Prince Andrew was seen getting foot massage from young woman
at Epstein's apartment – report
Incident was recounted in an email exchange between a
prominent US literary agent and author Evgeny Morozov
Edward Helmore in New York and Kevin Rawlinson in London
Thu 22 Aug 2019 21.55 BST Last modified on Thu 22 Aug 2019
22.46 BST
Prince Andrew was seen inside the New York apartment of
disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein getting a foot massage from a young woman,
according to an email exchange between a prominent US literary agent and author
and writer Evgeny Morozov.
In the exchange, published in the New Republic magazine,
agent John Brockman recommends to writer Morozov (who he represents as literary
agent) that he meet with Epstein, calling him a “billionaire science
philanthropist” who has “been extremely generous in funding projects of many of
our friends and clients”.
Epstein, 66, killed himself on 10 August in New York while
awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges. He was accused of abusing
underage girls and reportedly making some of them pleasure several of his rich
and powerful friends.
In the piece in the New Republic Morozov explains that he is
on the point of cutting ties with Brockman on account of the agent’s continuing
silence over his connections to Epstein.. “John has been in the news because of
his troubling connections to Jeffrey Epstein,” writes Morozov.
He then cites an email exchange between himself and Brockman
from 2013 which includes references to Prince Andrew’s foot massage: “It’s been
more than a month since Epstein was arrested on the latest charges. Still, no
word on the issue. And, now that I’ve found that old email he sent me, I cannot
believe that he knew absolutely nothing of Epstein’s wild sexual escapades.”
Having detailed the contents of the email exchange Morozov
concludes, “ I am ready to pull the plug on my association with Brockman’s
agency until and unless he clarifies the relationship between him … and
Epstein.” The Guardian wrote about Epstein’s friendships with a host of
renowned scientists, some of whom were introduced by Brockman.
The Guardian has reached out to Brockman and not yet
received a reply. Brockman also declined to respond to Morozov’s request for
comment in the New Republic.
In the emails between Morozov (a regular contributor to the
Guardian) and Brockman, dated 12 September 2013, the literary agent recounts
visiting Epstein at his Manhattan house.
He writes: “Last time I visited his house (the largest
private residence in NYC), I walked in to find him in a sweatsuit and a British
guy in a suit with suspenders [braces], getting foot massages from two young
well-dressed Russian women.”
“After grilling me for a while about cyber-security, the
Brit, named Andy, was commenting on the Swedish authorities and the charges
against Julian Assange. We think they’re liberal in Sweden, but its more like
Northern England as opposed to Southern Europe,” Brockman reports “Andy” as
saying.
Brockman writes that Andrew then complained about his public
profile. “In Monaco, Albert works 12 hours a day but at 9pm, when he goes out,
he does whatever he wants, and nobody cares. But, if I do it, I’m in big trouble,” the emails describe him saying.
At that point, Brockman writes: “I realized that the
recipient of Irina’s foot massage was his Royal Highness, Prince Andrew, the
Duke of York.”
Buckingham Palace has previously said Andrew was appalled by
recent revelations about Epstein. The palace declined to comment on the
contents of the email on Thursday night but reiterated its previous statement:
“Any suggestion of impropriety with underage minors is categorically untrue.”
Brockman concludes the email by writing that a week later
“on a slow news day the cover of the NYPost had a full-page photo of Jeffrey
and Andrew walking in Central Park under the headline: ‘The Prince and the
Perv.’ (That was the end of Andrew’s role at the UK trade ambassador.)”
The email exchange – which the New Republic posted online in
full – took place almost three years after Prince Andrew, who has strenuously
denied any involvement in Epstein’s alleged sex trafficking crimes, was
photographed walking in New York’s Central Park with Epstein.
A video taken a day later, on 10 December 2010, showed the
duke waving goodbye to a dark-haired woman, identified in media reports as
Katherine Keating, daughter of the former Australian prime minister Paul
Keating.
Brockman is a literary agent who has represented famous
science authors. He also heads the Edge Foundation which seeks to spark debate
and conversations between scientists, artists and intellectuals.
Ultimately Morozov says he declined Brockman’s invitation to
meet with Epstein.
Buckingham Palace has strenously denied any allegations of
wrongdoing linked to his relationship with Epstein.
In a statement released on Sunday, Buckingham Palace said
Andrew was “appalled by the recent reports of Jeffrey Epstein’s alleged
crimes”. It said he “deplores the exploitation of any human being and the
suggestion he would condone, participate in or encourage any such behaviour is
abhorrent”.
Andrew reportedly met Epstein in the late 1990s, after being
introduced by Epstein’s then girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell, the daughter of the
press baron Robert Maxwell.
Ghislaine Maxwell, whose whereabouts are currently unknown,
has previously denied any wrongdoing.
It was in Maxwell’s London home that a photograph was taken
in 2001 capturing Andrew his arm around Virginia Giuffre – a 17-year-old, then
known as Virginia Roberts, who has alleged in court documents that Epstein
coerced her into “sexual relations” with Andrew in London, New York and on
Epstein’s private island in the US Virgin Islands.
When they emerged those allegations also prompted a forceful
denial from Buckingham Palace, which vehemently denied there was “any form of
sexual contact or relationship” between Andrew and Giuffre. “The allegations
made are false and without any foundation,” the statement said. The allegations
were later found to be immaterial and impertinent by the judge overseeing the
case and struck out of the claim.
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