Prince Andrew breaks cover for first time after being hit by fresh Epstein allegations | Royal | News

Prince Andrew has been pictured leaving his home, Royal Lodge on the Windsor Estate, just hours after a victim of Jeffrey Epstein has claimed sex tapes were taken of the Duke of York, former US president Bill Clinton and billionaire businessman Sir Richard Branson.

Driving his green Range Rover alone, Andrew looked forlown as his former friendship with Epstein returns to the spotlight.

It marks the first time he has been pictured since the release of the Epstein court papers last week as insiders say he was preferring to « lock himself away » following the release of the documents, which saw him named repeatedly.

The release of the files is understood to have strengthened King Charles’s resolve to evict Andrew from his mansion. The monarch has been keen to ensure his brother downsizes from the 30-room property for some time, and the latest revealations have left him to hasten the plans.

But Andrew is determined to hold on to his home, where he has lived with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson for over two decades.

Yesterday Sarah Ransome, a victim of Jeffrey Epstein, claimed that the Duke of York, former US President Bill Clinton and billionaire businessman Sir Richard Branson were filmed in sex tapes by the paedophile financier. A US judge ordered hundreds of documents to be unsealed as part of Ms Guiffre’s previously settled civil claim against Maxwell, which was filed in 2015.

A number of famous names have appeared in documents so far, including Prince Andrew, Bill Clinton, Donald Trump, Sir Richard Branson and David Copperfield. However, the naming of individuals in these documents does not necessarily indicate any wrongdoing or implicate them in Epstein’s crimes.

Ransome, who gave a victim impact statement during Ghislaine Maxwell’s sex-trafficking trial, appeared to write communications making the allegations about the sex tapes.

However, a New Yorker article, released in 2019, reported Ms Ransome admitted « she had invented the tapes to draw attention to Epstein’s behaviour, and to make him believe that she had ‘evidence that would come out if he harmed me' ».

A firm representing Epstein’s lawyer, Alan Dershowitz, highlighted these extracts argue that Ransome « manifestly lacks credibility ».

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