Andrew denies misconduct allegations, but admits staying at Epstein’s house

Nov. 16 (UPI) — Prince Andrew has denied accusations of sexual misconduct by one of Jeffrey Epstein’s accusers in an interview aired Saturday, but admits having stayed at the deceased financier’s home after Epstein was convicted of sexual offenses.

Andrew, who was named in court papers as part of a 2015 civil case against Epstein, said he has “no recollection” of meeting the woman who has accused him of forcing her to have sex with him three times — once when she was 17 — between 2001 and 2002. Virginia Roberts, now Virginia Guiffre, said she was forced to have sex with the prince in London, New York and on a private Caribbean island owned by Epstein.

Those accusations were later struck from the court record by a judge who said they were immaterial to the case’s central claim.

“I have no recollection of meeting this lady, none whatsoever,” Andrew said in a BBC interview taped Thursday that aired Saturday night.

A photograph of Andrew with his arm around Roberts’ waist has been published widely, but the prince told the BBC he was at home eating pizza at the time.

Another woman has accused Andrew of groping her in Manhattan’s apartment.

In 2015, when Buckingham Palace issued a statement denying “any suggestion of impropriety with underage minors.”

Questions have swirled around the accusation and around Andrew’s relationship to Epstein for the last several months. This week Buckingham Palace and Andrew’s former wife, Sarah Ferguson, made public statements denying any misconduct claims.

In this week’s interview, he admitted to staying at Epstein’s house after he was aware of Epstein’s conviction on sex abuse charges in 2008, stemming from a 2005 accusation by a 14-year-old girl in Florida.

“I stayed with him and that’s the bit that as it were, I kick myself for on a daily basis because it was not something that was becoming of a member of the Royal family, and we try and uphold the highest standards and practices and I let the side down, simple as that,” Andrew said.