Prince Andrew denies having relations with 'sex slave' girl
Buckingham Palace issues an unprecedented statement denying the Duke of York slept with Virgina Roberts, the girl at the centre of the 'sex slave' court case
10:49PM GMT 03 Jan 2015
The Duke of York last night emphatically denied sleeping with the woman at the centre of an alleged sex-slave scandal.
Prince Andrew had been accused in court documents, lodged in the United States, of sexually abusing a 17-year-old girl, Virginia Roberts, who was allegedly supplied to him by friend and convicted sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein.
But in an unprecedented statement, Buckingham Palace, insisted that the claims were categorically untrue.
Following a day of bruising headlines, a spokesman for Buckingham Palace said: “It is emphatically denied that HRH The Duke of York had any form of sexual contact or relationship with Virginia Roberts. The allegations made are false and without any foundation.”
Lawyers acting for the Duke of York have privately accused Mrs Roberts of embarking on a “speculative fishing expedition” in an attempting to ensnare him in the under-age sex scandal.
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As well as accusing him of having slept with her, papers lodged by her legal team, go on to accuse the Prince of lobbying the US authorities to ensure Epstein was given a “more favourable plea” bargain following a series of sex abuse allegations against him.
In 2008, Epstein was jailed for 18 months after pleading guilty to one state charge of soliciting prostitution. Several other charges were dropped.
Mrs Roberts’ lawyers are now seeking “documents regarding Epstein’s lobbying efforts to persuade the government to give him a more favourable plea arrangement and/or non-prosecution agreement, including efforts on his behalf by Prince Andrew.”
The Telegraph can disclose that lawyers acting for the Duke of York have examined the 13-page motion submitted in the Florida courts.
It is understood the lawyers view the claim of lobbying as “a speculative fishing expedition”. They are understood to believe that her lawyers do not have proof that lobbying was conducted by the Prince, but want to see if any paperwork that supports such a claim actually exists.
On Friday Buckingham Palace took the highly unusual step of “categorically” denying the allegations made by the woman – who at that stage was only identified as Jane Doe 3 in the court documents.
The initial statement read: “Any suggestion of impropriety with under-age minors is categorically untrue.”
But Palace officials last night decided to go further still and meet the scandal head with a statement that not only addressed the issue of sex, but also named the complainant.
Attempts to shore up the Prince’s reputation were helped by an interview given by Alan Dershowitz, the Harvard law professor and criminal defence lawyer who represented Epstein. Mr Dershowitz has also been accused by Jane Doe 3 of having “sexual relations” with her “on numerous occasions while she was a minor, not only in Florida but also on private planes, in New York, New Mexico, and the US Virgin Islands”.
Mr Dershowitz told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme the claims against him were false. He said: “My only feeling is if she’s lied about me, which I know to an absolute certainty she has, she should not be believed about anyone else. We know she’s lied about other public figures including a former prime minister and others who she claims to have participated in sexual activities with, so I think it must be presumed all her allegations against Prince Andrew were false as well.”
Ghislaine Maxwell, the daughter of Robert Maxwell, also denied allegations that she had acted as a “madame for Epstein” and “facilitated Prince Andrew’s acts of sexual abuse”. Her spokesman said: “The allegations made against Ghislaine Maxwell are untrue.
“Miss Maxwell strongly denies allegations of an unsavoury nature, which have appeared in the British press and elsewhere and reserves her right to seek redress at the repetition of such old defamatory claims.”
In a statement released through her lawyers to The Guardian, the alleged victim responded to the denials. “These types of aggressive attacks on me are exactly the reason why sexual abuse victims typically remain silent,” she said. “I’m not going to be bullied back into silence.
