The Duke of York’s friendship with Jeffrey Epstein ultimately ended in acrimony after his wife called the financier a “pedophile” and refused to retract the statement.
Since the arrest of Jeffrey Epstein in June on charges of sex trafficking and conspiracy, along with his death by suicide in federal prison in August, the friendships he shared with powerful figures have come under increased scrutiny.
One of the most prominent friendships was between Epstein and Prince Andrew, who said in a statement through Buckingham Palace that he met the late financier in 1999 and saw him “infrequently and probably no more than only once or twice a year,” staying in more than one of the convicted sex offender’s residences.
Prince Andrew continued to see and be photographed with Epstein after his release from prison, when he was convicted on two counts of soliciting prostitution from a minor. In August, the Daily Mail unearthed photographs of the prince at Epstein’s Manhattan residence in 2010.
Now, new details have emerged through Vicky Ward’s reporting for CNN on when and why the two’s friendship petered out, which she concludes was in the spring of 2011.
Apparently, Epstein threatened legal action against Prince Andrew’s ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, after she referred to him as a pedophile in a statement acknowledging and apologizing for accepting over $9,000 from the financier in 2011 to pay off an employee she owed money to.