Three key points Prince Andrew argues prove he's not a sex abuser

27 November 2023 , 20:20

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Three key points Prince Andrew argues prove he's not a sex abuser

Prince Andrew, Duke of York, has previously given three reasons why he argues it's not possible that he sexually abused Virginia Giuffre.

Virginia is a Jeffrey Epstein survivor and campaigner against sex trafficking. According to her lawsuit, which has since reached an out-of-court settlement, Prince Andrew sexually abused her on multiple occasions while she was still a teenager, citing incidents in London, Manhattan, and the US Virgin Islands in 2001. Andrew denied all the claims.

Giuffre, 40, alleged that she was forced into sex by 'express or implied' threats made against her by Epstein, and also because she was fearful of him and other powerful figures such as Ghislaine Maxwell.

The Duke, who resigned from his public roles in May 2020, has repeatedly denied the allegations put against him and previously gave three reasons that he argues prove it's not possible he carried out the alleged abuse.

Inability to sweat

The duke addressed allegations made against him during a bombshell Newsnight interview (PA)

In one of the most talked about moments of his bombshell 2019 Newsnight interview with Emily Maitlis, Prince Andrew addressed Giuffre's account of them dancing together in London nightclub Tramp prior to one of the alleged assaults. According to Giuffre, Andrew was 'pouring with perspiration' while he danced with her - something he claims would have been a medical impossibility.

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Andrew told Maitlis: "There's a slight problem with the sweating because I have a peculiar medical condition which is that I don't sweat or I didn't sweat at the time. Yes, I didn't sweat at the time because I had suffered what I would describe as an overdose of adrenalin in the Falklands War, when I was shot at and I simply… it was almost impossible for me to sweat."

Pizza Express party

During the same interview, Prince Andrew claimed he couldn't have been at the home of disgraced socialite Maxwell's London home at the time of Giuffre's alleged assault, as he had been attending a children's party at the Woking branch of Pizza Express. He explained: "I was with the children and I'd taken Beatrice to a Pizza Express in Woking for a party at I suppose four or five in the afternoon. And then because the duchess [Sarah Ferguson] was away, we have a simple rule in the family that when one is away the other is there."

Prince Andrew has insisted that he can't recall the now well-known photo being taken (PA)

Denial over photograph

A photograph, which appears to have been taken upstairs at Maxwell's Belgravia mews house, shows Prince Andrew with his arm around Giuffre's waist, while Maxwell herself smiles in the background. During his interview with Maitlis however, Andrew claimed to have no recollection of the photo being taken and further insisted that he had never been to the upstairs level of Maxwell's home.

Prince Andrew told Maitlis: "They might well wish to believe it but the photograph is taken upstairs and I don't think I ever went upstairs in Ghislaine's house." When asked whether he was absolutely sure about that, Andrew confirmed that he was, stating: "Yeah, because the dining room and everything was on the ground floor, was as you came in… as you came in the hall. So I don't remember ever going up there. I'm at a loss to explain this particular photograph. If the original was ever produced, then perhaps we might be able to solve it but I can't."

If you've been the victim of sexual assault, you can access help and resources via www.rapecrisis.org.uk or calling the national telephone helpline on 0808 802 9999

Julia Banim