Overview
Prince Andrew, Duke of York and second son of Queen Elizabeth II, developed a friendship with Jeffrey Epstein that lasted from approximately the mid-1990s until at least 2011. The relationshipintroduced through Ghislaine Maxwell, who was an old friend of Andrew’sexposed the royal family to extraordinary reputational damage and culminated in a 2022 civil settlement payment estimated at -16 million.
How They Met
Ghislaine Maxwell and Prince Andrew had been friends since at least the 1990s, and Maxwell introduced Andrew to Epstein. The trio became part of overlapping social circles in London, New York, and the Caribbean.
Documented Interactions
Flight Logs: Prince Andrew appeared in Epstein’s flight logs on multiple occasions, including trips to Little Saint James.
Photographs: A widely reproduced photograph shows Andrew with his arm around Virginia Giuffre’s bare midriff, with Maxwell standing beside them. The photo was taken in Maxwell’s London townhouse. Andrew claimed the photo could be a fake; experts who examined it found no evidence of manipulation.
Post-Conviction Contact: Andrew met with Epstein at his Manhattan townhouse in December 2010after Epstein had served his sentence and was a registered sex offender. Andrew flew to New York specifically for this meeting. His own advisors advised against it. He later stated he should not have attended.
The BBC Newsnight Interview
In November 2019, Andrew gave an interview to BBC Newsnight in which he:
- Denied ever meeting Giuffre despite the photograph
- Claimed he could not sweat (explaining why victims’ accounts of being sweaty during encounters couldn’t be him)
- Offered a Pizza Express alibi for one alleged date
- Expressed no empathy for Epstein’s victims
The interview was widely considered one of the most damaging PR performances by a member of the royal family in modern history.
Civil Settlement and Stripping of Duties
After Giuffre filed suit in August 2021 and courts rejected Andrew’s attempt to dismiss the case, Andrew settled in February 2022. He was stripped of military titles and royal patronages and ceased performing any official royal functions.