Newly released US court documents allege that the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein forced an underage girl to have sex with Prince Andrew. The papers, part of a 2015 civil case, claim the encounter took place on Epstein's private island in the US Virgin Islands.
The documents state that Epstein instructed the girl, identified as Virginia Roberts Giuffre, to 'give the prince whatever he demanded and report back to him on the details of the sexual abuse'. It is alleged that Epstein trafficked Giuffre to powerful individuals for business, personal, and political gain, as well as to obtain potential blackmail material.
The papers also contain claims that Prince Andrew lobbied the US on Epstein's behalf to secure a favourable plea arrangement. A friend of the prince dismissed this as 'a straightforward untruth'. The allegations are part of a 2015 civil case brought by Giuffre against Epstein and his former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell.
The documents were unsealed after a judge rejected an attempt by Maxwell's lawyers to keep them secret. Prince Andrew has vehemently denied the allegations. The friend added: 'Allegations are not the same as facts... Let's see if these allegations stand up.'
Similar allegations about Prince Andrew having sex with an underage girl were ordered to be struck from court records in 2015, with the judge not ruling on their veracity. Epstein died by suicide last summer while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
