Prince Andrew Claims He Only Visited Jeffrey Epstein to 'End Their Friendship'
Says he stayed with pedophile in New York mansion to 'tell him he couldn't be his friend'
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Britain's Prince Andrew, who is at the center of a mounting scandal over his relationship with convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, claims he went to stay with the sex offender in his New York mansion so he could "tell him he couldn't be his friend" anymore.
Andrew, the Duke of York, says his now-infamous visit in 2010 to stay with Epstein at his "House of Horrors" in Manhatten, NYC, was simply to "end their friendship."
Queen Elizabeth II's second-born son reportedly told friends his trip to New York was merely to break off contact with Epstein after he had been released from prison for child sex offenses.
The British prince's friendship with the American billionaire financier has come under intense scrutiny.
Epstein was found dead in his jail cell in August while awaiting trial on new child-trafficking charges.
Following the arrest and subsequent death of his friend Epstein, Andrew has been embroiled in scandal and dogged by allegations of impropriety with underage girls.
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According to The Sunday Times, despite initially refusing to criticize his friend, the Queen's second son now accepts Epstein was an "undercover" pedophile similar to Royal Family-linked serial child abuser Jimmy Savile.
A source close to Andrew reportedly told the Times that Epstein was "very good at keeping his cover" and was a "trophy friend" for the prince.
One of Epstein's alleged victims Virginia Roberts Giuffre has alleged she was recruited as a "sex slave" and forced to have sex with Prince Andrew in London when she was a teenager.
According to the Daily Mail, Andrew has strongly denied any "sexual contact or relationship" with her or any "impropriety with underage minors."
Prince Andrew visited Epstein on Epstein's atoll in the US Virgin Islands several times, dubbed "Pedophile Island" because of the stream of young women arriving.
He also visited the financier's $77million Manhattan house in December 2010, shortly after Epstein had been released from an 18-month sentence for child prostitution offenses.
Deceased pedophile #JeffreyEpstein's victim, #VirginiaRoberts, has given a bombshell new interview, in which she describes in detail how she was allegedly "trafficked" to Britain's #PrinceAndrew for sex when she was just 17 years old. - WATCH
— Neon Nettle (@NeonNettle) September 20, 2019
READ MORE: https://t.co/TEpI5JtnYN
The source told the Times: "The duke has been hammered for one mistake, which took place in 2010.
"He has apologized again and again for the error of judgment.
"But what he did wasn't criminal. It was a mistake.
"He went to see a friend to tell them he couldn't be their friend anymore."
Despite this, it has been established that Epstein organized a dinner in Andrew's honor during that visit with guests including Woody Allen, Katie Couric, Charlie Rose, Chelsea Handler, and George Stephanopoulos.
The duke was then pictured waving to a young woman leaving the mansion - dubbed the "House of Horrors" by investigators - where the FBI later found thousands of graphic photos, with many featuring underage girls.
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The FBI has announced it will be expanding its investigation into Epstein hoping to identify more victims who could provide information on other abusers.
The Department of Justice said it would not give Andrew any special treatment because of his royal status.
Another embarrassment for the duke is a 2001 photograph of him with his arm around the waist of Roberts Giuffre who was then 17.
But sources close to the duke say he doubts the photo's authenticity and says the original has never surfaced.
However, the Department of Justice and the FBI believe the photo is genuine.
