It wasn’t me.. I don’t sweat
PRINCE Andrew last night denied having sex with a teenager at the centre of the Jeffrey Epstein scandal – saying he is in the clear because he can’t sweat.
The Duke of York, 59, said a condition from the Falklands War meant he was medically unable to perspire.
Accuser Virginia Roberts had claimed he was “sweating profusely” as he danced in a nightclub – and that they had sex that night and on two further occasions.
But during a 50-minute BBC interview the prince said: “We never had any sort of sexual contact whatever.”
He also said he had no regrets over being pals with billionaire convicted paedophile Epstein – because the friendship had “seriously beneficial outcomes”.
Andrew said he could not have met Virginia at Tramp nightclub in London’s Mayfair because he was at Pizza Express in Woking – 31 miles away – with his daughter Princess Beatrice, then 12.
The Prince also maintained that despite being with Epstein on his private jet, on his private island, at his New York mansion and in Palm Beach, he never saw the tycoon do anything wrong nor “conduct himself in a manner unbecoming”.
ADRENALIN
And Andrew also questioned a photo of him and Virginia, then 17, inside the Belgravia home of Epstein’s girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell. He had no recollection of it – nor going upstairs in the house.
Millions tuned in last night as Newsnight host Emily Maitlis grilled the Duke in the 9pm BBC2 programme Prince Andrew & The Epstein Scandal.
The prince said that despite his former pal’s crimes he still does not regret their friendship as it helped him professionally.
Virginia Roberts, now 36 and a mum of three, has accused Andrew of having sex with her three times.
The first time, she alleges, was in 2001. She says she flew to London on Epstein’s jet before enjoying dinner and then going to Tramp nightclub with the Prince.
She says they danced – and he was particularly sweaty.
But Andrew said: “There’s a slight problem with the sweating because I have a peculiar medical condition which is that I don’t sweat or I didn’t at the time.
“I didn’t sweat at the time because I had suffered what I would describe as an overdose of adrenalin in the Falkland’s War when I was shot at and I simply... it was almost impossible for me to sweat.
“And it’s only because I have done a number of things in the recent past that I am starting to be able to do that again.
“So I’m afraid to say that there’s a medical condition that says that I didn’t do it. On that particular day that we now understand is the date, which is the 10th of March, I was at home, with the children and I’d taken Beatrice to Pizza Express in Woking for a party at 4pm or 5pm.
“And then, because the Duchess (of York) was away, we have a simple rule in the family that when one is away the other one is there. I was on leave at the time from the Navy so was at home.”
Asked how he could remember exactly where he was, he replied: “Because going to Pizza Express in Woking is an unusual thing for me to do, very unusual. I’ve never been... I’ve only been to Woking a couple of times and I remember it weirdly distinctly.” He also insisted he could not even remember having ever met Virginia. Of the photo which appeared to show him with his arm round her, Andrew said: “I have absolutely no memory of that photograph ever being taken. From the investigations that we’ve done, you can’t prove whether or not that photograph is faked or not because it is a photograph of a photograph of a photograph.
“That’s me but whether that’s my hand or that’s the position... I have simply no recollection of the photograph ever being
By mutual agreement we decided we’d part company. I left next day
PRINCE ANDREW ON BREAKING OFF FRIENDSHIP WITH EPSTEIN
taken. I don’t remember going upstairs in the house.”
Asked if he regrets the friendship with Epstein, he said no – “the reason being that the people I met and the opportunities that I was given to learn either by him or because of him were actually very useful.”
The interview, filmed at Buckingham Palace on Thursday, was given the go-ahead by the Queen.
Speaking about staying at Epstein’s home in December 2010 – two years after the tycoon was convicted of procuring an underage girl for prostitution – Andrew said: “I went with the sole purpose of saying because he had been convicted, it was inappropriate for us to be seen together.
“I had to talk to him. We had an opportunity to go for a walk in the park and that was the conversation coincidentally that was photographed. By mutual agreement we decided we’d part company.
“I left, I think it was the next day, and never had any contact with him from that day forward.”.
HINDSIGHT
Andrew had been pals with Epstein since being introduced by university pal Ghislaine Maxwell in 1999. Of staying with Epstein he added: “With hindsight, it was definitely wrong. But at the time I felt it was honourable and right and I admit my judgment was probably coloured by my tendency to be too honourable, but that’s the way it is.”
Asked explicitly if Virginia Roberts is a liar, he replied: “I can tell you categorically I don’t remember meeting her at all. I do not remember a photograph being taken and I’ve said consistently and frequently that we never had any sort of sexual contact whatever.”
Andrew appeared to suggest he would be willing to speak to US authorities, but also claimed he does not believe he can help them. He said: “If I was in a position to answer these questions in a way that gave sensible answers I’d love it, but I’m afraid I can’t. I’m just as much in the dark as many people.”
The prince has always denied any inappropriate behaviour or being aware of perverted acts by Epstein, 66, who allegedly ran a sex ring of teenage girls. Epstein was found hanged in his cell at the New York Metropolitan Correctional Centre in August while facing charges of sex trafficking and conspiracy to traffic minors for sex.
It is claimed British socialite Maxwell, 57, acted as a madam to Epstein while dating him. She denies grooming girls to be abused by him and has not been charged with any crime.
I have simply no recollection of that photo being taken – or meeting her
PRINCE ANDREW ON BEING PICTURED WITH VIRGINIA