How have I only just realised this about Prince Andrew …

[LilacLemur]

I don’t know if I’m just oblivious to things but how have I only just realised Prince Andrew was 41 when he met Virginia Guiffre.

For some reason I thought this happened in the mid 80’s before he was married and definitely before children.

Knowing how old he was and that he had children just makes it so much more shocking (not that it needed to be).

Was anyone else blind to this?

Why aren’t those names in the public domain outside of the book though? I don’t understand why not?

Because Trump, despite his election promises, has chosen not to make the Epstein papers public.

And even if he was to succumb to pressure, they’d be so heavily redacted as to be virtually worthless.

There are not many named in the book and well known ones who are named were not necessarily involved in sexual activities.

Epstein had connections with myriad people in high places, it wasn't just about sex, at least not for them; he cultivated them. He was extremely powerful and influential.

Prince Andrew is only briefly talked about, roughly half way through the book and the account is different in detail to what we heard before.

I don't know what to think. I'm now on chapter nineteen where Viriginia Giuffre is newly married and in Australia.

Well, yes, i imagine there were a lot of parties that were simply parties, and a sliding slope of sleaze and abuse. You wouldn't invite people to abuse girls until they have given some indication of being interested, or at least would turn a blind eye.

Until he had been convicted, of course, after which no one had much of an excuse.

I suspect JE cultivated Andrew, and possibly others who benefited from the girls, in order to possibly blackmail them when it was useful to JE.

As you say, there were lots of people (Peter Mandelson) who didn't participate in the sex parties etc, but who were "good friends" with JE.

As you say, there were lots of people (Peter Mandelson) who didn't participate in the sex parties etc, but who were "good friends" with JE.

How do we know this?

His Mummy paid, well we the tax payers did....
Also the way he ran his hand down the whole of 1 of his Daughters body when they were viewing floral tributes still makes me shudder 😬

Well Mandelson is gay, so I doubt he would have, but you're right, we don't know for a fact. It's apocryphal.

NOOOO, not DiCaprio 😔

What about LdC and his record of serial dating women much younger than him makes you think he wouldn't be in this sleazy scene?

I think I had my fingers in my ears and was looking the other way.
I've loved him for nearly 30 years. How disappointing.

I agree with one of the first posters though, people aren't looking high up enough or, they're too afraid to for risk of being sued.

Epstein kept information on people - 'kompromat'. For some it will have been the sexual misdemeanours. For others it will have been something else.

The questions no-one is asking are the important ones - Who? What? and Why?

Andrew should answer for anything he did; but he is not a major player.

Andrew was an unusual mix of high profile but not especially rich or powerful (compared to others). He is reliant on others - his family, and through them the government - and by the sounds of it they were the ones to insist he 'retire' because it was affecting their reputation.

Others, like Alan Dershowitz could sue, or simply deny it and let the public uproar die down.

Although some American posters are saying it isn't dying down re : Trump. But i can't see any way of genuinely holding him to account for anything.

Quite. IMO his private island offered his “friends” something they couldn’t easily get elsewhere - where his rules & almost law over his own kingdom meant they could be & sexually act as though lawless. Alongside being groomed & connected to the wealthy club of elites. Who’s to say he didn’t cater to his gay friends’ tastes in that department too. I find it hard to believe he wouldn’t have. I think he was an intelligent high brow paedophile who had sophisticated justifications for it, which he glamorised & normalised at his island. Hence why almost every person to have signed his birthday card made gushing reference to it alongside their admiration & respect for him. Vile.

There are some published discrepancies between the US version and the UK version

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/10/20/uk/virginia-giuffre-memoir-epstein-prince-andrew-intl

Is there anything in it about Tr*mp

(it is, apparently, not a British Prime Minister)

Someone on one of these threads made it pretty damn clear which country he was from without actually writing it and it definitely wasn't a British P.M.

Edit to say that's if I understood the clue correctly.

At the risk of derailing the thread, has it ever been disclosed who took the photograph of Andrew and VG with Ghislaine Maxwell? Sorry if someone else has asked it... but it so definitely isn't a selfie...

@MJOverInvestor
I think I read it was Epstein.

Jes Staley - former CEO of Barclays Bank - was another Epstein friend.
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/jun/26/high-flyer-to-pariah-saga-jeffrey-epstein-banker-jes-staley

That makes a lot of sense, unfortunately (since he’s dead)

@MJOverInvestor
This is an interesting piece from the Guardian.
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/feb/15/virginia-giuffre-prince-andrew-picture-settlement-lawsuit

'Friends' of Epstein does not automatically equate to them all having sex parties at his homes. Naomi Campbell waa one of his 'friends' and nobody thinks she is a pervert. When he had his first prosecution and accepted a plea deal, most of the friends and acquaintances didn't believe he had done anything, they thought he was a thoroughly good guy who had helped them tremendously with their careers and spoke up in his defence.

Having attractive young woman as hostesses is not unusual, he kept his child, ie girls just reaching puberty, recruits quite secret. Some were brought over from other countries. Ghislane Maxwell and Virginia Roberts as she then was, knew about it and facilitated the activity but not his wider circle. It was a great shock to most people when everything was eventually revealed. That is not at all unusual with people like Epstein.

Which goes some way to explaining Fergie’s conduct! Like others she may well have disbelieved the allegations. I am sure the sex side of things was well concealed from some; otherwise how did he get away with it for so long?

How does anyone disbelieve a prison sentence? Epstein was convicted of soliciting an underage girl in 2008 and served a 13 month prison sentence.

How would Sarah have remained ignorant of a crime done by someone who she considered a close and
‘supreme’ friend according to multiple news sources. Here’s one -

Sarah

I agree that previous to his conviction in 2008 not everyone that were his guests would have known. But after 2008?