Prince Andrew Defends Jeffrey Epstein Relationship Makes Statement

bbc link

From source

15 minutes ago

Prince Andrew has defended his former friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, saying "at no stage" did he "see or suspect" any criminal behaviour.

Epstein, 66, took his own life in a jail cell this month while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

In a statement, the Duke of York said he wanted to "clarify the facts" around his "former association or friendship" with the US financier.

He said it was a "mistake" to meet Epstein after he left prison in 2010.

"During the time I knew him, I saw him infrequently and probably no more than only once or twice a year," the prince said.

"I have stayed in a number of his residences. 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 - who said he first met Epstein in 1999 - added that he had "tremendous sympathy" for all those affected by Epstein's behaviour.

"His suicide has left many unanswered questions and I acknowledge and sympathise with everyone who has been affected and wants some form of closure."

Allegations against Epstein surfaced in 2005 when the parents of a 14-year-old girl told police in Florida he had molested their daughter at his Palm Beach home.

The financier was accused of paying underage girls to perform sex acts at his Manhattan and Florida mansionsbetween 2002 and 2005.
A controversial secret plea deal saw him plead guilty to a lesser charge of soliciting a minor for prostitution. He received an 18-month prison sentence and was released on probation in 2010.

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It has to beg the question , what's he doing a the picture with his arm round Virginia Giuffre's waist then . Nothing caused him to suspect anything when Epstein and Maxwell were travelling around the world with a 17 year old girl . Ok then Andrew . He may be trying to pre-empt further news revelations with
"I have stayed in a number of his residences" .

nb we're not being given the full statement

In what possible universe does someone with the status of Prince Andrew end up associating with someone with a sex crime conviction? Only in a universe where that someone has the unique moral character, expertise and resources to provide what those people of status are looking for.

a reply to: FieldMarshalMatt

Watch more girls come out of the woodwork explaining how they all had sex with Andrew when they were teenagers. He was better off keeping his mouth shut.

Well looky what we have here :

www.bbc.co.uk...

posted 15 minutes before the op link

The relationship between the 59-year-old member of the Royal Family and Epstein, who killed himself while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, has come under close scrutiny.

February 1999 - US Virgin Islands
The Duke of York said he first met Epstein, 66, a wealthy hedge fund manager, in 1999. That year was the first time the pair were linked in press reports in the UK and US.

Prince Andrew reportedly flew with Epstein on his private Gulfstream jet in February 1999, according to a log book seen by the Daily Mirror in 2015.

The flight was said to be to Epstein's private island, Little St James in the US Virgin Islands.

The Daily Mail also reported that 10 months earlier Epstein's logbook showed he had flown to the same location to meet the the duke's ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson. The couple had divorced in 1996.

June 2000 - Windsor Castle
Epstein and his British ex-girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell were among a star-studded guest list at a partyhosted by the Queenin June 2000.

The Dance of the Decades event, which saw more than 600 guests descend on Windsor Castle, marked four royal birthdays including Prince Andrew's 40th.

Who is Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's ex-girlfriend?
Who was Jeffrey Epstein?
The duke became part of the social circle of Ms Maxwell - someone who Epstein later described as his best friend. (bull# - it's the other way round)

The Queen's third child was pictured accompanying Ms Maxwell - daughter of the late newspaper tycoon, Robert Maxwell - at private parties and celebrity functions both in the UK and in the US that year.

EGThey were photographed together at the wedding of the prince's former girlfriend, Aurelia Cecil, near Salisbury in September 2000.

Andrew and Ms Maxwell were again photographed together at a Halloween party thrown by model Heidi Klum in Manhattan.

Ms Maxwell was pictured dressed in gold lame andwearing a blonde wig for the Hookers and Pimps-themed party.

December 2000 - Sandringham
Just over a month later, in December 2000, the then 40-year-old prince,threw Ms Maxwell a surprise birthday party at Sandringham, with Epstein among the guests.
A few days earlier Ms Maxwell and Epstein had been photographed on a pheasant shoot on the Queen's estate in Norfolk.

Prince Andrew and Ms Maxwell went on a number of trips together including to Florida andThailand, according to an Evening Standard report from January 2001, which claimed Epstein had joined them on five such occasions over the previous 12 months.

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So, well he might make that timely statement . This amount of interaction with MAxwell / Epstein , eg 'threw ms Maxwell a party ' , 'on his island' etc etc . makes him look at the very least , ' guilty by association '. ETA but see bolded sections in thread re Sjoberg , so there's more to it than guilt by association already
Also question if the bbc are helping cover his behind , by only mentioning the/ a /one singular accusation which Sjoberg has made which carries pictorial evidence (touching breast) . Sjoberg makes more allegations than just that one , which corroberate with and provide confirmatory evidence to Giuffres' original allegations .

a reply to: CraftBuilder
How's about that then??

