Charles to Andrew: Tell me everything
Crisis talks as Royals braced for new sex allegations on TV
PRINCE Charles is to hold a “tell all” crisis summit with brother Andrew over the Jeffrey Epstein sex claims.
The crunch meeting comes as a BBC Panorma special with Andrew’s accuser Virginia Giuffre goes out tomorrow .
Charles wants an “open and honest” discussion with Andrew, 59. The Prince of Wales is at Sandringham, where he is understood to have sought counsel from his father Prince Philip.
He also sounded out his friend Sir Nicholas Soames, the veteran MP and grandson of Sir Winston Churchill.
They were seen together yesterday at the royals’ Norfolk estate – where, ironically, Andrew once entertained paedophile Epstein on a shooting weekend.
Last night a source told the Sunday Mirror: “Charles wants to meet Andrew to discuss how best to deal with the ‘Epstein issue’.
“He has told his brother to be completely up front, open and honest with him – and if there is anything else he thinks could come out. He knows how damaging this issue is for the family, knows it has the potential to get much worse and is taking it very, very seriously.” Andrew attended parties thrown by tycoon Epstein, 66. The convicted paedophile killed himself in his cell in August while facing fresh sex trafficking charges. Charles was out of the country when Andrew had a “car crash” interview over the scandal with Newsnight’s Emily Maitlis. Ms Giuffre, now 36, claims she had sex with the prince three times at Epstein’s behest – after being introduced by Ghislaine Maxwell.
Andrew and Buckingham Palace “categorically deny” the allegations.
British socialite Ms Maxwell, 57, also denies wrongdoing and has never been charged with any crime.
Andrew has said he has no recollection of a 2001 photo showing him with Ms Giuffre and Ms Maxwell.
Prince Philip is said to be furious that his son was encouraged to do the interview by ex-wife Sarah. The source continued: “He feels Andrew is undoing all the good work the Queen has done.
“He is angry the Duchess of York was involved in any way. Many friends think Sarah gave him false confidence.”
The summit with Charles comes after a Panorama teaser ahead of tomorrow’s programme. Ms Giuffre says she was 17 when she slept with Andrew and claims: “It was a really scary time of my life... he knows what happened, I know what happened and there’s only one of us telling the truth.”
Andrew told Newsnight he was at a Pizza Express on the night he was said to have been with Virginia.
A spokesman for Charles declined to comment.
halina.watts@mirror.co.uk