Prince Andrew told Epstein it was ‘possible’ he was photographed with sex accuser Virginia Giuffre during 2011 MoS probe into the leaked picture but told BBC Newsnight it could have been ‘doctored’ just eight years later
Prince Andrew has privately admitted that he may have met Virginia Giuffre, who accused him of sexting him to pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
“I categorically don’t remember ever meeting him,” Andrew told interviewer Emily Maitlis in his disastrous interview with BBC Newsnight in 2019.
Asked if he had ‘categorically’ said he couldn’t remember Ms Giuffre, Andrew replied: ‘Yes.’ He also suggested that the famous photo of him with his arm around Ms Giuffre’s waist may have been a crude forgery, saying: ‘Nobody can prove whether that photo has been doctored, but I don’t remember that photo being taken.’
Prince Andrew has privately admitted that he may have met Virginia Giuffre, who accused him of sexting him to pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Pictured: Andrew with Ms Giuffre and Ghislaine Maxwell in 2001
In his famous Newsnight interview, Prince Andrew suggested the infamous photo of him with his arm around Ms Giuffre’s waist could be a crude forgery
But in a message to Epstein on February 25, 2011, two days before the MoS published an interview with Ms Giuffre and disclosed the photograph, Andrew appeared to acknowledge that he might have met her. Epstein was apparently updated on the MoS’ approach to him for comment before the story was published, writing: ‘Categorical denial of Sexual Relations. ‘I probably met him in a group with others and there’s probably a photo of him.’
He accused the MoS of “trying to do this unnecessarily… at the masterful instigation of Ms Roberts”. [Virginia Giuffre] I suspect whoever they contact will be identified from the court records.’
The prince added: ‘I am no longer interested in this matter but I will continue to keep watch.’
The revelation came in a bombshell email obtained by this newspaper that revealed Andrew asked his taxpayer-funded Met guard to investigate Virginia Giuffre and gave her her date of birth and secret social security number.
Shockingly, Andrew told Queen Elizabeth’s deputy press secretary Ed Perkins that he had asked one of the Met’s personal protection officers, who are part of the elite SO14 Royal Protection Group, to gather information about Ms Giuffre.
He had emailed Mr. Perkins hours before this newspaper first published the duke’s infamous photograph with the 17-year-old Ms. Giuffre; this would ultimately lead to his downfall.
‘He also appears to have a criminal record’ [United] States,’ he wrote. ‘I gave him DoB [date of birth] Social security number and social security number for review with on-duty police officer XXX [personal protection officer].’
While it is not suggested that the police officer complied with the prince’s request, Ms Giuffre’s family said last night that she had no criminal record.
Relatives said our statements ‘revealed how hard those involved tried to discredit and smear the survivors’. The truth will come out and there will be no shadow left for them to hide in’.
A spokesman for the Met told the MoS late on Saturday that they were ‘actively reviewing the allegations’.
Details of the shocking email come after Andrew was forced to give up all his remaining titles following damaging new revelations at the MoS last week about his friendship with pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. In a humiliating blow, Andrew will no longer be known as the Duke of York and is relinquishing his membership in the Order of the Garter, the country’s oldest order of chivalry.
Ms Giuffre’s family reiterated their demand for the King to strip Andrew of his title as Prince, adding: ‘We also demand a full investigation into how Andrew obtained Virginia’s private information.’