Jimmy Saville and Jeffrey Epstein both friendly with Royalty.

"At no stage did he see or suspect"criminal behaviour...

Hmm,so he didn't suspect criminal behaviour even AFTER epstein was CONVICTED of sex crimes against minors?

Yeah sure Andy,whatever.
We believe you.

a reply to: FieldMarshalMatt

Well that clears Andrew thank God he said he was innocent.
I been nervous for weeks he was going to confess to something
and I would have to believe conspiracies are possible.

Grabs rose colored glasses and goes skipping out the door.

They also hung out with Jimmy Saville, who joked about smuggling a young girl into Buckingham Palace, which was actually true! He had one in the boot of his car.
Also Andrew is kinky, he had stripper girlfriends [Coo Stark] and he clearly has his hand around the teen girl in the photo.

There is absolutely no way he just 'knew' the big Paedo and never suspected a thing. It's impossible. Heck us here on the street who haven't met Epstein or Saville knew they were dodgy, how can idiot Andrew who hung out with him more than once not have aaaany clue?
Not even on the island, he had no idea...
Also I would have stopped hanging out with the peado Epstein after his conviction.

So called prince Andrew is thick as shhite and he is into all sorts of kinky stuff. If he was really as retarded as he makes himself out to be, he needs supervision in sheltered housing as he can't possibly be let lose in society. Hope justice will prevail one day.

originally posted by: CraftBuilder
In what possible universe does someone with the status of Prince Andrew end up associating with someone with a sex crime conviction? Only in a universe where that someone has the unique moral character, expertise and resources that provides what those people of status are looking for.

In a nutshell!

a reply to: FieldMarshalMatt

"I have stayed in a number of his residences. 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."

Oh look another one wanting us to believe what he says and not what our own eyes tell us.
Amazing how some people actually think this is possible.
I have seen pictures of him with teens at an Epstein residence.

a reply to: FieldMarshalMatt

Another statement from the palace legal team no doubt , come out of your hole Andy and answer the allegations in person if you really have nothing to fear.

He said it was a "mistake" to meet Epstein after he left prison in 2010.

In hindsight maybe.

originally posted by: Sillyolme
a reply to: FieldMarshalMatt

"I have stayed in a number of his residences. 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."

Oh look another one wanting us to believe what he says and not what our own eyes tell us.
Amazing how some people actually think this is possible.
I have seen pictures of him with teens at an Epstein residence.

Andrew the Royal P says

"I have stayed in a number of his residences" - He uses the term "a number of" = thus not admitting to all
"At no stage during the limited time" - He uses the term "limited time" = deliberately attempting to lessen the significance and suggest he wasn't present for long enough to be in anyway aware, which actually points to the opposite being true
"did I see, witness or suspect any behaviour" - He is trying too hard here totally admonish himself which is an indicator that he is telling a whopper here!
"of the sort" - He is almost admitting here that he did witness some behaviours but not the ones that lead to his arrest. And careful arse covering just in case other behaviours come out.

He is in deep!

I caution people about assuming guilt by association. It is dangerous.

To be clear before any mental midget tries to retort I am defending Epstein, I am not.

I am just saying take a step back and think about how well you may know you "friends." We often use the term loosely. I have some friends that I've known a long time and may see a couple of times a year or fewer. We may grab dinner or socialize. However, the reality is that I don't KNOW them and what they may do in all facets of their life.

Wealthy people who have second and vacation homes often have guests they may socialize with personally and professionally. However, it still does not necessarily mean they know all the personal details and proclivities about a person even if they stay at their home.

With all that said, you have to question the judgment of people who continue to socialize with convicted pedos. At the same time, money and power can tend to cloud people's judgment.

Another example of this is all the celebs and people who continued to socialize and work with R Kelly for YEARS even after it was known he likes 'em young. Does say Jay Z making a record with R Kelly make him also a pedo? Or any of the other dozens of other artists?

originally posted by: Silcone Synapse
"At no stage did he see or suspect"criminal behaviour...

Hmm,so he didn't suspect criminal behaviour even AFTER epstein was CONVICTED of sex crimes against minors?

Yeah sure Andy,whatever.
We believe you.

It's not criminal for one to have their way with the peasantry. It's one's right.

Eaars...

a reply to: gortex

There's a video in the second posted bbc link of him at Davos denying the allegations in 2015

More from source

After several days of newspaper reports on the Epstein connection in spring 2011, Prince Andrew was hit with a further blow when Sarah Ferguson admitted having accepted £15,000 from Epstein, to help pay off her debts.

