18 November 2019 - Prince Andrew's interview about his involvement with Jeffrey Epstein
Five Things We Learned From Prince Andrew's Interview About His Involvement With Jeffrey Epstein
Sarah Turnnidge (The Huffington Post, 17/11/2019)
From claiming allegations he’s had sex with a teenage girl in 2010 were inaccurate because he’d been in a Pizza Express in Woking, to suggesting he was unable to sweat because of an “overdose of adrenaline” during the Falklands War, Prince Andrew’s televised interview about his association with Jeffrey Epstein left viewers across the UK astounded.
In a sensational “no holds barred” and “no questions vetted” interview, filmed at Buckingham Palace on Thursday, the prince was confronted BBC’s Emily Maitlis with a number of allegations made against him.
Prince Andrew’s association with Epstein had been widely scrutinised in the past, however returned to the fore after Epstein died whilst in custody in August.
Prince Andrew describes BBC interview as ‘great success’
Vincent Wood (The Independent, 17/11/2019)
Prince Andrew has reportedly described the interview in which he answered questions on his relationship with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein as a “great success” – despite it being widely described as a “car-crash”.
The Duke of York is believed to have been a driving force in the decision to take part in the public grilling from the BBC’s Emily Maitlis, during which he said he did not regret his relationship with the disgraced billionaire financier as it had “seriously beneficial outcomes” for him.
His attempt to set the record straight has been widely condemned for its unsympathetic tone and lack of remorse for the friendship.
Prince Andrew stands by 'car-crash' Jeffrey Epstein BBC interview
(BBC News, 18/11/2019)
The Duke of York stands by his decision to take part in an interview about his links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, sources have told the BBC.
People close to Prince Andrew said he wanted to address the issues head-on and did so with "honesty and humility".
It came after the prince's interview with BBC Newsnight on Saturday was described as a "car crash".
Prince Andrew: entitled, obtuse and shamefully silent over Epstein’s victims
(The Guardian, 17/11/2019)
There was a moment towards the end of Emily Maitlis’s extraordinary interview with Prince Andrew when she was unable to conceal her astonishment at what she was hearing. Did he, Ms Maitlis had asked, feel any sense of shame at his association with the convicted paedophile, Jeffrey Epstein? “Do I regret that he [Epstein] has quite obviously conducted himself in a manner unbecoming? Yes,” was the prince’s reply. “Unbecoming?” said Ms Maitlis incredulously. “He was a sex offender.”
It was an exchange that summed up a grotesque mismatch between the Duke of York’s language and demeanour, and the gravity of the allegations which continue to surround him; between the obtuse self-absorption of a prince and what we know of the appalling sexual exploitation of teenage girls by his friend. Not once did Prince Andrew’s thoughts turn to the sex trafficking victims who found themselves forced to perform sexual acts with Epstein and others. No sympathy was expressed on their behalf; no sense of outrage. This lack of empathy revealed a man focused only on his own exculpation. It gave a damning insight into a sense of entitlement that hardly helped his cause.