A lawyer representing five women who have accused Jeffrey Epstein of abusing them plans to issue subpoenas to the Duke of York.
Prince Andrew has been urged to testify as a witness in relation to a series of abuse investigations related to deceased billionaire and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The Duke of York’s friendship with Epstein has been the subject of much speculation and was explored in-depth by BBC journalist Emily Maitlis in a televised sit-down interview last month.
Despite the interview resulting in arguable humiliation for its chief subject, Prince Andrew later stood by his words.
A new documentary aired on BBC One one Monday evening – The Prince and the Epstein Scandal – featuring an interview with Virginia Giuffre, who appeared in a photograph with Prince Andrew when she was 17 years of age.
In the photograph, Prince Andrew’s arm is visibly draped around Giuffre, who was known as Virginia Roberts at the time it was taken.
Giuffre had claimed in court papers in Florida that she was forced to have sex with Prince Andrew when she was 17, which is below that state’s legal age of consent.
“He knows what happened, I know what happened and there’s only one of us telling the truth,” she reiterated during the interview on Monday evening.
"I’m calling BS on this, because that’s what it is.”
Prince Andrew says he has no recollection of meeting Virginia Giuffre, nor of any photo being taken with her and he emphatically denies he had any form of sexual contact or relationship with her. pic.twitter.com/aqQ76kpPHI
— BBC Panorama (@BBCPanorama) December 2, 2019
Meanwhile, lawyer David Boies, who is representing five women who have accused Jeffrey Epstein of abuse, told the BBC that he plans to serve subpoenas to force Prince Andrew to testify as a witness in all five cases.
Boies argued that Prince Andrew could have vital information regarding Epstein and sex trafficking, though the prince has strenuously denied witnessing any wrongdoing upon his visits to Epstein’s homes.
“One of the things that we have tried is to interview Prince Andrew and to try to get what his explanation is,” Boies said.
“He was a frequent visitor. They ought to submit to an interview. They ought to talk about it.”
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