‘I have no recollection of ever meeting this lady, none whatsoever’
Prince Andrew made news this weekend as he finally addressed his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, 66-year-old multimillionaire businessman and registered sex offender who died in an apparent suicide earlier this year.
Epstein was being held without bail on charges of sex trafficking girls (some as young as 14), with the financier also making news this year for reportedly using his business relationship with Leslie Wexner, CEO of the L Brands, to take advantage of aspiring Victoria’s Secret models.
Prince Andrew’s name has been linked to Epstein’s after footage emerged reportedly showing the Royal in Jeffrey Epstein’s mansion in 2010.
In an attempt to address the allegations, Prince Andrew did a royal first this weekend, engaging in a one-hour interview about Epstein with BBC Newsnight's Emily Maitlis, aired on Saturday from Buckingham Palace.
Calling the scandal ‘a constant sore’ in the family, Prince Andrew ‘categorically’ denied the allegations.
‘It didn't happen,’ the Queen’s son claimed of Virginia Giuffre’s allegations, who was just 17-years-old at the time. ’It didn't happen. I can absolutely categorically tell you it never happened. I have no recollection of ever meeting this lady, none whatsoever.’
Going on to talk about Epstein’s attendance at Princess Beatrice's 18th birthday party, Prince Andrew explained: 'At the time, I certainly wasn't aware when the invitation was issued, what was going on in the United States. And I wasn't aware until the media picked up on it because he certainly never said anything about it.’
He continued of his immediate family: ‘We all knew him, and I think that if we have a conversation about it, we are all left with the same thing, what on earth happened? Or how did he get to where he was, what did he do, how did he do it? '
The internet was not impressed with the interview, with viewers taking to Twitter to express their incredulity at Prince Andrew's comments in which he explained that he could not physically sweat and gave Pizza Express in Woking as an alibi.
'I don’t believe Prince Andrew', one viewer Tweeted: 'I think the interview has actually convinced more people that he’s lying.'
‘The Crown Script writers are going to be so busy unpacking all this’, posted a separate viewer, while another wrote: 'If Pizza Express don't get Prince Andrew to do an advert....they're missing a trick!'
The royal family have not commented since the interview.
