Andrew rides into new storm over sex ‘alibi’
A PENSIVE Prince Andrew went riding yesterday as fresh questions emerged over his ‘alibi’ for the night he is alleged to have had sex with a teenage trafficking victim.
The Duke of York, who has repeatedly and strenuously denied the claim and any wrongdoing, wore a long wax coat as he rode around the grounds of Windsor Castle with a female groom. He was earlier seen driving around the Berkshire estate. His appearance came as an investigation provided new details of the Prince’s movements on March 10, 2001 – the day he is alleged to have slept with Virginia Roberts, now known as Virginia Roberts Giuffre – when she was just 17.
She claims that she was trafficked to London by US paedophile Jeffrey Epstein and had sex with Andrew at the Belgravia home of socialite Ghislaine Maxwell. He denies her accusations.
It emerged yesterday that Andrew had a manicure booked during the afternoon of March 10, 2001 when he says that he dropped off his daughter Princess Beatrice, then aged 12, at a party in Woking, Surrey. During a disastrous BBC interview last year, Andrew claimed he took Beatrice to a Pizza Express for a party ‘at I suppose four or five in the afternoon’.
However, a family diary revealed by the Daily Mail and appearing to set out the Yorks’ schedule for that day lists a party at Woking’s New Victoria Theatre.
On that particular Saturday, the theatre was hosting a production of the classic farce Noises Off. Matinee performances there normally begin at 2.30pm.
At the exact same time, the document lists the word ‘ manicure’, which had been booked for ‘ A’ – understood to denote Andrew – and was due to be carried out by ‘Jeanne’. The third entry for the diary simply states ‘Pizza Express’.
The diary raises the possibility that if Beatrice attended the matinee, she would have done so when Andrew was due for his manicure. Alternatively, she could have missed the show and been dropped off by Andrew in the late afternoon as he recalled, or the Duke picked his daughter up after the meal.
It also emerged yesterday that Andrew’s police bodyguard that weekend – who may have been able to confirm the Duke’s alibi – has died. Last night, a spokesman for the Duke said: ‘It would not be appropriate to comment on these matters.’
It was also claimed yesterday that Ms Maxwell’s stepchildren were heartbroken by her arrest in July. It is claimed that Maxwell and American shipping entrepreneur Scott Borgerson married following his divorce from wife Rebecca in December 2015. The couple have a 13- year- old son and ten- yearold daughter.
Brian Basham, one of Ms Maxwell’s representatives, said the children were shocked when the 58-year-old daughter of Robert Maxwell was arrested on suspicion of procuring girls as young as 14 for Epstein. Ms Maxwell denies all the charges.
‘Scott is devastated and so are his children because Ghislaine has been their proxy mother,’ said Mr Basham. ‘They had been living in perfect harmony until this broke. I’m told that Scott’s kids have had to be taken out of school because of all the attention.’