PRINCE Andrew is “devastated” at being named in newly published court documents linked to the paedophile Jeffrey Epstein and has locked himself in a room as the fallout grows, according to reports.
It comes after fresh papers revealed that Epstein’s former housekeeper, Juan Alessi, said the royal had daily massages when he spent “weeks” at the sex trafficking financier’s Florida home.
Andrew was cast out of the working monarchy and no longer uses the “HRH” style after Virginia Giuffre, who was trafficked by Epstein, accused him of sexually assaulting her when she was 17.
The prince paid a reported £12 million to settle a civil sexual assault case from Giuffre, but has denied ever having met her and any wrongdoing.
Fresh allegations in court documents published earlier in the week also claimed that Andrew groped the breast of Johanna Sjoberg while posing with what is reported to have been a Spitting Image puppet of himself in Epstein’s Manhattan home in 2001.
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The Daily Mail reported a source close to the royal as saying: “He doesn't have the emotional bandwidth to deal with this.
“He has locked himself away in a room and has no idea how to respond. He's devastated.”
A US judge ordered hundreds of documents to be unsealed as part of Giuffre’s previously settled civil claim against Maxwell, which was filed in 2015.
In an email from Maxwell’s counsel Philip Barden shortly after a claim was filed against her, the UK lawyer said that “saying nothing is reputational suicide,” adding: “I can see why [Epstein] doesn’t want this as it may not suit him but he is already toast.”
In the interview with Alessi, lawyer Katherine Ezell asked: “Were Prince Andrew and Princess Sarah friends of Ms Maxwell?”
Alessi replied: “Both of them”
Ezell continued: “Both Ms Maxwell and Mr Epstein?”
“Yeah.”
The lawyer went on: “Did they ever have massages when they were there?”
Alessi replied: “Prince Andrew did. I think Sarah was there only once and for a short time. I don’t think she slept in there. I cannot remember.
“I think she was visiting Wellington and she came to the house and we met her. But Prince Andrew, yes, Prince Andrew spent weeks with us.”
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Ezell then asked: “Where would he sleep?”
Alessi said: “In the main room, the main guest bedroom. That was the blue room.”
The lawyer then said: “And, so, when he would come and stay, during that time would he frequently have massages?
Alessi replied: “I would say, daily massages.”
Asked if it was sometimes more than one a day, Alessi said: “I can’t remember if he had more than one, but I think it was just a massage for him.
“We set up the tables and…”
Ezell interjected: “Do you have any recollection of [Virginia Giuffre] coming to the house when Prince Andrew was there?”
Alessi replied: “It could have been, but I’m not sure.”
In a further interview under oath by an Epstein employee, who is labelled only as “the witness” in the documents, they claimed Maxwell took the paedophile financier to England “to introduce him to royalty”.
The staff member said there were “many pictures” of Andrew with Epstein in the property they worked at.
They also said they never saw the duke visit the property, but “he called”.
In a resurfaced video-taped interview with Maxwell, the disgraced socialite claimed she “never introduced Prince Andrew to Jeffrey Epstein”.
The deposition, from 2016, showed Maxwell describe Giuffre’s alleged meetings with the duke as a “tissue of lies”.
In an exchange with Giuffre’s lawyer Sigrid McCawley, Maxwell was asked: “Did you introduce him to Jeffrey?”
Maxwell responded: “That would be another of Virginia’s lies and the lies you perpetrate.
“I never introduced Prince Andrew to Jeffrey Epstein at any time ever, so just add that the (sic) to long list of lies.”
McCawley continued: “Did Jeffrey know Prince Andrew?”
Maxwell replied: “Clearly he knew him.”
Pressed on whether she knew how Andrew (above) met Epstein, Maxwell said: “I do not know (sic) Jeffrey met Prince Andrew.
“What I do know is that I did not introduce them.
“That is one of the many lies. Are we tallying all the lies?”
Epstein was found dead in his cell at a federal jail in Manhattan, New York, in August 2019 while he awaited trial on sex-trafficking charges. The death was ruled a suicide.
Maxwell has been imprisoned since July 2020 despite attempts by her defence counsel to have her released on bail.
She was sentenced to 20 years in prison at the federal court in the Southern District of New York in June 2022.
The socialite indicated her desire to appeal shortly after her conviction, with her lawyers claiming victims had “faded, distorted and motivated memories”.
Her appeal is scheduled to be heard in November next year.
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