Andrew ‘knew Epstein and Maxwell have been sex- trafficking youngsters’

Prince Andrew knew Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell have been trafficking youngsters for intercourse, new courtroom paperwork declare. 

A second batch of unsealed recordsdata referring to Epstein’s sexual abuse of teenage ladies was launched final night time. They relate to a 2015 US defamation case introduced by Virginia Giuffre in opposition to Maxwell and comply with an earlier tranche printed on Wednesday.

One of the paperwork launched final night time is an inventory of witnesses Ms Giuffre’s legal professionals wished to subpoena, with every title accompanied by an alleged justification. 

Under Prince Andrew’s title, the record – dated March 31, 2016 – states: ‘Has data of Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein’s sexual trafficking conduct and interplay with underage minors, together with Virginia Giuffre.’

The doc confirmed the Duke of York’s tackle as Buckingham Palace. Andrew has vehemently denied any wrongdoing. 

Andrew was reported to the Metropolitan Police by anti-monarchy group Republic final night time after he was referenced a number of occasions in each the primary and second tranches of recordsdata. 

This was matched by related calls from a US lawyer who represented a few of Epstein’s victims, who mentioned police in Britain have an obligation to research Andrew as he ‘nonetheless refuses to totally account for his time’ with the paedophile.

It is a contemporary setback for the late Queen’s second son who, simply 10 days in the past, walked to church on Christmas Day with the King and the remainder of the royal household, symbolising his gradual rehabilitation throughout the monarchy after his public look at his brother’s coronation in his garter robes in May. 

The first batch of paperwork included allegations Andrew had an orgy with underage ladies and touched a lady’s breast whereas posing with a puppet of himself.

In the second batch, Maxwell’s lawyer is seen trying to have Ms Giuffre’s defamation declare dismissed by referencing an announcement issued by Buckingham Palace. 

‘Buckingham Palace issued an announcement flatly denying the claims made by the plaintiff right here,’ Laura Menninger wrote. 

The newly launched courtroom recordsdata could lastly scupper Andrew’s bid to re-enter the royal fold, with well-placed sources telling the Mail that whereas the courtroom claims weren’t a shock, they are going to have served to ‘crystallise’ King Charles’s dedication to resolve the ‘Andrew drawback’ decisively.

Plans have been already in prepare to evict him from Royal Lodge, his ten-bedroom Windsor house since 2003, and transfer him to a smaller residence in step with his ‘downgraded’ standing.

The 63-year-old prince, who has beforehand strenuously denied the allegations, paid thousands and thousands a yr in the past to settle a civil case out of courtroom with Virginia Giuffre  with no request for forgiveness after she accused him of sexually assaulting her when she was 17. 

But he’s talked about greater than 70 occasions in practically 1,000 pages of interviews and transcripts.

The names of greater than 170 individuals who have been both associates, mates or victims of Epstein are being made public following a decide’s order final month, together with high-profile figures akin to former US president Bill Clinton. 

Graham Smith, chief government of the anti-monarchy group Republic, mentioned yesterday that he had reported Andrew to the police, accusing the Met of failing to conduct a severe legal investigation into the case. 

The power mentioned in August 2022 that it was taking no additional motion over allegations made in opposition to Epstein and that any future probes into human trafficking by the intercourse offender have been targeted on actions outdoors the UK. 

It additionally beforehand mentioned it stood by its 2015 choice to not examine claims by Ms Giuffre that she was intercourse trafficked to London by Epstein. 

Mr Smith mentioned: ‘To date, there seems to have been no severe legal investigation, no interview of the accused or different witnesses, and no clear justification for taking no motion. 

‘I’m calling on the Met Police to reopen this case, I’m calling on MPs to debate this affair in Parliament, and I’m calling on Charles to make a public assertion, in entrance of the press and taking questions, to answer these allegations and what they are saying concerning the monarchy. 

‘How can we not anticipate a response from the Government and head of state? At the time of the alleged offences, Andrew was a authorities commerce ambassador and an lively member of the royal household. 