The fallout saw him quit his role as a UK trade envoy in July 2011. Prince Andrew later acknowledged his friendship with Epstein had been a mistake.

In 2015 the duke was named in court papers as part of a US civil case against Epstein.

According to the Guardian, one of Epstein's accusers, Virginia Roberts - now Virginia Giuffre - said she was ordered to give the prince "whatever he required".

Ms Roberts claimed in court papers in Florida she was forced to have sex with the prince on three occasions - in London, New York and on a private Caribbean island owned by Epstein - between 1999 and 2002, when she was under-age, according to the state's law.

Prince Andrew was not party to the proceedings but was identified when a motion was filed in the court, as part of the evidence.

The details were later officially struck from the court records when a judge ruled they were unnecessary to the case, saying they were "immaterial and impertinent" to the "central claim".

Separately, an allegation by a woman called Johanna Sjoberg that Prince Andrew touched her breast while they sat on a couch in Epstein's Manhattan apartment in 2001 was contained in documents from a defamation case. These documents were made public when they were released by a judge in August 2019.

User Edits : NB : Sjoberg made several allegations , including this one because there exists a photograph , forming evidence for it . She and Giuffre were not known to each other at the time . Sjoberg also alleges that she was forced to have sex with Prince Andrew in a number of locations . Sjoberg was even younger than Giuffre at the time .

NB 2 : While this bbc article notes Sjoberg's pictorial evidence , it fails to reveal any other of / all the other allegations Sjoberg has made of Andrew's performance . Example of corroberation : he likes 'feet' . Sarah Ferguson his 'wife' has also been photographed by tabloids with a man who was sucking her toes / unknown if source is available online .

Source article again :

Ms Giuffre had brought the defamation case against Ms Maxwell. She was alleged to have procured underage girls for Epstein and his friends, but she has always denied the allegations.

Buckingham Palace has issued outright denials of all allegations against Prince Andrew.

a reply to: FieldMarshalMatt

I like the way the describe Ghislaine as his ex girlfriend.... She was never his girlfriend.
She was his beard.

a reply to: Edumakated

I caution people about assuming guilt by association. It is dangerous.

I don't assume guilt by association I assume guilt because Randy Andy !
If anyone in the Royal family was going to get caught with their pants down it's him.

originally posted by: Edumakated
I caution people about assuming guilt by association. It is dangerous.

To be clear before any mental midget tries to retort I am defending Epstein, I am not.

I am just saying take a step back and think about how well you may know you "friends." We often use the term loosely. I have some friends that I've known a long time and may see a couple of times a year or fewer. We may grab dinner or socialize. However, the reality is that I don't KNOW them and what they may do in all facets of their life.

Wealthy people who have second and vacation homes often have guests they may socialize with personally and professionally. However, it still does not necessarily mean they know all the personal details and proclivities about a person even if they stay at their home.

With all that said, you have to question the judgment of people who continue to socialize with convicted pedos. At the same time, money and power can tend to cloud people's judgment.

Another example of this is all the celebs and people who continued to socialize and work with R Kelly for YEARS even after it was known he likes 'em young. Does say Jay Z making a record with R Kelly make him also a pedo? Or any of the other dozens of other artists?

Do you go and stay at their residences and are there young girls around if you do. Also when there are many guests socialising it is very difficult for peoples likes. dislikes, tastes, habits, things they say and how they comment, the way they look etc to be kept a secret and avoid whispers. So to suggest that Andrew knew nothing is ridiculous and particularly more so after Eppys previous.

Keep my answer simple

BULLSH........ Prince Andrew

Birds of a feather flock together, we make friends with people who share common interests, that makes it murky waters at best to be sharing accomodation with a KNOWN pedo

It would be a start if he could at least denounce the scum that was JE, rather than use a sporting excuse of

"I have stayed in a number of his residences. 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."

originally posted by: Edumakated
I caution people about assuming guilt by association. It is dangerous.



Another example of this is all the celebs and people who continued to socialize and work with R Kelly for YEARS even after it was known he likes 'em young. Does say Jay Z making a record with R Kelly make him also a pedo? Or any of the other dozens of other artists?

That's a fair point , not wishing to direct anyone towards belief in a fallacy .

An association fallacy is an informal inductive fallacy of the hasty-generalization or red-herring type and which asserts, by irrelevant association and often by appeal to emotion, that qualities of one thing are inherently qualities of another. Two types of association fallacies are sometimes referred to as guilt by association and honor by association.

However it's now easy to see where 'honor by association' is much less of a reasonable assumption here .

Also note the term 'irrelevant association' and compare direct with witness testimony oftwo victims which did not know each other at the time, Sjoberg & Giuffre, and certain photographs and tapes . We did not know about Sjoberg until this month .