Unsealed court documents from a 2015 lawsuit against Jeffrey Epstein have named the Duke of York as being linked to the convicted paedophile financier. The documents include allegations by a woman who claims that Prince Andrew groped her at Epstein’s house in New York. The extensive papers name several people who were linked to Epstein, with some of the most notable being former US President Bill Clinton and Prince Andrew.
Johanna Sjoberg, a witness in the case, says in the document that she met Prince Andrew in 2001 at Epstein’s home in New York, along with Virginia Giuffre and Epstein’s associate, Ghislaine Maxwell. Giuffre, who would later go on to make and settle a civil sex assault claim against Prince Andrew, was also present during the incident in which the prince is accused of touching Sjoberg’s breast. The documents – which had previously been kept anonymous – have now been allowed to be released.
Much of the information revealed in the documents had been previously disclosed, but their release has rekindled a number of uncomfortable questions around Prince Andrew’s involvement with Epstein and his circle of friends. The court papers include the deposition from Sjoberg, who said she was initially recruited by Maxwell as an assistant before being encouraged to carry out sexual massages for Epstein.
Prince Andrew has denied any wrongdoing, including in his settlement with Giuffre in 2022. In that settlement, the Prince expressed his regret for his association with Epstein and commended the bravery of Giuffre and other survivors for standing up for themselves and others. The documents released were originally gathered for a defamation lawsuit brought by Giuffre in 2015 against Maxwell – a case which was settled out of court.
Epstein – who was known to have cultivated links in politics, business and royalty – was accused of running a “vast network” of underage girls for sex and died in jail in 2019 while facing charges. Prince Andrew no longer holds any official royal duties or titles, and as such, Buckingham Palace has refused to comment on his behalf. The release of the documents has reignited uncomfortable conversations around the involvement of high profile figures with Epstein and has led to fresh calls for greater scrutiny over the issue
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