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Prince Andrew 'played guessing game' about accuser's age when they met
24 August 2020, 19:57
The Duke of York's accuser has claimed Andrew played a guessing game about her age when they first met and compared her to his daughters.
Virginia Giuffre says she was 17 when she was introduced to the Queen's second son in London, and described him as an "abuser" and "not the prince from the fairy tale stories you read".
She alleges the duke had sex with her on three separate occasions, including when she was 17 - a minor under US law.
He has consistently denied the allegations, saying he has never had any form of sexual contact or relationship with Ms Giuffre.
Speaking in a new documentary series, Surviving Jeffrey Epstein, Ms Giuffre reveals more about how she was allegedly trafficked by paedophile financier Epstein.
In a clip released ahead of the programme, she said of Andrew, who is the father of Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie: "Before he abused me, when we just met, Ghislaine does this guessing game and he guessed right, I was 17 and he compared me to his daughters, saying, 'Oh, my daughters are a few years younger than you'."
The duke's friend, British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, is awaiting trial in the US after being charged with procuring teenage girls for Epstein to abuse - something she denies.
Lady Victoria Hervey, formerly friends with Andrew and Maxwell, told the programme that friendship with Epstein offered the duke a form of escapism.
She said: "Jeffrey definitely enjoyed the idea of being friends with the Queen's son and Prince Andrew had just gone through a divorce.
"There's this American billionaire that wants to fly him around the world and introduce him to people, and it was probably an escapism, really, for him."
Christopher Mason, a journalist and former friend of Maxwell, said he was fascinated when he bumped into Andrew and Maxwell while walking in Madison Avenue in New York.
Mr Mason said: "He told me that he was staying at Jeffrey's townhouse. That kind of fascinated me. It just seemed like a kind of perfect instance of the kind of people that Jeffrey was hanging out with."
Andrew stepped down from royal public life in November following a controversial Newsnight interview, which had led to criticism of a lack of empathy for Epstein's victims and a lack of remorse over his friendship with Epstein.
A double episode of Surviving Jeffrey Epstein is due to broadcast on the Crime+Investigation channel on 25 August at 9pm, followed by parts three and four the following evening on 25 August at 9pm.