A source purported to have been close to Jeffrey Epstein has given an account of what happened during Andrew’s alleged stay at the late pedophiles Manhattan estate.
In an exclusive interview with The Mail on Sunday a former model who was allegedly part of Epstein’s inner circle, claims that the billionaire pedophile arranged for three young women to meet Prince Andrew at his infamous New York mansion.
The claims, if true, undermine the Duke’s account of a six-day trip in 2010 where he said his visit was to end his friendship with Epstein.
Discussing the visit in a widely-criticised BBC interview in November, Andrew said: “Now, I went there with the sole purpose of saying to him that because he had been convicted, it was inappropriate for us to be seen together.”
The Mail Online reports: The women, who were all in their early 20s, were told to ‘dress up beautifully’ for the meetings with the Duke of York at the tycoon’s £60 million home, she claimed in an exclusive interview with The Mail on Sunday.
At least two of the alleged meetings are believed to have been during Andrew’s now-infamous stay with the convicted sex offender in December 2010.
If true, the claims would undermine Andrew’s account of the six-day trip which has plagued him for almost a decade and ultimately led to his withdrawal from public life.
In his disastrous Newsnight interview with Emily Maitlis last year, Andrew insisted that the ‘sole purpose’ of the visit was to cut ties with Epstein.
Many were astonished by his claim and questions were raised about why he needed to stay at the mansion at all – and why he stayed for so long.
The comings and goings of a string of glamorous women and celebrities, including Woody Allen, also raised eyebrows. Now one woman, who was so close to Epstein that she was in the financier’s Upper East Side townhouse at the same time as Andrew, has broken her silence to reveal her version of events.
It is the first time a source close to the paedophile, who was found dead in his New York jail cell last year, has given an account of what happened during Andrew’s stay in Manhattan.
In bombshell testimony, the insider, who we have agreed not to name, claimed:
- The Duke treated Epstein’s house ‘like it was his’ and stayed in an opulent bedroom that was dubbed ‘Room Britannica’
- Epstein used Andrew to ‘attract women’ to his home and as a ‘promotion tool’ to rebuild his reputation after serving 13 months in jail following his conviction for sex offences in 2008
- The tycoon falsely promised young women that their ‘reward’ for meeting the Duke would be a ‘bright career future, powerful connections and money’
- Andrew asked one of the women whether she had a boyfriend
- Epstein bragged about watching the film The King’s Speech with Andrew in an exclusive screening at his home before its UK release
- Andrew may have had his feet massaged by a woman while watching the Oscar-winning movie starring Colin Firth, which depicts how his grandfather, King George VI, battled to overcome a stammer.
A spokesman for the Duke last night declined to comment.