Explosive new pictures show Prince Andrew with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein and his alleged pimp Ghislaine Maxwell at the UK races. Video / BBC
After more than two weeks, the scandal engulfing Prince Andrew, Duke of York, over his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein shows no signs of abating.
On Tuesday, Virginia Giuffre, in her first UK interview, appeared on the BBC's Panorama program, alleging she was forced to have sex with the royal after being trafficked by Epstein. Andrew has strenuously denied ever having sex with Ms Giuffre.
"I had just been abused by a member of the royal family, so when you talk about these chains, I wasn't chained to a sink, but these powerful people were my chains," Ms Giuffre (formerly Roberts) said. "One thing that I can tell you is you never forget the face of someone who has heaved over you."
Virginia Roberts holds a photo of herself at age 16, when she says Palm Beach multimillionaire Jeffrey Epstein began abusing her sexually. Photo / Getty Images
Ms Giuffre's interview comes in the wake of the Duke's recent toe-curling November TV grilling, during which he described the behaviour of Epstein, a man who was on the sex offenders' register, as "unbecoming" and said he had stayed at the financier's New York mansion because it was "convenient".
Here is what Ms Giuffre and Andrew have each said about several crucial but disputed events.
LONDON MEETING
She says: Giuffre says that when she was only 17 years old she travelled to London with Epstein and his ex-girlfriend and alleged madam Ghislaine Maxwell. Ms Giuffre says one morning, "Ghislaine woke me up in the morning and said: 'You're gonna meet a prince today'."
The duo then went shopping, and that night, she went out to dinner with Epstein, Maxwell and the royal before moving on to Tramp, a members-only nightclub. There, Ms Giuffre says she and the Prince danced and later: "In the car, Ghislaine tells me that I have to do for Andrew what I do for Jeffrey – and that just made me sick.
Virginia Giuffre (nee Roberts) was a vulnerable teen when she was allegedly trafficked by Epstein.
"I just didn't expect that from royalty. I just didn't expect that from someone people look up to and admire."
When they returned to Ms Maxwell's Belgravia home, Ms Giuffre says she had sex with the Prince.
"It didn't last long," she said of the alleged encounter. "He got up, and he said thanks. I sat there in bed, just horrified and ashamed and felt dirty."
He says: Andrew has repeatedly and vigorously refuted Ms Giuffre's sex claims. In a statement put out this week, Buckingham Palace said: "It is emphatically denied that the Duke of York had any form of sexual contact or relationship with Virginia Roberts. Any claim to the contrary is false and without foundation."
During Andrew's Newsnight interview, he said he had "no recollection" of meeting Ms Giuffre.
The Duke also said that he could not have been at Tramp that night as he had been at a Pizza Express with his daughter Beatrice for a party at "four or five in the afternoon". He went on to say that he clearly remembered the event "because going to Pizza Express in Woking is an unusual thing for me to do, a very unusual thing for me to do".
THE MYSTERY COCKTAIL
She says: The now 35-year-old says that on the March night in question, once they reached Tramp nightclub, the Duke bought her a drink. "He had something clear. I know mine was vodka," she said.
He says: Andrew disputed this, telling the BBC: "I don't know where the bar is in Tramps. I don't drink, I don't think I've ever bought a drink in Tramps whenever I was there." (The royal has been teetotal for decades.)
THE SWEATING
She says: When she was with Andrew, he perspired profusely. Ms Giuffre told the BBC this week: "This guy was sweating all over me, like his sweat was, like it was raining basically everywhere. I was just like grossed out from it, but I knew I had to keep him happy because that's what Jeffrey and Ghislaine would have expected from me."
The scandal has forced Andrew to step down from his royal duties. Photo / AP
He says: That at the time, he was unable to sweat.
During Andrew's sit-down with the BBC last month, he said that an old war injury made this impossible.
"I have a peculiar medical condition which is that I don't sweat or I didn't sweat at the time," the 59-year-old said. "I didn't sweat at the time because I had suffered what I would describe as an overdose of adrenaline in the Falklands War when I was shot at and I simply … it was almost impossible for me to sweat."
THE PHOTO
She says: In 2011, Ms Giuffre produced a photograph of herself with Andrew's arm around her bare waist while Ms Maxwell stands nearby. Ms Giuffre alleges the shot was taken by Epstein at Maxwell's Belgravia home after they returned home from Tramp.
After more than two weeks, the scandal engulfing Prince Andrew, Duke of York, over his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein shows no signs of abating. Photo / AP
He says: He has "absolutely no memory of that photograph ever being taken".
The Prince has also said, "I don't believe it's a picture of me in London because when I would go out to … I wear a suit and a tie. Those are my travelling clothes." He also said: "I am not one to, as it were, hug, and public displays of affection are not something that I do."
Supporters of the Duke, earlier this year, called into question the veracity of the photo, alleging the image has been doctored because the royal's fingers are "much chubbier" in real life.
Addressing this suggestion on Tuesday, Ms Giuffre said: "People on the inside are going to keep coming up with these ridiculous excuses like his arm was elongated or the photo was doctored. I mean, I'm calling BS on this."
US RENDEZVOUS
Ms Giuffre has alleged she and Andrew had sex three times – firstly in London, a second time in New York and a third on Epstein's private island, Little Saint James.
The Times reports flight logs for Epstein's private jet show Ms Giuffre was in these locations on the days she alleges.
That infamous photo of Prince Andrew and his accuser Virginia Giuffre (then Roberts), allegedly taken when she was just 17 years old. Photo / US District Court Southern District of Florida
He says: Andrew denied staying with Epstein during the New York trip and said he stayed with the US consul general Sir Thomas Harris.
"I wasn't staying there. I may have visited but, no, definitely didn't, definitely, definitely no, no, no activity," he told the BBC.
In November, Sir Thomas, 74, told the Daily Mail he had "no recollection" of the Prince staying at his official residence. "It doesn't sound as if he stayed with me," Sir Thomas said. "I don't recall him staying with me."
CARIBBEAN ORGY
She says: Andrew took part in an orgy on Little Saint James with Epstein and nine girls. In evidence to a Florida court in 2015, Ms Giuffre wrote: "The third time I had sex with Andy was in an orgy on Epstein's private island in the US Virgin Islands. I was around 18 at the time. Epstein, Andy, approximately eight other young girls and I had sex together. The other girls all seemed and appeared to be under the age of 18 and didn't really speak English. Epstein laughed about the fact they couldn't really communicate, saying that they are the 'easiest' girls to get along with."
He says: Andrew told the BBC, "Absolutely no to all of it."
The Times has reported: "There is no official record of his whereabouts at the time of the alleged episode in the US Virgin Islands, though he was reported to have been in the region at the time, on holiday in the Bahamas, a short fight away, with his wife and daughters."
Daniela Elser is a royal expert and writer with 15 years' experience working with a number of Australia's leading titles.
