'Jeffrey Epstein & Prince Andrew: The True Story': Andrew's ex Victoria Hervey says he was Epstein's biggest trophy
Prince Andrew's more than a decade-long friendship with registered sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has brought him condemnation across the globe and more recently, has resulted in him stepping down from his public duties.
The friendship has been defended by Andrew, earlier in 2011, according to a Vanity Fair report and most recently in the infamous BBC interview where Andrew said, "The people that I met and the opportunities that I was given to learn, either by him or because of him, were actually very useful." Andrew has also claimed that he did not "suspect his behavior."
Now, Epstein's friend and an acquaintance of Andrew, Lady Victoria Hervey has shed new light on their friendship. An 'It' girl of the late 90s, the socialite has also been on a couple of dates with Andrew while she was friends with Epstein, a new documentary about Epstein reveals.
"Andrew was newly single and he meets this charismatic man," she said noting the split between Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson. "Jeffrey collected people. He was almost addicted to collecting important people. He liked to impress people..." she said. The British Royal family was clearly a jewel in that metaphorical crown he was trying to create and "this was the biggest trophy he could get" she said.
Andrew's friendship began with Epstein through Ghislaine Maxwell, who is often referred to as Epstein's "pimp" in the documentary, as she allegedly procured underage girls for him to have sex with. She's also said to have connected Epstein to Virginia Roberts Guiffre, an Australian advocate for justice of sex trafficking victims and one of the most prominent alleged victims of the underage sex trafficking ring that operated by Epstein. Guiffre has alleged that Andrew had sex with her at least three times, once when she was 17.
Andrew has denied the allegations and said that he has never met her. However, a widely published 2001 photograph shows Andrew with his hand on her waist with Maxwell in the background. The location of the photo is allegedly in Maxwell's Belgravia home. There have also been other claims of him assaulting underage girls in his Palm Beach home in Florida as well as his private island in the US Virgin Islands. The documentary shows his Palm Beach home guarded by tall walls and a gate that made it impossible to see who was leaving or entering the premises.
Hervey, however, said that she never saw any underage girls and that Epstein's lifestyle was not uncommon in the wealthy circles. "Jeffrey has done all this stuff but then, there are so many guys like him. Just go to San Tropez or anywhere flashy in the summer, there's going to an older guy with a harem of girls around him."
Epstein died in August 2019 after he was found unresponsive in his Metropolitan Correctional Center jail cell, where he was awaiting trial on new sex trafficking charges.
'Jeffrey Epstein & Prince Andrew: The True Story' premieres on Saturday, January 25 at 9pm ET/ 6pm PT.
