Prince Andrew will claim he has “no recollection” of meeting a woman who said she was forced into a sexual encounter with the Duke in his first televised interview on his relationship with convicted paedophile Jeffery Epstein.
In a “no holds barred” interview with Newsnight presenter Emily Maitlis due to be screened tomorrow, the Duke of York also said he “kicks himself” for continuing to associate with the disgraced New York financier even after he was convicted of soliciting prostitution from a minor in 2010.
Epstein, 66, was found dead in his New York prison cell earlier this year after being held on sex trafficking charges.
READ MORE: Duke of York opens up about relationship with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein
It will be the first time the duke has answered questions on his relationship with Epstein, though he denied claims levelled against him by Virgina Roberts, now known as Virginia Giuffre, during a public appearance in 2015.
During the interview, Maitlis asks the Duke about an incident in 2001, the first time Giuffre allegedly met the Prince in London.
She said: “One of Epstein’s accusers, Virginia Roberts has made allegations against you. She says 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 belonging to Ghislaine Maxwell, your friend. Your response?”
The Duke replies: “I have no recollection of ever meeting this lady, none whatsoever.”
Previously, a photograph showing Andrew with his arm around Giuffre’s waist, reportedly taken that night, was circulated among the press.
However, the Prince has consistently stated the photo, which also features Maxwell in the background, was faked.
The Duke was also quizzed on his continued relationship with Epstein, even after he served 13 months of an 18-month sentence for prostitution of a minor.
Epstein was allowed out on work release for much of his sentence and was pictured walking with Andrew in Central Park in 2010.
READ MORE: 'Serious irregularities' at Jeffrey Epstein jail are probed
During the interview, the Duke said: “I stayed with him and that’s…that’s…that’s the bit that…that…that, as it were, I kick myself for on a daily basis because it was not something that was becoming of a member of the royal family and we try and uphold the highest standards and practices and I let the side down, simple as that.”
The interview, recorded at Buckingham Palace on Thursday, will air on BBC Two at 9pm on Saturday.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel