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Tag: Prince Andrew

  • Prince Andrew’ stayed weeks’ at Epstein residence – Witness

    Prince Andrew’ stayed weeks’ at Epstein residence – Witness

    Prince Andrew was at Jeffrey Epstein‘s house in Florida for many weeks, according to new court documents. Epstein was a sex offender and a financier.

    Juan Alessi, who took care of Epstein’s house in Palm Beach, said that the Duke of York slept in the guest room and got massages every day.

    The testimony is in about 1,300 pages of evidence that came out on Friday.

    The documents also show how Epstein found and used victims for sexual exploitation, which is troubling.

    This week, a federal court ordered that many pages of legal documents be made public.

    The legal documents are from a 2015 court case where someone accused Ghislaine Maxwell, who used to be Jeffrey Epstein’s girlfriend, of saying bad things about them.

    In 2009, Mr. Alessi told investigators that Prince Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson were friends of Epstein and Maxwell. The duchess didn’t do anything wrong and Prince Andrew says he didn’t do anything wrong either.

    When asked if they ever got massages at the Palm Beach mansion, Mr. Alessi said, “Prince Andrew did. ”

    He said the duchess came to the house for a short time, but Prince Andrew stayed with us for many weeks and got massages every day.

    “I don’t know if he got more than one massage each day, but I think he only got one,” he said.

    In a legal document that was made public this week, a person named Jane Doe 3 claims that she was made to have sex with Prince Andrew when she was 17. This allegedly happened in Maxwell’s apartment in London, in New York, and on Epstein’s private resort in the US Virgin Islands, along with other underage girls. This claim is not new, and the British royal has always said they did nothing wrong.

    In 2019, the Duke of York told the BBC that he didn’t remember meeting Ms Giuffre. In 2022, he gave her money to settle her lawsuit for sexual assault, but didn’t admit he did anything wrong.

    In the papers released on Friday, people said they were told to find and bring girls to Epstein.

    Tony Figueroa, a person who used to work with Ms. Giuffre, said that Epstein and Maxwell gave $200 for each girl that went to the mansion.

    Mr Figueroa said that when he was 19 years old, he was given money to bring young girls to Epstein’s house and he often saw other young women there.

    The girls would talk to Maxwell in Epstein’s kitchen for 10 to 15 minutes before going upstairs to give a “massage”, according to the papers.

    Mr Figueroa thought the girls were brought to give sexual favors to Epstein.

    The legal papers show that Mr. Figueroa said “No” when he was asked if any of them were real massage therapists.

    Mr Figueroa said that he often asked girls from his high school to join his group.

    He did not ask how old they were, but he thought they were all 16 to 19 years old.

    In 2009, Mr Alessi said he remembered seeing Donald Trump at Epstein’s mansion. Donald Trump owns the nearby Mar-a-Lago golf club.

    The witness said Mr Trump had dinner with Mr Alessi in the kitchen, but never got a massage during any visit.

    Mr Alessi said he also saw Bill Clinton on Epstein’s private plane.

    Neither Clinton nor Mr. Trump are being accused of doing anything wrong in connection to their relationship with the disgraced financier.

    The trove includes a document from 2010 where Adriana Ross, a former model and assistant of Epstein from Poland, gave a statement. She was mentioned in a 2007 agreement as someone who might have helped Epstein with his crimes.

    They asked her if she knew that a former security adviser to President Clinton went to Epstein’s house three weeks after the police searched it in 2005.

    The lawyer asked Ms. Ross if Mr. Berger, who passed away in 2015, had warned Epstein about the upcoming raid. She said no to answering.

    She was asked if she knew that a friend of Epstein brought three 12-year-old girls from France to him for his birthday, and then sent them back the next day after sexually exploiting them.

    She said: “I won’t answer. ”

    The lawyer said that a French person, Jean-Luc Brunel, brought the girls here.

    Ms Ross said no again. Brunel committed suicide in a Paris jail in 2022 while waiting to go to trial for rape.

    A lot of the information that was made public this week was already talked about during Maxwell’s trial.

