Buckingham Palace said Prince Andrew is “appalled” about the sex abuse claims against Jeffrey Epstein, following the publication of images of the Duke of York at the financier’s New York home in 2010.
The palace statement came hours after the Mail on Sunday published video footage and images of Andrew at Epstein’s Manhattan residence in which he is seen looking out from a large door and cheerfully waving goodbye to a young woman.
“The Duke of York has been appalled by the recent reports of Jeffrey Epstein’s alleged crimes,” read the statement emailed to The Washington Post on Monday. “His Royal Highness deplores the exploitation of any human being and the suggestion he would condone, participate in or encourage any such behaviour is abhorrent.”
The footage was reportedly taken in December 2010, when Epstein was a registered sex offender who had served time in jail. It was known that Andrew had met with Epstein around then — a picture of the duo walking in Central Park taken that December prompted questions about Andrew’s judgment. Shortly after the picture surfaced in 2011, Andrew quit his unpaid job as a trade envoy.
But the video footage goes further, showing the prince inside Epstein’s home.
Some commentators pointed out that Epstein had a criminal record at the time.
“I literally don’t understand this,” tweeted Jeremy Vine, a British broadcaster. “Prince Andrew remained friends with Epstein *after* his first conviction in 2008, which was public and contained all the elements he now says he’s appalled by.”
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