Jeffrey Epstein's victims 'frustrated' by Prince Andrew's return to public life after Queen's death
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM: Victims of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein are reportedly angry by Prince Andrew's return to public life. The Duke of York was Epstein’s long-term friend. After the Queen died on Thursday, September 8, Prince Andrew has been in the public eye for royal engagements
The Duke of York was slapped with a civil sex assault case by Virginia Giuffre, who accused him of sexually assaulting her when she was a teenager. Following this, he had to give up his HRH title, which distinguishes a person as “royal” over others. Andrew also had to give up his patronage and honorary military roles. The case was settled for an undisclosed sum.
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According to the Independent, this return has upset Epstein’s many victims. While speaking to the outlet, Spencer Kevin, a Florida-based lawyer who represented nine of Epstein’s victims, said, “for the victims that are involved, seeing him in these types of public appearances and being praised by the public, it’s frustrating to them.”
The lawyer said, “This is a man they see as someone who is, at the very least, disrespectful to the victims, by his friendship with a paedophile. And for him to be lauded in public, as he’s doing, and to be praised by the public, which is what he’s seeking, is insulting.”
Spencer said, “It’s no secret that he likes being popular. He likes his position. And I think that he is attempting now to see if he can rehabilitate his image in the public.” The lawyer added that Andrew should grieve his mother’s death in private, without making public appearances.
Due to the scandal, Andrew was kept away from the media glare and was not invited to the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June.
Prince Andrew was reportedly photographed "laughing his head off” as he denied allegations of raping an underage girl during a 2019 interview because he, “thought it had gone very well.” The photo remains unreleased, but the BBC photographer who clicked it said that it would “embarrass” the royal family if it was made public.
The snap is set to appear in a book about the infamous interview, written by former Newsnight producer Sam McAlister. A film about the interview will also reportedly be released. The photographer who clicked the picture, Mark Harrison, worked for the BBC on the night of Prince Andrew's disastrous 'Newsnight' interview. He had revealed earlier this month that the snap would shake the monarchy if it was released.
Meanwhile, Jeffrey Epstein had close contact with many celebrities, including Bill Clinton, Bill Gates, Donald Trump, and Prince Andrew. Epstein took his life in jail in the summer of 2019 while on remand over dozens more charges of sex trafficking minors, allegations he had denied.