    She is the daughter of a famous publisher, Robert Maxwell. In 2021, she was found guilty and is now in prison for 20 years for helping Epstein find people.

    In 2008, Epstein admitted to paying for sex from a young person and in 2019 he died by suicide while waiting for trial for sex-trafficking.

  • Prince Andrew’s claims not being looked into – Met Police

    Prince Andrew’s claims not being looked into – Met Police

    The Metropolitan Police said they are not looking into claims about the Duke of York and his ties to the late Jeffrey Epstein who was involved in child abuse.

    Prince Andrew is being accused of touching a woman inappropriately at Epstein’s house in court documents that were made public. He has said before that this is not true.

    The Met said it will look at any new and important information if someone tells them about it.

    The prince is one of many important people listed in the files.

    The new papers are part of a legal case against Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s girlfriend. She has been arrested for helping him hurt girls.

    Many of the claims in the papers are not new.

    The files have a long story from Johanna Sjoberg. She met Prince Andrew at Epstein’s house in New York in 2001. Also there were Epstein’s friend Maxwell and Virginia Giuffre. She later filed a claim against the prince for a sexual assault, and they agreed on a settlement.

    Ms Sjoberg says that Prince Andrew touched her breast during an encounter. Buckingham Palace has said that the allegations are completely false.

    British group against king and queen, Republic, said it told the police about the prince after the papers came out this week.

    The force knew about the documents getting out, but they haven’t started looking into it yet.

    “We will look at any new and important information that is brought to our attention,” a spokesperson said.

    Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he won’t talk about the police or court cases involving Prince Andrew.

    Keir Starmer, the leader of the Labour party and a former top prosecutor, said that when people make believable accusations, those accusations should be looked into.

    “I saw the headlines but not the details. Whoever it is, if there are believable accusations, they should be investigated,” he said on LBC.

    The papers mention some famous people like former US presidents Bill Clinton and Donald Trump.

    The papers do not have any claims of Mr. Trump doing something wrong, and there is no suggestion that Mr. Clinton did anything illegal.

    Epstein, a wealthy man who had connections in the government, business, and royal families, died in jail in 2019. He was accused of running a large group of young girls for sex.

    Maxwell went to prison for 20 years in July 2020. She has asked for help, and they will listen to her in November next year.

    Prince Andrew said he would stop doing his royal duties in 2019 because of the Epstein scandal.

  • Jeffrey Epstein: Court documents mention Prince Andrew and Bill Clinton

    Jeffrey Epstein: Court documents mention Prince Andrew and Bill Clinton

    Prince Andrew and Bill Clinton are mentioned in court papers about Jeffrey Epstein, a sex offender who has passed away.

    The new documents are part of a case against Ghislaine Maxwell, who is in jail for helping Epstein abuse girls.

    However, the papers released up to now do not reveal any big new accusations about Epstein or new information about the people he knew.

    Prince Andrew is being accused of touching a woman in a way that made her uncomfortable, but he says he didn’t do it.

    Other people mentioned in the papers are singer Michael Jackson and magician David Copperfield. But they are not accused of doing anything wrong.

    Mr Clinton is mentioned in many of the papers. The past president of the United States admitted he knew Epstein in the past, but he said he didn’t know about any of Epstein’s crimes.

    The first set of files, which cover about 900 pages, were released on Wednesday after a judge in New York named Loretta Preska ordered it. Many of the people mentioned in the files were already known from the media or from Maxwell’s trial.

    Judge Preska said that many people did not object to the release of the documents. However, she decided that some names should be blacked out because they would reveal the identities of people who were abused.

    Some of the over 100 people on the list say things about others or might have seen something, and more papers will be shared soon.

    Epstein admitted to paying a young person for sex in 2009 and died by suicide in 2019 while waiting for his trial on charges of selling people for sex.

    Prince Andrew’s alleged groping

    The new files mention Johanna Sjoberg, who said that Prince Andrew touched her breast while they were sitting on a couch in Epstein’s apartment in 2001.

    Buckingham Palace has said that her claims are completely false. They have chosen not to say anything about the new documents, because they don’t speak for the Duke of York anymore, as he is no longer doing royal duties. The BBC has asked Prince Andrew to share his thoughts.

