Prince Andrew back on royal duty in Dartmouth as Epstein questions continue
Written by News on 31/08/2019
Prince Andrew has attended an event in Devon, where he was seen smiling and relaxed, despite the ongoing Epstein scandal.
The Duke of York is currently facing accusations of having sex with Virginia Roberts Giuffre when she was 17 as part of the investigations into disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Prince Andrew strenuously denies the allegation that he had sex with her.
The duke’s visit to Dartmouth was part of the Port of Dartmouth Royal Regatta event, of which he is a patron, and it is the first time he has been photographed in an official capacity since the scandal broke out.
In the pictures, he can be seen smiling and laughing as he is walking around at the annual event.
It is the first time he has attended the event in 25 years, with his last trip to the regatta in 1994 on its 150th anniversary.
He has spent the past two weeks on holiday in Spain with ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, and has come under intense scrutiny over his friendship with Epstein, who killed himself in prison earlier this month while awaiting trial on charges of sex trafficking.
On Thursday, a lawyer working for one of Epstein’s alleged victims told Sky News that that he would consider bringing a lawsuit against the Duke of York – and urged him to “just come clean”.
The lawyer represents Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who has previously alleged in court papers in Florida that she had sex with the duke “three times, including one orgy” at Epstein’s home and on his private island in the Caribbean.
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Speaking on Tuesday outside a court in New York, Ms Roberts Giuffre said the prince “knows what he’s done” and “I hope he comes clean about it”.
In a statement released last weekend, the Duke of York said he did not “see, witness or suspect any behaviour of the sort that led to Epstein’s arrest and conviction”.
The royal added that it “was a mistake and an error to see him [Epstein] after his release in 2010”.
He continued: “I met Mr Epstein in 1999. During the time I knew him, I saw him infrequently and probably no more than only once or twice a year. I have stayed in a number of his residencies.
“I deplore the exploitation of any human being and would not condone, participate in, or encourage any such behaviour.”
(c) Sky News 2019: Prince Andrew back on royal duty in Dartmouth as Epstein questions continue
