The Royal Connection: Prince Andrew and the House of Windsor

A Friendship That Shook the Monarchy

Prince Andrew, Duke of York, maintained a close friendship with Jeffrey Epstein that persisted long after Epstein's criminal conviction. The relationship — and the sexual assault allegations against Andrew by Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre — triggered the most serious crisis for the British monarchy in a generation.

The Allegations

Virginia Giuffre (née Roberts) alleged in court filings that she was trafficked to Prince Andrew on three occasions:

1. London (2001) — At Ghislaine Maxwell's townhouse, after a night at Tramp nightclub. The famous photograph of Andrew with his arm around the then-17-year-old Giuffre was taken that night.
2. New York — At Epstein's Manhattan townhouse.
3. Little St. James — At Epstein's private island in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The Newsnight Interview

In November 2019, Andrew gave a disastrous BBC Newsnight interview in which he claimed he couldn't have been with Giuffre in London because he was "at a Pizza Express in Woking" with his daughter, and that he couldn't sweat due to a condition from the Falklands War. The interview was widely regarded as one of the worst royal PR decisions in modern history.

The Settlement

In 2022, Andrew settled Giuffre's civil lawsuit for an estimated $12 million while maintaining no admission of liability. He was stripped of his military titles and royal patronages by Queen Elizabeth II.

Ghislaine Maxwell's Role

Maxwell served as the social connector between Epstein and British high society. Her father Robert Maxwell had extensive ties to British intelligence and the establishment, giving Ghislaine access to elite circles from a young age.