    During a statement, Ms. Sjoberg said that Prince Andrew touched her breast while posing for a picture with another accuser, Virginia Giuffre, and a puppet with his name on it.

    In 2022, the British prince gave lots of money to Ms Giuffre to end a case she made saying he did something bad to her when she was 17.

    Prince Andrew said he never met Ms Giuffre and he said her accusations were not true.

    Bill Clinton’s trips around the world.

    The court documents also mention former US President Clinton, but there is no suggestion that he did anything illegal. When asked for a response, the people who speak for him pointed to a statement he made in 2019 where he said he doesn’t know anything about what Epstein did.

    Based on the information, Ms. Sjoberg said that Epstein told her that Mr. Clinton “likes young girls. ”

    The files have statements from Maxwell saying that Mr. Clinton went on Epstein’s plane, but she doesn’t know how many times.

    Mr Clinton flew on Epstein’s plane for trips to Africa in the early 2000s. He thought Epstein was good at helping people, but then stopped being friends with him.

    The ex-president of the United States said in 2019 that he traveled on Epstein’s plane with people who worked for and supported his charity, the Clinton Foundation.

    “His bodyguards went with him on every part of every journey,” he said.

    The court papers have a part where Maxwell’s lawyer tries to prove that a media story about Mr. Clinton going to Epstein’s island right after he left his job in January 2001 is not true.

    Maxwell’s lawyer said the former US president did not go to or be on Little St James Island from January 1, 2001 to January 1, 2003.

    The lawyer said that if the claim was true, Secret Service agents would have had to show records of their travel for the trip.

    More update on this story soon

  • King Charles kicks out Harry and Meghan from Royal House

    King Charles kicks out Harry and Meghan from Royal House

    The King has asked the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to move out of Frogmore Cottage for good to allow Prince Andrew to move in, The Telegraph understands.

    It is understood that talks between Buckingham Palace and the couple have been going on for some time but have picked up pace recently.

    A friend of the Sussexes suggested that they leave Frogmore, but the couple refused, stating that “they made that place their home.”

    They are understood to view the cottage as “the only place left that’s safe” for them and their children in the UK, not least given the ongoing row between Prince Harry and the Home Office over its decision to withdraw his security detail.

    It comes as the Duke of York had feared he would be forced out of the Royal Lodge by King Charles, who is on a drive to slim down spending.

    The Duke is set to have his £249,000 annual allowance cut from April, and has told friends that this will leave him unable to maintain the 98-acre Windsor property.

    However, the King does not intend to leave his brother “homeless or penniless,” a Royal source told The Telegraph, suggesting that alternative arrangements have been made for his accommodation.

    Frogmore cottage is much smaller than Royal Lodge, a 30-room mansion at Windsor Great Park which has been the Duke’s home since 2003.

    Frogmore cottage, with its relatively modest ten rooms, is much smaller than Royal Lodge - Westbury2006/flickr
    Frogmore cottage, with its relatively modest ten rooms, is much smaller than Royal Lodge – Westbury2006/flickr

    The Duke and Duchess of Sussex lost their taxpayer-funded police protection in the aftermath of their quitting as senior working royals. In July, Prince Harry won the right to challenge a Home Office decision not to grant him automatic police protection whenever he is in the UK.

    The Duke, 37, argued that he inherited a risk at birth and that, as such, he, his wife Meghan, and their children, Archie, 2, and Lilibet, 1, should be afforded permanent protective security in the UK, regardless of their status as non-working royals.

    Prince Andrew horse riding in Windsor Castle - Kelvin Bruce
    Prince Andrew horse riding in Windsor Castle – Kelvin Bruce

    In asking for a judicial review, he said he had been denied a “clear and full explanation” of the composition of the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures, otherwise known as Ravec, and others involved in the decision to rescind his security status.

    Ravec said at the time that the Sussexes’ plan to live abroad as private citizens did not “fit readily” into any category of its framework.

    However, it recognised that the Duke occupied a “particular and unusual position” and that he may need protection in certain circumstances, to be considered on a case by case basis.

