Prince Andrew’s already tarnished reputation has taken another blow following the disclosure of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein.
The relationship of the late Queen Elizabeth’s son with the infamous businessman, who has been accused of sexual abuse and human trafficking, has cost the Duke of York not only his place in the British royal family but also his prestige and public image.
Recently, his name has again become a topic of conversation after a woman who claimed to be a victim of Epstein stated in a 2016 deposition that Prince Andrew touched her breast at Epstein’s New York home in 2001.
This information comes from court documents that were made public Wednesday, People magazine reports.
New Allegations Against Prince Andrew
These documents are part of a large set stemming from a lawsuit filed in 2015 by Virginia Giuffre.
This lawsuit involves the now-deceased Epstein, who was on trial for federal charges of conspiracy and sex trafficking.
One of the testimonies in these documents comes from Johanna Sjoberg, who recounted that Prince Andrew touched her breast while they were posing for a group photo along with Giuffre, Epstein, and Ghislaine Maxwell.
In his statement, Sjoberg recalled what happened:
“They told us to go get on the couch, and so Andrew and Virginia sat on the couch,” Sjoberg recalled during his deposition. “They put the puppet, the puppet on her lap. And so then I sat on Andrew’s lap, and I believe on my own volition, and they took the puppet’s hands and put it on Virginia’s breast, and so Andrew put his on mine.”
When asked if Andrew’s gesture was in a “joking tone,” Sjoberg replied, “yes.”
In addition, a motion filed in the case in 2014 on behalf of an alleged victim of Epstein, identified only as Jane Doe #3, alleged that she “was forced to have sex with [Prince Andrew] when she was a minor in three different geographic locations.”
Despite the serious allegations, Andrew has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. So far, Buckingham Palace has not commented on the matter, People magazine reports.
This new setback for Prince Andrew highlights the lasting impact of his association with Epstein and means that the shadow of his past continues to haunt him, leaving a hard-to-clean stain on his already battered reputation.