Prince Andrew spent ‘weeks’ at Epstein’s home, housekeeper says
Juan Alessi said both the duke and his ex-wife Sarah, Duchess of York, were friends with Epstein and Maxwell
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Your support makes all the difference.Jeffrey Epstein’s former housekeeper said the Duke of York had daily massages when he spent “weeks” at the paedophile financier’s Florida home, court documents have revealed.
Juan Alessi, who worked at Epstein’s Palm Beach residence, said both Prince Andrew and his then wife Sarah, Duchess of York, were both friends with him and now convicted sex-trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell.
During his video-taped interview under oath in 2009, Mr Alessi was questioned on the duke’s relationship with Maxwell and Epstein.
Andrew stepped down from public life after the furore over his friendship with Epstein, and paid millions to settle a civil sexual assault case with Virginia Giuffre, a woman he claimed never to have met.
He was cast out of the working monarchy and no longer uses his HRH style after Ms Giuffre, who was trafficked by Epstein, accused him of sexually assaulting her when she was 17.
The duke strenuously denies any wrongdoing.
A US judge ordered hundreds of documents to be unsealed as part of Ms Giuffre’s previously settled civil claim against Maxwell, which was filed in 2015.
In an email from Maxwell’s counsel Philip Barden shortly after a claim was filed against her, the UK lawyer said that “saying nothing is reputational suicide”, adding: “I can see why (Epstein) doesn’t want this as it may not suit him but he is already toast.”
Another email exchange between Maxwell and Epstein saw the former describe an allegation that Ms Giuffre was asked to have a baby and sign it off to the pair as “bullshit”.
She shared a draft statement with Epstein from Mr Barden, which read: “At no point in Ms Maxwell’s life has she ever contemplated, thought or wanted to bring up someone’s child as her own and or ask the mother to sign her rights away to the child.
“Infact the mere idea of such a suggestion is abhorrent.
“Further, the idea that Ms Maxwell would contemplate an arrangement with someone who abused drugs and alcohol contemporaneously and who was living with her fiance beggars belief.
“No document has ever been contemplated, created nor lawyer nor other approached to write such a document at any time.”
In the interview with Mr Alessi, lawyer Katherine Ezell asked: “Were Prince Andrew and Princess Sarah friends of Ms Maxwell?”
Mr Alessi replied: “Both of them”
Ms Ezell continued: “Both Ms Maxwell and Mr Epstein?”
“Yeah.”
The lawyer went on: “Did they ever have massages when they were there?”
Mr Alessi replied: “Prince Andrew did.
“I think Sarah was there only once and for a short time. I don’t think she slept in there. I cannot remember.
“I think she was visiting Wellington and she came to the house and we met her.
“But Prince Andrew, yes, Prince Andrew spent weeks with us.”
Ms Ezell then asked: “Where would he sleep?”
Mr Alessi said: “In the main room, the main guest bedroom. That was the blue room.”
The lawyer then said: “And, so, when he would come and stay, during that time would he frequently have massages?
Mr Alessi replied: “I would say, daily massages.”
Asked if it was sometimes more than one a day, Mr Alessi said: “I can’t remember if he had more than one, but I think it was just a massage for him.
“We set up the tables and…”
Ms Ezell interjected: “Do you have any recollection of (Virginia Giuffre) coming to the house when Prince Andrew was there?”
Mr Alessi replied: “It could have been, but I’m not sure.”
In a further interview under oath by an Epstein employee, who is labelled only as “the witness” in the documents, they claimed Maxwell took the paedophile financier to England “to introduce him to royalty”.
The staff member said there were “many pictures” of the Duke of York with Epstein in the property they worked at.
I never introduced Prince Andrew to Jeffrey Epstein at any time ever
They also said they never saw the duke visit the property, but “he called”.
In a resurfaced video-taped interview with Maxwell, the disgraced socialite claimed she “never introduced Prince Andrew to Jeffrey Epstein”.
The deposition, from 2016, showed Maxwell describe Ms Giuffre’s alleged meetings with the duke as a “tissue of lies”.
In an exchange with Ms Giuffre’s lawyer Sigrid McCawley, Maxwell was asked: “Did you introduce him to Jeffrey?”
Maxwell responded: “That would be another of Virginia’s lies and the lies you perpetrate.
“I never introduced Prince Andrew to Jeffrey Epstein at any time ever, so just add that the (sic) to long list of lies.”
Ms McCawley continued: “Did Jeffrey know Prince Andrew?”
Maxwell replied: “Clearly he knew him.”
Pressed on whether she knew how Andrew met Epstein, Maxwell said: “I do not know (sic) Jeffrey met Prince Andrew.
“What I do know is that I did not introduce them.
“That is one of the many lies. Are we tallying all the lies?”
Epstein was found dead in his cell at a federal jail in Manhattan, New York, in August 2019 while he awaited trial on sex-trafficking charges. The death was ruled a suicide.
Maxwell has been imprisoned since July 2020 despite attempts by her defence counsel to have her released on bail.
She was sentenced to 20 years in prison at the federal court in the Southern District of New York in June 2022.
The socialite indicated her desire to appeal shortly after her conviction, with her lawyers claiming victims had “faded, distorted and motivated memories”.
Her appeal is scheduled to be heard in November next year.