Prince Andrew is back in the spotlight due to his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. Since the release of Virginia Giuffre’s posthumous memoir, more disturbing details about Prince Andrew have come to light, prompting him to give up his royal titles. In spite of Andrew’s distance from the royal family, he does still live at Royal Lodge, and according to a new report, Epstein visited him at the private residence just days before his arrest.
Epstein attended Andrew’s daughter’s birthday party.
In 2006, Andrew’s daughter Beatrice turned 18 and had a masked ball birthday celebration. Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell (along with Harvey Weinstein) attended the celebration, even though a warrant for Epstein’s arrest had already been issued in the United States, for the sexual assault of a minor. Previously, Prince Andrew told BBC Newsnight that he didn’t know about his friend’s arrest warrant at the time of the birthday party, The Independent reported.
When attending the celebration, Epstein also visited Andrew’s home.
Though it was already known that Andrew had invited Epstein to his daughter’s birthday party, the new report from the BBC includes a previously unknown detail: Epstein also visited Royal Lodge. According to the report, Prince Andrew hosted Epstein, Maxwell, and Weinstein at his home, seemingly before the main birthday party. A witness that spoke to the publication recalled seeing Epstein and Weinstein enjoying drinks in a garden at Andrew’s private residence before the party started.
Andrew previously acted like he had no idea what was going on.
In 2019, when BBC Newsnight asked Andrew why he invited the convicted child sex offender to his daughter’s birthday party, Andrew said he didn’t know about the arrest warrant when he invited Epstein. “Certainly I wasn’t aware when the invitation was issued what was going on in the United States,” he said. He also claimed that he only learned of the arrest warrant via the media because Epstein “never said anything about it.”
Just eight days after the birthday party, Epstein was arrested.
Previously, Andrew claimed that he ended his friendship with Epstein in 2010.
But a report published earlier this month claimed that Andrew sent Epstein an unsettling email in 2011, suggesting that they remained in contact with each other even though Andrew claimed they had severed ties. After an image of Andrew with Giuffre when she was a teenager started circulating in 2011, he allegedly emailed Epstein saying, “We are in this together.”
Even in this email, Andrew didn’t suggest that he was trying to distance himself from Epstein. He also reportedly wrote, “I’m just as concerned for you! Don’t worry about me! Otherwise keep in close touch and we’ll play some more soon!!!!”
