King 'to force Andrew to pay for his own security at Windsor mansion' after duke is named in Epstein files
6 January 2024, 07:29 | Updated: 6 January 2024, 07:47
King Charles is set to force Prince Andrew into paying for his own security at his Windsor mansion after new claims were made in the Jeffrey Epstein files.
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The Duke of York was named dozens of times in newly-released court documents related to the paedophile financier.
They include accusations that he participated in an underage orgy, according to one anonymous witness, and that he touched a woman's breast while posing for a picture with Virginia Giuffre.
Andrew has strongly denied all claims against him.
But the documents have led to Sir Keir Starmer calling for the Metropolitan Police to investigate the prince during a phone-in on LBC's Nick Ferrari at Breakfast.
In the wake of the files' release, the King is trying to force Andrew to pay for his protection at the Royal Lodge, a 30-room home in Windsor, having failed to get him to downsize to Frogmore Cottage in the past, according to The Telegraph.
Read more: Prince Andrew had ‘daily massages’ when visiting Epstein’s Florida home, former housekeeper says
Removing funding for his security at the home would prove expensive for a royal who would struggle to pay out of his own pocket.
In October, it was reported he had managed to stump up £200,000 to fund repairs on the Royal Lodge, convincing the King to let him stay there.
But the release has again hit his reputation, despite the duke's hopes he could rehabilitate himself in the public's eye after stepping back as a full-time royal and settling a civil case with Ms Giuffre, reportedly for millions of pounds.
His problems were compounded by Labour leader Sir Keir, a former head of the Crown Prosecution Service, who told LBC on Friday: "Wherever there's a complaint made, it's inevitable that it should be looked at.
"We have to start with the victims here, and look at what allegations have been made.
"I've seen the headlines on this, not the detail, but frankly whoever it is, where there are allegations, credible allegations made, then of course they should be looked at."
A spokesman for the Met said: "We are aware of the release of court documents in relation to Jeffrey Epstein.
"As with any matter, should new and relevant information be brought to our attention we will assess it.
"No investigation has been launched."
One accuser, identified only as Jane Doe 3, said she was told to have sex with Andrew while she was a minor in three different places, according to the court documents.
That included an alleged orgy with underage girls at Epstein's private island in the US Virgin Islands.
The files also include a deposition from Johanna Sjoberg, a then-21-year-old college student who described seeing Andrew and Ms Giuffre at Epstein's home in Manhattan.
She had been hired as an assistant for the financier.
Ms Sjoberg claimed that she posed for a photo with Andrew and Ms Giuffre along with a Spitting Image puppet of the duke.
"And they decided to take a picture with it, in which Virginia and Andrew sat on a couch," she said, according to the documents.
"They put the puppet on Virginia's lap and I sat on Andrew's lap, and they put the puppet's hand on Virginia's breast, and Andrew put his hand on my breast, and they took a photo."
