Andrew’s TOXIC fixation
Since they met, the Prince and the paedophile partied together at least 20 times — even after Epstein was convicted. Read this dossier of their liaisons and ask yourself: what WAS fuelling...
PRINCE Andrew has finally broken his silence following Jeffrey Epstein’s death, declaring himself ‘appalled’ by his old chum’s ‘alleged crimes’.
Quite what the Prince was doing in 2010, when Epstein was not just a convicted paedophile but also a registered sex offender, is therefore, anyone’s guess.
Back then, Andrew didn’t seem ‘ appalled’. Instead, he chose to not only stay at the multimillionaire’s New York home, but also to entertain celebrity guests at a party designed to mark Epstein’s return into polite society.
But the Prince has had a seeming blind spot for the unsavoury aspects of Epstein’s character, as their long, close relationship attests.
FREEBIES ON EPSTEIN’S JET
ANDREW was dragged into Epstein’s grotty orbit during the late 1990s, apparently via his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, who became chummy with Ghislaine Maxwell, the New York-based socialite daughter of disgraced newspaper tycoon Robert.
Maxwell was Epstein’s girlfriend, fixer, and (it’s widely alleged) the ‘madame’ who helped recruit girls to his personal harem. She has long denied any wrongdoing.
In April 1998, Epstein flew to Nassau in the Bahamas to mweet the Duchess and daughters Beatrice and Eugenie, then aged nine and eight, who were holidaying on Epstein’s island, Little St James in the U.S. virgin Islands.
Ten months later came the first documentary evidence of Epstein’s friendship with Andrew: the flight log of his private jet revealed that in February 1999, they travelled together to the same location, subsequently nicknamed ‘Paedophile Island’.
TRIPS TO ‘PAEDOPHILE ISLAND’
ANDREW returned to the island in May 1999, according to Miles and Cathy Alexander, a South African couple hired to manage the Caribbean property earlier that year.
‘The Duke came via helicopter with his bodyguard and a woman in her 30s, who said she was a brain surgeon,’ Cathy recalled. ‘She was tall, bleached blonde and had big boobs. They shared a room and spent most of their time on windsurfing, sailing or doing other water sports.
‘One day he came back into the house in great mirth, claiming his guest had stepped on a sea urchin and he urinated on her foot as a remedy. “The royal member has done its duty,” he chuckled. ’
WEEKEND AT BALMORAL
WITH the salmon fishing season in full swing, Andrew repaid Epstein’s hospitality in spectacular fashion: by inviting him and his entourage to Balmoral in July 1999.
Epstein’s party, which included a number of young women, billeted at Craigowan Lodge, a shooting lodge in the grounds of the Queen’s private Scottish retreat. One of Epstein’s companions, a model then in her early 20s, this week told the Mail how Epstein and co. were welcomed by the Prince and provided with a tour of the historic estate. ‘He was really nice. He was very polite,’ she said.
TRUMP RESORT PARTY
THE first of many headlines generated by Andrew’s friendship with Epstein came via a newspaper, the Palm Beach Post’s ‘society snapshots’ column. In February 2000, its reporter attended a party/tournament at Mar-a-Lago, Donald Trump’s exclusive private members’ club, where he spotted the British Royal with Epstein and Maxwell.
‘Even when Trump announced England’s Prince Andrew, many in the crowd doubted his presence,’ says the column. ‘For one, he stayed in the background, introducing himself as Andrew York, and for two, he’s recently shed 20 pounds, making him a possible double for actor Rupert Everett.’
Trump was an old chum of Epstein’s. ‘I’ve known Jeff for 15 years. Terrific guy,’ the future U.S. President would tell New York magazine in October 2002. ‘It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side.’
The President later said the pair fell out ‘12 or 15 years ago’ and reiterated last month that he was ‘not a fan of Jeffrey Epstein’.
NEW YORK MEETINGS
OvER the ensuing weeks, Maxwell and Epstein invited Prince Andrew to a number of social events in New York, including a party hosted by designer Ralph Lauren and a £630-a-head charity concert in aid of the American Friends Of The London Philharmonic Orchestra.
In April 2000, this newspaper revealed that Andrew had ‘become one of Ghislaine’s regular guests at the famous dinner parties she holds at the home of [Epstein] on New York’s prestigious Upper East Side. Twice in the past year, he is said to have stayed for a few days at the mansion, one block from Central Park.’
In the same period, our report noted, the Duchess of York had stayed at Epstein’s mansion no fewer than three times.
FLORIDA NIGHTLIFE
TO THE alarm of royal aides, the Prince embraced his new chum’s style. May 2000 saw Andrew fly on Epstein’s plane from New Jersey to Miami, in the company of Maxwell, supermodel Naomi Campbell, and a woman named only as ‘Alexia’. During the stay, Epstein arranged for them to visit a local nightclub called Crobar.
According to the venue’s ‘greeter,’ Doron Ofir, the party was given a table in the vIP area, and supplied with a £300 bottle of Cristal champagne. ‘Andrew was so cool,’ Ofir later recalled.
ROYAL BIRTHDAY BASH
EPSTEIN’S patronage was again swiftly repaid — in spades.
On June 23, 2000, Andrew invited both Epstein and Maxwell to attend the most lavish royal event in years: a ‘Dance of the Decades’ at Windsor Castle celebrating the landmark birthdays of Princess Margaret (70) Princess Anne (50), Andrew (40) and Prince William, who was 18. Guests were served Ruinart champagne among 30ft towers of flowers, with the Queen and Prince Philip leading revellers to the dance floor following dinner.
HALLOWEEN RAVE
ANDREW flew back across the Atlantic four months later for a social visit to celebrate Halloween. It kicked off with a bondagethemed party at a nightclub called the Hudson, hosted by model Heidi Klum, who wore black latex, a dog collar and wrist restraints.
Maxwell dressed as a prostitute, in gold trousers and a blonde wig, reportedly telling a fellow guest: ‘I’m a hooker tonight. We are going on to another party with a pimps and prostitutes theme.’
Later, at the trendy Lotus supper club, the Prince (who was wearing a suit but had removed his tie) sat next to a tattooed punk with spiked hair.
SANDRINGHAM SHOOT
EPSTEIN completed a hat-trick of visits to royal residences in December 2000, after Andrew spent £20,000 hosting a pheasant shooting weekend at Sandringham. He was allowed to land his private jet at Marham, a local RAF base. Flight logs record that Epstein jetted in with a woman called Kelly Spamm, an unnamed ‘female,’ and a wealthy American businessman called Tom Pritzker. Also on board was Maxwell. During the shoot, Epstein’s attire sparked criticism from snobbish courtiers: ‘Dressed more suitably for a shopping trip on 5th Avenue than an English pheasant drive in his LL Bean hunting boots and $1,000 leather parka,’ read one report.
TOPLESS IN THAILAND
PRINCE ANDREW jetted off to Thailand shortly after Christmas 2000, where he once more met up with Epstein.
The duo stayed at the luxury Amanpuri hotel on Phuket, where the Duke was billeted in a £4,000 a-night private villa with a redand-gold bedroom and private black-tiled swimming pool.
He was photographed on board the hotel’s catamaran surrounded by a bevvy of topless young women. During the evenings, Epstein and