Give evidence on Epstein, lawyer challenges Duke
THE Duke of York should tell “everything he knows” under oath, a lawyer for some of Jeffrey Epstein’s alleged victims has said.
Brad Edwards, whose clients include Epstein’s alleged “sex slave” Virginia Roberts Giuffre, said he wanted to hear sworn testimony from the Duke.
He said: “I look forward to … a formal deposition where he will be given the opportunity to tell us everything he knows. We would like to do this as soon as possible, at his convenience.”
The challenge came as it was claimed that the Duke had insisted on being “loyal” when advised to dump Epstein after his conviction for sex offences.
The Duke, 59, issued a statement on Sunday saying he was “appalled by the recent reports of Jeffrey Epstein’s alleged crimes”.
It added: “His Royal Highness deplores the exploitation of any human being and the suggestion he would condone, participate in or encourage any such behaviour is abhorrent.”
The unusual decision to issue a statement led to questions over why the Duke visited Epstein at his Manhattan mansion in 2010, two years after the financier had admitted having sex with an underage girl and was linked to the molestation of 36 others.
A video of his stay emerged over the weekend.
A Buckingham Palace spokesman said last night: “The Duke has said that this was an error of judgment.”
When pictures emerged at the time of the 2010 trip showing the Duke, then a UK trade envoy, walking with Epstein in Central Park, royal aides were said to be tearing their hair out. He quit his role as trade envoy the year after.
In 2011, a friend of the Duke’s told Vanity Fair: “After Jeffrey was convicted, I phoned Andrew and told him: ‘You cannot have a relationship with Jeffrey. You can’t do these things.’”
The friend said the call turned into a screaming match, adding: “Finally Andrew said: ‘Jeffrey’s my friend. Being loyal to your friends is a virtue. I’m going to be loyal to him.’”
The friend claimed that the Duke has a “stubborn streak” and will “ignore the truth” about someone if he likes them. When asked about the remarks attributed to the Duke, Buckingham Palace said it did not comment on alleged comments made by members of the Royal family.
Ms Giuffre alleged in court papers in Florida that she was forced to have sex with the Duke when she was 17, which is under the age of consent in the state.
She alleged she had sex with him “three times, including one orgy” in London, at Epstein’s New York home, and at an “orgy” on his private island in the Caribbean.
But Buckingham Palace has branded Ms Giuffre’s allegations “false and without any foundation”, adding: “Any suggestion of impropriety with underage minors” by the Duke was “categorically untrue”.
Ms Giuffre’s allegations were later struck from the court record.
In releasing the court papers, the Federal Appeals Court in New York noted that materials submitted to a court should not be understood as firm findings or ‘some sort of marker of reliability’.