    The Sussex’ spokeswoman could not be reached for comment.

  • Royals: Prince Andrew and Prince Harry royal counsellor roles challenged

    The role of Prince Andrew and Prince Harry in standing in for King Charles for official duties has been questioned in the House of Lords.

    They continue to be two of the five “counsellors of state” who can carry out important constitutional duties if the monarch is ill or away.

    When one had “left public life” and the other had “left the country,” Viscount Stansgate questioned their status.

    It was time for a “sensible amendment” to end this arrangement, he said.

    Lord Addington, a Liberal Democrat, suggested that working royals – “somebody who actually undertakes royal duties” – should be given priority for these roles.

    In response to questions from peers, the Lord Privy Seal, Lord True, said he would not comment on “specific circumstances”, and the Royal Household would need to be consulted about any change.

    But Lord True told the House of Lords: “The government will always consider what arrangements are needed to ensure resilience in our constitutional arrangements.

    “And in the past, we have seen that the point of accession has proved a useful opportunity to consider the arrangements in place.”

    Under the Regency Act, the counselors of state are the spouse of the monarch and the next four in the line of succession, over the age of 21.

    At present these are Camilla, the Queen Consort; Prince William, the Prince of Wales; Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex; Prince Andrew, Duke of York, and his daughter, Princess Beatrice.

    They can carry out official duties, such as signing documents, receiving ambassadors or attending Privy Council meetings, if the monarch is temporarily ill or abroad,

    This authority was used earlier this year to allow the then Prince Charles to carry out the State Opening of Parliament on behalf of the late Queen.

    Labour peer Viscount Stansgate – who is Stephen Benn, the eldest son of Labour politician Tony Benn – said this showed the value of updating the Regency Act, to ensure royals were available to stand in.

    “It is the only reason why it was possible to open the current session of this Parliament,” he told peers.

    And he called on the government to approach the King over changes to the current arrangements, now that Prince Harry was living in the United States and Prince Andrew no longer carried out royal duties.

    Changes to the legislation would be the responsibility of the Cabinet Office and a spokeswoman referred back to the comments of the Lord Privy Seal.

    Representatives of Prince Harry and Prince Andrew declined to comment.

  • I will always hold you close to my heart, Prince Andrew says in a homage to the Queen

    The statement Prince Andrew made in honour of the Queen was accompanied by a black and white photo of his mother cradling him as a baby in March 1960. Prince Andrew is no longer a working royal.

    “Mummy, your love for a son, your compassion, your care, and your confidence I will keep forever,” the Duke of York said in a tribute to the Queen.

    In memory of his brother Charles, he concluded it with the phrase “God Save The King.”

    The Duke of York said he would miss the late monarch’s “insights, advice, and humour”, saying he “found your knowledge and wisdom infinite”.

    The statement read: “Dear Mummy, Mother, Your Majesty, three in one. Your Majesty, it has been an honour and privilege to serve you.

    “Mother – of the nation, your devotion and personal service to our nation is unique and singular; your people show their love and respect in so many different ways and I know you are looking on honouring their respect.

    “Mummy, your love for a son, your compassion, your care, your confidence I will treasure forever. I have found your knowledge and wisdom infinite, with no boundary or containment.

    Prince Andrew at vigil

    “I will miss your insights, advice, and humour. As our book of experiences closes, another opens, and I will forever hold you close to my heart with my deepest love and gratitude, and I will tread gladly into the next with you as my guide.

    “God save The King.”

    Prince Andrew stepped down from public life over his friendship with paedophile billionaire Jeffrey Epstein in 2019.

    He has been stripped of his honorary military roles, including Colonel of the Grenadier Guards, and has given up his HRH style.

    At one point during the commemorations for the Queen’s death, he was heckled by a man in the crowd.

    The Duke of York has settled a civil sexual assault case against a woman he claimed never to have met. The exact amount of the settlement has not been disclosed, but some reports at the time put it at £12m.

    Virginia Giuffre sued him for allegedly sexually assaulting her when she was 17 after she was trafficked by Epstein.

    Andrew has always denied the claims.