The release of court documents relating to the late child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has further damaged the Duke of York's hopes of rehabilitating his reputation. The accusations against Prince Andrew, from groping a woman's breast to claims he had sex with an underage Virginia Giuffre, have been given a fresh airing.
In one witness statement, Johanna Sjoberg claimed Andrew groped her at Epstein's New York house in 2001 when she was 20. She said a puppet of the prince was placed on Giuffre's lap and Andrew put his hand on her breast. Buckingham Palace previously said the allegations were 'categorically untrue'.
Another filing regarding a Jane Doe #3, believed to be Giuffre, alleges she was forced to have sexual relations with the prince when a minor in London, New York, and on Epstein's private island. Giuffre has alleged she was trafficked by Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell and forced to have intercourse with Andrew at age 17. Andrew has categorically denied the claims.
The documents also show Maxwell's fear of being questioned over her links with Andrew. In a 2015 email, she wrote about legal hazards and her relationship with Andrew. In her deposition, Maxwell said there were no underage girls on the island when Andrew visited. Andrew has denied any wrongdoing, including in his 2022 settlement with Giuffre.
The campaign group Republic reported Prince Andrew to the police over the allegations. Andrew is no longer a working royal, and Buckingham Palace declined to comment on the documents.
