The following article includes mentions of sexual abuse.
Few royals have faced a downfall as epic as Prince Andrew.
For all thescandals that have rocked the royal family, Andrew’s indiscretions arguably trump them all.
Seemingly overnight, the Duke of York went from a decorated war hero to a national disgrace.
Epstein spent decades abusing and trafficking girls and young women.
Their hopes were dashed, however, when Epstein died by suicide in his jail cell.
“He’s very bad at taking good advice, but very good at taking bad advice.”
Let’s get to the heart of the relationship between these two men of disparate worlds.
Here’s Prince Andrew’s controversial friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, explained.
Ferguson had reportedly become friendly with Epstein’s accomplice and erstwhile girlfriend,Ghislaine Maxwell.
It was reportedly through Maxwell that the two men became acquainted.
As a 2003Vanity Fairprofile noted, she was responsible for organizing Epstein’s social life.
As such, she introduced her royal pal to the elusive financier.
It remains unclear what drew the prince to the dodgy billionaire.
“I remember when Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein first became friends,” an insider toldVanity Fairin 2011.
“Jeffrey had Andrew put on a pair of sweatpants for the first time in his life.
He had him wear blue jeans for the first time.
It was Jeffrey who taught Andrew how to relax.”
Be that as it may, the royal mingling didn’t end there.
“It is an astounding lack of judgment at the very least.”
At the time, Epstein was set to be arrested for child abuse.
“And I wasn’t a party to it and I knew nothing about it.”
Subsequently, insiders have argued that Andrew became a vital asset for both Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.
“She’s his social fixer and he’s going along with it why?
Because I think Epstein’s fantastically impressed by it all.”
Indeed, a 2002New York Magazineprofile noted that Andrew was a staple of Epstein’s inner circle.
“So I said ‘that’s very kind, thank you very much indeed.'”
At the time, sources argued that Andrew was too naive to realize what he was getting himself into.
“He’s spiralling out of control,” the source added.
“He’s even started dressing like a 25-year-old in jeans and blazer.”
“Andrew has a stubborn streak.
“If he likes someone, he’ll ignore the truth about that person.
And that goes both for Jeffrey and Sarah.”
One such party featured numerous young Russian models who were dressed in eyebrow-raising attire.
“Some of the guests were horrified,” the woman recalled.
These antics led to embarrassment for the royal family, with Andrew being dubbed the “party prince.”
“He is not listening to reason.”
“I never have really partied,” he claimed.
Specifically, Andrew’s ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, was severely in debt.
Accordingly, she accepted a substantial loan from Epstein.
“Andrew feels responsible for Sarah.
What he did was wrong and for which he was rightly jailed.”
“It’s a mysterious relationship that they have,” journalist David Patrick Columbia told the outlet.
“In one way, they are soul mates, yet they are hardly companions anymore.
It’s a nice conventional relationship, where they serve each other’s purposes.”
“She is very manipulative, and winds people round her little finger.
The whole Andrew thing is probably being done for Epstein.
He was sentenced to 18 months in jail.
“It was definitely the wrong thing to do,” he admitted.
This admission falls in line with what insiders have said regarding the duke’s decision to continue seeing Epstein.
you’re able to’t do these things,'” an insider told Vanity Fair in 2011.
“And he said, ‘Stop giving me a hard time.
You’re such a puritan … Leave me alone.
Jeffrey’s my friend.
Being loyal to your friends is a virtue.'”
Sjoberg has also accused Andrew of groping her.
However, Giuffre did pursue legal action against Andrew, filing a civil suit in 2021.
The following year, the case was settled out of court for an undisclosed amount.
Andrew has always maintained his innocence throughout the proceedings.
“It is a photograph of a photograph of a photograph,” he said.
But in her aforementioned interview with the BBC (viaTime), Giuffre in turn accused Andrew of lying.
Namely, she called out his now infamous assertion that he is incapable of sweating.
“It was raining basically,” she said.
“The King has made it clear,” an insider toldThe Sun.
“He isn’t a working royal.
He’s on his own.”
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available.
