: “Not a care for the girls trafficked, raped. Remains good friends with Gishlain Maxwell alleged procurer of underage girls and remembers Epstein fondly and finds his conduct as unbecoming and his own letting the side down seems to be equating himself worse than Epstein #PrinceAndrew”
When pressed about why he stayed friends with Epstein after his conviction, Prince Andrew laughed as he said: “I stayed with him and that’s the bit that, as it were, I kick myself for on a daily basis.”
Jeremy Vine tweeted a clip of Andrew laughing and wrote: “He was doing fine until he laughed.”
Ms Maitlis also asked Prince Andrew if he would be willing to give a statement under oath about the allegations against him.
She asked: “You seem utterly convinced you’re telling the truth, would you be willing to testify or give a statement under oath if you were asked?”
He replied: “Well I’m like everybody else and I will have to take all the legal advice that there was before I was to do that sort of thing.
“But if push came to shove and the legal advice was to do so, then I would be duty bound to do so.
“If there was…in the right circumstances, yes I would because I think there’s just as much closure for me as there is for everybody else and undoubtedly some very strange and unpleasant activities have been going on.”
Some viewers pointed out that the royal should have made his comments while under oath.
One said: “As much as we’re laughing at the Prince Andrew interview for the car crash it was, he should be answering these questions in court under oath!”
Another wrote: “Who advised Prince Andrew to do this interview? Surely he’s just better to give a statement under oath and be done with it. Until then it will never go away..”
Who is Virginia Roberts?
- Mum-of-three Virginia Roberts, now Virginia Giuffre, 36, has alleged that she was procured by Ghislaine Maxwell – Epstein’s ex-lover – to work as a ‘sex slave’
- Ms Roberts alleges she met Ms Maxwell while working at Donald Trump’s Mar-aLago resprt in Florida.
- Legal documents from a 2015 defamation case – released the day before Epstein killed himself – featured claims that Prince Andrew slept with Ms Roberts three times.
- The Duke of York strongly denies the allegations of sexual misconduct made against him.
- Giuffre says her account is ’99 per cent true’ but her own former lawyers have described it as ‘fictionalised.’
- She claims she first met royal dad-of-two Prince Andrew on a trip to London in 2001 when she was 17 and Epstein and Maxwell were also there.
The embattled Duke of York has faced continued scrutiny over his relationship with Epstein, who hanged himself in August while awaiting trial for sex trafficking charges.
Andrew was infamously pictured with his arm around Ms Roberts at Ghislaine Maxwell’s home in London in 2001.
The Duke was last pictured with Epstein in New York in 2010 after the hedge fund manager had been released from prison and was a registered sex offender.
He said last night he regrets going to the Big Apple to see him.
Ms Roberts has claimed she was forced to have sex with Andrew three times between 1999 and 2002 — in London, New York and on Epstein’s private Caribbean island.
In 2015, a US judge struck out Ms Roberts’ allegations against the Prince for being “immaterial and impertinent”.
The Duke said he was on a date in Boston when Virginia said she was “trafficked” to him in New York.
Epstein was first jailed in 2008 for procuring an underage girl for prostitution. He got an 18-month sentence, during which he was able to go on “work release” to his office six days a week. He was released on probation after 13 months.
This July he was arrested on sex trafficking allegations. On August 10 he was found hanged at the New York Metropolitan Correctional Centre — three weeks after being found unconscious with neck injuries.
Checks were not carried out on the night in question, and CCTV appeared to have malfunctioned. Officials are investigating.
