Prince Andrew on staying with Jeffrey Epstein - 'I let the side down' Video / BBC
Following the news Prince Andrew will give a "no holds barred" interview about his relationship with the late Jeffrey Epstein, Duchess Fergie has taken to Twitter to show her support – gushing over her ex-husband with a glowing character description.
The Duke of York will speak to BBCNewsnight in a world exclusive about his links to Epstein, the disgraced billionaire and convicted paedophile who died in a New York jail cell in August. His death was ruled a suicide.
Newsnight presenter Emily Maitlis tweeted the news on Friday, saying the interview had already taken place at Buckingham Palace, reports News.com.au.
Saturday 9pm. BBC2. No holds barred interview - no questions vetted- with Prince Andrew. https://t.co/erRkhJ1hTd
Today, his ex wife Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, tweeted a series of photos of Prince Andrew, describing him as "a true and real gentleman" and "stoically steadfast to not only his duty but also his kindness and goodness."
It follows an Instagram post on Friday in which she said she was "deeply supportive and proud of this giant of a principled man."
It is so rare to meet people that are able to speak from their hearts with honesty+pure real truth, that remain steadfast and strong to their beliefs. Andrew is a true+real gentleman and is stoically steadfast to not only his duty but also his kindness + goodness @TheDukeOfYorkpic.twitter.com/qg40lU4Qkf
"For so many years he has gone about his duties for Great Britain and The Monarch. It is time for Andrew to stand firm now, and that he has, and I am with him every step of the way," she wrote.
BBC royal correspondent Jonny Dymond said the decision to conduct an interview with the heavy-hitting Newsnight would not have been taken lightly.
"It's a sign of how bad things are for Prince Andrew and his reputation that he has chosen to give an interview like this. This is not a fireside chat with an old family friend. This is a long, and presumably, forensic interview with one of the BBC's best," he wrote.
As reported by the New York Post, Prince Andrew claims in the interview that he "kicks himself … on a daily basis" over the friendship he had with the late paedophile financier — but he can't remember ever meeting the teenage "sex slave" he's accused of bedding.
"I stayed with him and that's … I kick myself for on a daily basis because it was not something that was becoming of a member of the royal family and we try and uphold the highest standards and practices and I let the side down, simple as that," he said.
He's accused of having sex with 17-year-old Virginia Roberts Giuffre three times.
Prince Andrew maintains that he has 'no recollection' of meeting Giuffre (right). Photo / AP
"I have no recollection of ever meeting this lady, none whatsoever," said Prince Andrew, 59, according to quotes from the interview released Friday.
The brief excerpts of the interview make no mention of a photo from the time period, apparently showing Prince Andrew with his arm around a then-17-year-old Giuffre's waist, with Maxwell in the background.
The royal family rarely speak on their private lives, and when they do it creates huge news, he said, citing Princess Diana's marriage misery and Meghan and Harry's recent confirmation of their struggles.
"So many questions have been stonewalled for so long, with the Prince's right to privacy given as the reason. By sitting down with the BBC, he has waived that right. It seems like a huge risk. But the Prince and his advisers have judged that the risk of saying nothing is greater."
Prince Andrew has come under increasing pressure to explain his relationship to Jeffrey Epstein, after the pair were pictured walking in Central Park together and he was spotted waving off a young woman from inside Epstein's New York home.
Britain's Prince Andrew leaves King Edward VII hospital in London after visiting his father Prince Philip. Photo / AP
Virginia Roberts Giuffre alleges she was used as a sex slave and was made to have sex with Prince Andrew three times between 1999 and 20002, in London, New York and the Caribbean.
At the time she was under-age according to Florida state's law.
She was pictured with the Duke of York in 2001, along with Ghislaine Maxwell.
Prince Andrew has vehemently denied the allegations against him.
In repeated statements, the Duke of York has said the claims – which were struck from the record by a judge in UK legal proceedings in 2015 as being "immaterial and impertinent" – are "false and without foundation".
"Any suggestion of impropriety with underage minors is categorically untrue," a statement from Buckingham Palace said earlier this year.
Friends of the royal have also tried to cast doubt on the infamous photo of him with Virgina Roberts Giuffre, saying his fingers look "too chubby" and the height is wrong.
Convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Photo / AP
However the Duke of York has been under increasing pressure to explain his links to Epstein following his death.
Ms Roberts Giuffre has also urged him to "come clean" and maintains the picture of the two of them is real.
"Those are his fingers. That is Andrew," Ms Roberts Giuffre told 60 Minutes on Sunday night.
"This photo has been verified as an original and it's been since given to the FBI and they've never contested that it's a fake. I know it's real. He needs to stop with all of these lame excuses. We're sick of hearing it. This is a real photo. That's the very first time I met him."
The full interview, which was shot at Buckingham Palace, is set to air on Saturday afternoon on BBC Two, according to the network.
