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Epstein victim says she had sex with Andrew. Plus, a new witness
A second alleged Jeffrey Epstein victim claims to have had sex with Prince Andrew, according to Britain’s Mirror.
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The Mirror reported that the woman “has spoken to lawyers representing others who say they were abused by Epstein.”
A lawyer, the British paper reported, was seeking to verify the new allegations before deciding “whether to include them in a lawsuit against the deceased financier’s estate.”
The Mirror emphasized that there was “no indication” that the woman's alleged sexual encounter with Andrew was coercive.
Meanwhile, a second witness has corroborated claims that Prince Andrew was at Tramp nightclub in London in March 2001, dancing with a then-17-year-old Virginia Roberts Giuffre on the same night she alleges he had sex with her, according to The Mail on Sunday.
Giuffre claimed Jeffrey Epstein “trafficked” her to Prince Andrew. He vigorously denies Giuffre’s claim, despite the photograph showing him with his hand around her, and Ghislaine Maxwell alongside both of them. He claims not to know the provenance of that picture.
The second female witness, apparently a friend of the first, is discussing what she saw with Lisa Bloom, who represents five of Epstein's victims, the MoS reported.
Andrew claimed to Emily Maitlis in his disastrous BBC Newsnight interview that he knew he had not been present at Tramp because earlier in the day he had taken elder daughter Beatrice to a party at a branch of British pizza chain Pizza Express in Woking in Surrey, then gone home for the evening.
All the attention on Andrew has led his daughter Princess Beatrice to cancel her engagement party, reports the Mail on Sunday.
The event had been scheduled for Dec. 18 at London celebrity hangout Chiltern Firehouse, but Beatrice and fiancé Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi feared a paparazzi crush outside trying to get pictures of Andrew.
A new, presently top secret set of arrangements for the party are now reportedly in place.
The queen, retire? Not anytime soon
The scandalous downfall of Prince Andrew led to reports that the queen, 93, was going to wind down her public duties. Besides everything else, the débacle has reportedly allowed Prince Charles to flex his king-in-waiting muscles.
The idea was that the queen would effectively retire from her public duties when she hits 95, with Prince Charles assuming more of the monarch's responsibilities—a soft transition of power at Buckingham Palace.
What was described as “a well-placed royal source” told The Sun: “Planning for Charles to become king has been going on for some time. A transition is plainly already underway. Her Majesty is in her nineties and can understandably only do so much.”
The scandal “gave Charles an opportunity to step in to show that he can run The Firm. No one is bigger than the institution of the Royal Family. Not even Andrew, the Queen’s favorite son. Charles recognized that and acted decisively—like the king he may well soon be. This was the moment when Charles stepped up as Prince Regent, the Shadow King.”
“Charles has had discussions with William. They both know what he wants to do with the kingship. There’s no doubt Charles will also be pulling Prince Harry and Meghan into line once they return from their private break.”
Someone got a slapped wrist after that. Because, pretty quickly Charles’ spokesperson issued a statement to People: “There are no plans for any change in arrangements at the age of 95—or any other age.”
Read that as a major side-eye from the queen: She’s not going to be bounced into doing anything she does not want to do.
Prince Andrew’s secret deal to use luxury jet
Last week, The Mail on Sunday revealed that “the Duke of York repeatedly exploited his taxpayer-funded role as Britain’s trade envoy to work behind the scenes for his close friend, the controversial multimillionaire financier David Rowland.”
While on official British trade missions meant to promote U.K. business, the MoS reported that Andrew was also promoting Rowland’s private bank for the mega-wealthy.
The paper returns to Andrew’s relationship with Rowland today, claiming he “made a secret deal to fly around the world on a £40million luxury jet” owned by Rowland.
Underlining Andrew’s snobbery and arrogance, he apparently took on this this luxury plane because the aging aircraft the RAF made available for him were not acceptable.
The MoS reported that in the last two years Andrew has travelled on the Global Express at least five times, while engaged with official Royal duties, and Rowland’s latest business venture. A palace spokesperson told the MoS that the matter was “private,” and that British taxpayers had not footed the bill for any of it.
Prince Andrew liked two massages at once
More details have emerged of how disgraced Prince Andrew liked to spend his evenings, as he tries to convince a skeptical public that he did not have sex with Giuffre when she was 17.
According to a friend of his—who spoke to Airmail’s Vassi Chamberlain—Andrew liked to have a so-called four-hand massage from two women at once. He also liked to have models sitting in his lap.
A stylist named Lucy said he was “Respectful. Sexually, a little keen, but perfectly straightforward. There was a bit of chasing around the sofa, but not in an aggressive way.” He was “always gentlemanly,” she said, with “nothing awful or sneaky about him.” However, Lucy added, “He has a total lack of emotional intelligence.”
He also expected her to pay for seven cinema tickets, to include his security team—so not just allegedly sleazy, but also a skinflint!
Royal fashion watch
This is how to dress when royal and visiting an elves’ workshop. On the day that she became its patron, Kate Middleton visited Family Action, and wore a very Christmassy green sweater and red Perfect Moment puffer jacket.
This week in royal history
Our favorite royal hardass, Princess Anne—this week in the headlines after the queen’s reception for NATO leaders, including Donald Trump—celebrates her 28th wedding anniversary on Dec. 12. On that day in 1992, she married Captain Timothy Laurence at Crathie Church, Ballater, in Scotland, the Royals’ church when they are at Balmoral. Laurence is even more private and mysterious than Anne is, and their wedding was a rare bright spot in a year that the queen called her “annus horribilis.”
Unanswered questions
Do Prince Andrew’s new accuser’s claims hold any veracity? And what does Princess Anne really think of Donald Trump—and was she really giggling about him with Justin Trudeau and co. at the NATO leaders’ reception?