Epstein files: Prince Andrew spent weeks at the time in the villa

Another batch of files come to light

A US court recently made public hundreds of court documents related to Jeffrey Epstein, who became a world-famous figure after being accused of human trafficking, exploitation of minors, and developing sexual slavery.

It has been rumored for years that this story of sexual abuse and even possible pedophilia has certainly involved a number of famous and wealthy personalities from the world of politics, business, and the entertainment industry^[1].

Recently, US District Judge Loretta Preska ordered the release of most of the court documents that reveal the names of specific possible accomplices to Epstein's crimes. 

The documents were gathered in a civil suit against Ghislaine Maxwell. She was a loyal friend of Epstein, an accomplice in the crimes, who was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment.

The published list contains more than 150 names, including one of the UK's Princes and Prince Andrew, Duke of York, former US President Bill Clinton, the renowned scientist Stephan Hawking, the magician and illusionist David Copperfield, and many others.

This time, however, let's take a deeper look at Prince Andrew's relationship with Epstein.

The life of a royal family member: sex with minors and weeks at Epstein's villa

Prince Andrew had already retired from public life long before this, just after the uproar over his friendship with Epstein.

Later, he even paid a huge sum to have a civil case against Virginia Giuffre dismissed for sexual harassment. It was she who accused Prince Andrew of sexual harassment when she was just 17 years old^[2].

But now more details are coming to light. Recently released documents show how one witness claimed that Epstein kept pornographic videos of famous people and that Prince Andrew was among those filmed.

"When my girlfriend had sex with Clinton, Prince Andrew and Branson, Jeffrey actually filmed the sex tapes separately each time. Thank God she was able to get the footage of the sex tapes clearly showing the faces of Clinton, Prince Andrew and Branson having sex with her. It is a shame that Epstein was not seen in any of the footage, but he is so cunning. When my friend finally had the courage to speak out and went to the police in 2008 to report what had happened, nothing was done at the police station she went to to report the events and she was totally humiliated," says witness Sarah Ransome.

However, her claims have been challenged before. In a 2019 New Yorker article, Ransome herself claimed that she made up the recordings to draw attention to Epstein's behavior and to make him believe that she had evidence that would come to light if he harmed her.

However, Maxwell's defense lawyers have recently raised another situation that could be particularly embarrassing for Prince Andrew. The lawyers spoke at one court hearing about the fact that the bathtub in which Prince Andrew is said to have had sex with minors was too small for him to fit in, possibly signaling a lie by the victim witnesses^[3].

This argument, previously made by Maxwell and her legal representatives, also appears in the latest series of declassified documents.

In his testimony, lawyer Phillip Barden recalled these claims, saying that they were an example of the lies told by Giuffre, one of Epstein's alleged victims.

P. Barden testified:

"I recall that prior to the filing of the lawsuit in December 2014 and subsequent press reports, Giuffre explicitly stated that she did not have sexual relations with Prince Andrew. However, in her joinder application, she stated that she had had sex with Prince Andrew and that the sex had only taken place in a very small bath, too small for a man of Prince Andrew's height and stature to bathe in the bath, let alone have sex with him. Thus, from December 2014, it was clear that Guiffre had made statements to the contrary. She either lied when she said they did not have sex or when she said they did," the lawyer said, elaborating on possible details of Prince Andrew's intimate life.

According to a third series of previously unpublished court cases, Prince Andrew spent weeks at a time at Epstein's Florida mansion, even enjoying the services and massages of possibly underage girls.

This is according to Juan Alessi, who managed Epstein's residence in Palm Beach. He testified that the British Prince Andrew, Duke of York, used to stay in the guest bedroom where he received daily massages.

As recently as 2009, Alessi testified that Prince Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson were friends of Epstein. Alessi also stated that Prince Andrew would spend weeks at a time at the Palm Beach mansion receiving daily massages.

In documents made public on Friday, witnesses describe how people who worked in Epstein's circle were instructed to attract young girls to their side.

Tony Figueroa, a former partner of one of the victims, Giuffre, testified that Epstein and Maxwell paid US$200 for each girl who came to the mansion. Figueroa also stated that at the age of 19 he was paid to find and take teenage girls to Epstein's house.

He said that the girls would first talk to the guests of the mansion and then go upstairs for a massage. Figueroa says he believes that the girls were brought to provide sexual services for Epstein and his friends. The witness said that he often recruited girls directly from his high school.

Another story that could severely damage Prince Andrew has now come to light. Declassified court documents contain a detailed statement from a witness who says she was forcibly fondled by Prince Andrew at Epstein's home in New York.

This is the testimony of Johanna Sjoberg. She describes an encounter with Prince Andrew in 2001 at Epstein's house in New York. Sjoberg's statement states that Prince Andrew touched her and that Maxwell even showed her a sex doll of Prince Andrew.

At the time, Sjoberg, 20, was attending college and Maxwell, she alleged, employed her as an assistant. However, it later emerged that she had been encouraged to give sexual massages to Epstein and his wealthy friends, but she resisted.

Prince Andrew denies his guilt

Prince Andrew himself has denied any allegations against him for years. In a 2019 interview with the BBC, he said that he had no recollection of ever meeting Giuffre, who is accusing him.

However, in 2022, he paid her an undisclosed financial compensation to settle her sexual harassment claim.

Prince Andrew has also said that he regrets his association with Epstein and, in one case, even praised the courage of Giuffre and other victims in defending themselves and others.

In an earlier statement about its relationship with Epstein, Buckingham Palace said that Prince Andrew "condemns the abuse of any human being and the idea that he would condone, participate in or encourage such behavior is abhorrent."

In the wake of the scandal, Prince Andrew has retired from public life and is no longer an official member of the British royal family, nor can he use his royal titles.