‘They fudged and obfuscated for 11 years earlier than taking any definitive motion.’ 

Mr Smith added: ‘The query many individuals will probably be asking is easy: if the accused have been anybody else, will we consider they would not have been investigated and prosecuted?’

Meanwhile, US lawyer Spencer Kuvin, who has represented a few of Jeffrey Epstein’s victims, mentioned folks related to the rich financier akin to Andrew, deserve a better degree of scrutiny. 

Mr Kuvin instructed the Mirror: ‘Andrew nonetheless refuses to totally account for his time with Epstein and has failed to talk with US investigators about what he is aware of.

‘British police have to do their responsibility and reopen their investigation into his conduct.’

He added that Epstein might be ‘one of many worst sexual predators of the century’.

Buckingham Palace, which not speaks on behalf of the duke after he stepped down as a working royal in 2019 over his friendship with Epstein, has not commented on the paperwork.

Evidence from Johanna Sjoberg, who labored for Epstein as a masseuse, alleged Andrew touched her breast whereas sitting on a sofa inside Epstein’s Manhattan residence as he posed for a photograph with a caricature of himself in 2001. 

The declare, which has been alleged beforehand, is assumed to check with a Spitting Image puppet of the duke. 

Ms Sjoberg mentioned, whereas giving proof in May 2016: ‘Ghislaine instructed me to come back upstairs, and we went right into a closet and pulled out the puppet, the caricature of Prince Andrew, and introduced it down. 

‘And there was just a little tag on the puppet that mentioned ‘Prince Andrew’ on it, and that is after I knew who he was.’ 

Ms Sjoberg was requested what the puppet appeared like and replied: ‘It appeared like him. 

‘And she introduced it down and offered it to him; and that was an important joke, as a result of apparently it was a manufacturing from a present on BBC. 

‘And they determined to take an image with it, by which Virginia and Andrew sat on a sofa. 

‘They put the puppet on Virginia’s lap, and I sat on Andrew’s lap, and so they put the puppet’s hand on Virginia’s breast, and Andrew put his hand on my breast, and so they took a photograph.’ 

Other mentions of the duke embody earlier allegations that Epstein ‘compelled Jane Doe #3 to have sexual relations with was a member of the British Royal Family, Prince Andrew (a/okay/a Duke of York)’ at three places together with on Epstein’s personal island ‘in an orgy with quite a few different under-aged ladies’. 

The doc claimed that Epstein instructed Jane Doe #3 to offer Andrew ‘no matter he demanded’ and that Maxwell ‘facilitated Prince Andrew’s acts of sexual abuse by performing as a ‘madame’ for Epstein’. 

Ms Giuffre has claimed she was trafficked by Epstein to have intercourse with Andrew 3 times when she was 17 and a minor beneath US legislation at Maxwell’s London house, in Epstein’s New York house and through an orgy with Epstein at his Caribbean island. 

She was questioned over the whereabouts of the well-known {photograph} displaying her with the duke, who has his arm round her, with Maxwell grinning within the background. 

Ms Giuffre added it might have been in storage packing containers that have been ‘stuffed with Nerf weapons, my youngsters’ toys, photographs’ at her mom and father-in-law’s house in Sydney, Australia. 

She mentioned she gave the image to the FBI in 2011 however had final seen it earlier than she packed up her house to to migrate to Australia from Colorado. 

Among the paperwork seems to be an e mail despatched by Maxwell expressing her fears she can be questioned about her personal relationship with Andrew. 

It reads: ‘I’ve already suffered such a horrible and painful loss over the previous few days that I am unable to even see what life after press hell even appears to be like like – statements that do not tackle all simply result in extra questions… what’s my relationship to Clinton? Andrew on and on.’ 

In Maxwell’s videotaped deposition in 2016, she claimed she may solely recall the duke visiting Jeffrey Epstein’s personal island within the US Virgin Islands as soon as. 

The Met Police and representatives of the Duke have been approached for a remark.