Prince Andrew has made a stunning claim that he could not have engaged in s**ual activity with a teenage girl at the London home of socialite Ghislaine Maxwell because he was actually at home after attending a children's party at Pizza Express in Woking.
During an interview with Emily Maitlis on BBC's Newsnight, the Duke of York was questioned about his relationship with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, who was convicted of child s** offenses.
In a sometimes disjointed and contradictory account of their friendship, Prince Andrew insisted that he never had s** with any women trafficked by Epstein at any of his properties.
He admitted to flying on Epstein's private jet, known as the Lolita Express, and staying at his various residences.
The prince explained, “If you're a man, having s** with somebody is a positive act.
You have to take some sort of positive action.
Therefore, if you try to forget, it's very difficult to forget a positive action, and I do not remember anything.”
Regarding Epstein's behavior, Prince Andrew said, “Do I regret the fact that he has quite obviously conducted himself in a manner unbecoming?
Yes.”
When asked specifically about Virginia Giuffre (formerly known as Virginia Roberts) and whether he had s** with her when she was 17, the prince categorically denied it ever happened.
Giuffre claims they partied together at Tramp nightclub in London before going to Maxwell's house in Belgravia, where she alleges she had s** with Andrew.
The prince stated, “I was with the children, and I had taken Beatrice to a Pizza Express in Woking for a party, around four or five in the afternoon.
And because the duchess [Sarah Ferguson] was away, we have a simple rule in the family that when one is away, the other is there.”
Despite a widely circulated photograph showing Prince Andrew with his arm around Giuffre's waist, he repeatedly claimed to have no recollection of the photo being taken.
He suggested that the picture was taken upstairs in Maxwell's house, a place he claims he never went to.
The prince also mentioned that as a member of the royal family, he is not one for public displays of affection.
Giuffre retweeted critical tweets about Prince Andrew, including one that stated, “Prince Andrew's shocking interview was an attempt to save his reputation – but it just raised more questions.”
In regards to noticing young girls at Epstein's house, the prince explained that as a member of the royal family, he was accustomed to staff members walking around, so he did not interact meaningfully with anyone he considered to be staff.
However, earlier in the interview, he insisted that there were no indications of anything inappropriate happening.
Prince Andrew confirmed that Epstein had been a guest at Windsor and Sandringham and that he attended a dinner celebrating Epstein's release from prison.
When confronted about staying at the house of a convicted s** offender, the prince admitted that it was the wrong thing to do but claimed he thought it was honorable at the time.
The prince revealed that he went to the US to break off his friendship with Epstein in person because “doing it over the telephone was the chicken's way.”
In response to claims of young girls entering Epstein's mansion, he described the house as a busy place, comparing it to a railway station with people constantly coming and going.
During the interview, Prince Andrew indicated that he would be open to giving a statement under oath if legally advised to do so, stating that he would be duty-bound to comply.
Before the interview aired, Gloria Allred, a lawyer representing some of Epstein's victims, suggested that Prince Andrew should agree to a deposition under oath instead of appearing on television.
Prince Andrew acknowledged that his association with Epstein has caused pain for his family and daughters, describing it as a constant sore.
