Prince Andrew groped young woman's breast at Epstein's mansion in Manhattan, court documents allege
Prince Andrew has been accused of touching a woman's breast at the Manhattan mansion of Jeffrey Epstein.
Epstein, 66, was found dead in jail on Saturday where he was being held awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges.
The allegation against Prince Andrew was contained in unsealed court papers in a defamation case involving Epstein's ex-girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell.
Maxwell, a British socialite and media heiress, is accused of securing under-aged girls for the Epstein and his circle of wealthy, powerful and famous men.
Epstein who was found dead in his prison cell Saturday, a day after the documents were unsealed.
Maxwell was later sued by an accuser of Epstein's by the name Virginia Giuffre in 2015. Giuffre testified to the fact that Maxwell had defamed her by claiming that she was a liar.
Giuffre also accused Epstein of compelling her into sexual encounters with Prince Andrew, reported the Guardian.
Buckingham Palace has categorically denied Giuffre's accusations. In a statement that was issued in 2015, Buckingham Palace said: "Any suggestion of impropriety with underage minors is categorically untrue".
Maxwell has been accused of introducing girls to Epstein, and one of the accusers was Joanna Sjoberg whose deposition described allegations involving Prince Andrew.
In 2017, Giuffre's lawyer helped in filing a report which claimed: "Ms. Sjoberg also testified about sexual acts that occurred with her, Prince Andrew and Ms. Giuffre, when she and Maxwell were residing at the Epstein's Manhattan mansion."
Sjoberg said, "I just remember someone suggesting a photo, and they told us to go get on the couch. And so Andrew and Virginia sat on the couch, and they put the puppet, the puppet on her lap. And so then I sat on Andrew’s lap, and I believe in my own volition, and they took the puppet’s hands and put it on Virginia’s breast, and so Andrew put his on mine.”
Giuffre's lawyer then based his statement on the account of how Maxwell was recruiting her and other girls under the guize of offering them a legitimate job only to take them to Epstein for sex.
Giuffre also claimed that she was sexually assaulted at the age of 16.
A photograph that had been presented to the court as evidence showed Prince Andrew had his hand around Giuffre's bare waist while she was a minor child at Maxwell's house in London.
Maxwell has denied all allegations, while Epstein had also pleaded not guilty.