Prince, the paedophile . . . and the President
PARTYING at Donald Trump’s Florida resort, this is the first picture of Prince Andrew with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein and his alleged accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell.
The photograph, which emerged yesterday, is from 2000 and includes Mr Trump’s future wife Melania.
It puts the prince at the centre of Epstein’s high society social scene and follows attempts by Andrew to play down his involvement with the billionaire who sexually abused underage girls.
The picture was taken at a celebrity charity event at Mr Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida, in February 2000. Epstein is seen lurking in the background, apparently looking intently at the prince, while Maxwell, who has been accused of procuring girls for the paedophile, leans in to listen to another woman.
The British socialite has denied any wrongdoing.
Another picture shows Andrew laughing and joking with Epstein, the future Mrs Trump and US politician Gwendolyn Beck, who once ran unsuccessfully for Congress.
The prince was considered the star turn, but is not thought to have attended the event in an official capacity on behalf of the Queen because there is no record of it in the Court Circular. Reports from the time suggest the duke ‘stayed in the background’ and introduced himself as Andrew York. Other guests included singer Michael Ball and actor Stephen Baldwin. The gala, hosted by the future President, took place eight years before Epstein’s conviction for child sex offences. But the billionaire financier had already started sexually abusing girls at his £8million mansion in Palm Beach by then, according to court documents.
The prince has admitted staying at some of Epstein’s homes, but has not clarified which ones. It is not known whether he stayed at the paedophile’s Palm Beach residence on this occasion.
Hours after the pictures were published yesterday, Andrew carried out his first royal engagement since Epstein, 66, killed himself in a New York jail earlier this month. The duke beamed with delight after landing by helicopter in Dartmouth for the port’s 175th royal regatta, of which he is patron.
He has just returned from a twoweek golfing holiday in Spain with his former wife Sarah Ferguson. Andrew’s last official engagement was at Ascot last month.
Since then, he has largely kept out of the spotlight as allegations over his association with Epstein have intensified.
Royal sources say he is due to hold ‘crisis talks’ with advisers over how to handle the scandal.
During his absence, the woman who claims she was forced to have sex with Andrew when she was 17 urged him to ‘come clean’.
After a New York court hearing earlier this week, Virginia Roberts, now 36, said of the prince: ‘He knows what he’s done.’
The duke has denied ‘any form of sexual contact or relationship’ with Miss Roberts and has played down his friendship with Epstein.
Buckingham Palace declined to comment on the photo last night.