Prince Andrew

Sorry annie but you have no idea how many men have been named during the investigation in the USA. PA is bound to get more coverage because of name recognition if nothing else.

Quite. A possibility. Nothing more. Yet.

Calendar it’s not about the age gap it’s about the possibility that she was trafficked/coerced into having sex.

No @anniebach - you're not the only one!

Oldwoman70 pointed out that PA was 40 and the girl 17 when this all happened.
Not defending Andrew at all, but heaps of famous men have younger girlfriends, wives, whatever.
Can’t bring many to mind really, but Sophia Loren and Carlo Ponti, Rod Stewart and Penny Lancaster, Berni Ecclestone and wife to name a few.
I realise this isn’t what this is all about, but older men and younger girls is nothing new.

Alexa you do not seem to understand that Andrew has on occasion acted on behalf of our Head of State overseas, besides being the UK's Trade Envoy and patron of charities involving young people.

He is not just a silly aristocrat as you seem to think.

Seems I am the only one who thinks it strange that only Andrew has been named by lawyers , and one woman comes forward the day after his interview was aired .

All those parties, all those houses , all those girls and 2 men !

No, Alexa
You don't seem to know the basic difference between the meaning of the words aristrocrat and royal so perhaps the wider implications of this whole case have not been apparent to you.

As mentioned previously, there may be more people involved than just Andrew, some of whom have held extremely high office in world affairs.

If this is how they behave socially just how seriously did/do they take their roles as saviours of the world?

Goodness me fancy cacophonising about sex trafficking - whatever next. I was expecting a more intellectual response from you Alexa.

Such a cacophony of interest in the behaviour of one silly aristocrat!

Its obviously a media furore to draw public attention away from the truly serious issue of environmental disaster.

That saying came to mind which I thought was rather apt:

From hero to zero

Am I right in thinking he was around 40 years old when he "allegedly" slept with this 17 year old girl?

I don't think Andrew gave any thought to how old the girl was - I think he is arrogant and conceited enough to believe that any young woman would be happy to sleep with him because of who he is.

Crikey. Who hates women? Daft thing to say.

At the very very least of course he should give a sworn statement to the American authorities as to what he knew about JE. Why wouldn’t he? Doesn’t he want to help the investigation? He may have information about people who are still alive and operating these trafficking rings. I bet he knows where GM is holed up for starters. And why shouldn’t women who have suffered get compensation? And finally why do a few women on here hate women so much?

PA didn't get the Randy Andy reputation from being a celibate, teetotal dutiful son I presume?
Personally I've always felt there was something about him that I couldn't put my finger on, something beyond breathtaking arrogance and lack of insight into the real world.
As for the interview i think he came over as utterly indifferent to the plight of those poor girls; totally privileged and untouchable by the Law.
Sickening individual.

Doodledog - it was me who suggested she could be after a payout.

As you say, I doubt very much whether attempting to prosecute PA through the courts would bring results.

We don't know if the underage sex, if it took place, took place in US soil or in the UK. If it took place in the US, PA would, presumably have to be extradited to appear in court, even if the US court authorities think there is a case to answer.

There may be scope for some kind of plea bargain, which may involve PA negotiating some kind of deal to ensure that she keeps schtum. Or he may be subject to a civil case which would involve compensation following a successful private prosecution (if you remember, OJ Simpson was successfully sued in a private case brought by a victim's father even though the courts had already found him not guilty).

Something similar may be afoot here. PA is a rich man!

Andrew and Fergie have been living together for ages.

In his interview he said he had stayed on Epstein’s island ,
yesterday a female lawyer and a woman who has now come
forward gave a press interview.

The woman said she had been a victim of Epstein, he asked
her to go to his island where she would meet Prince Andrew.

David no he hasn’t had a serious girlfriend or no he’s not leading a celibate life I believe

Andrew was very foolish getting mixed up with Epstein but since leaving Fergie I don’t recall him being associated with any other woman. Has he had any serious girlfriends since then or is he leading celibate life?.

I seem to have missed a couple of pages of this thread - sorry if I am repeating things that others have said.

I got the impression that he had been coached, but hadn't fully understood the reasons for saying (or not saying) various things.

He wouldn't agree that the photo was a fake, for instance - presumably because that is something that can be proved or disproved - but had no explanation as to where it had come from or what it represented. He agreed that he was in it, but also said that he knew nothing about it and had no explanation for it.

He also said that Epstein was not a friend, but just a 'plus one'; and then said that he had gone to stay with him for 4 days (in order to be honourable) when he decided that it would be better not to see him again. So was he a friend or wasn't he? I've seen divorces happen with less preamble.

As for the woman - I have no reason to disbelieve her, or to doubt the fact that it would have been impossible for her to be believed at the time. The 'me too' movement has made it easier for women to speak out now, and IMO that is a good thing.

To the poster who said that she (the woman) is after a payout, why do you think that? She will be unlikely to get anything at all except, possibly, compensation, which will only happen if PA is charged and found guilty, neither of which (whatever the truth of the matter) is likely to happen.

Also, the rules of the country where an offence is committed always apply, surely? She was underage in the US, so that is what matters. UK laws don't apply across the world - those saying that it was 'legal' in the UK need to consider how they would feel if someone from a place with an age of consent of 10 were to have sex with a 10 year old British girl in the UK. And if she had been trafficked or coerced, then her age is irrelevant.

But, was PA involved in sexual exploitation of minors or are the British press on the usual witch hunt. I suspect the latter. The woman who the interviewee asked PA 15 times was 17, over the age of consensual sex.

Also, the US cannot be compared to the UK although I see the Uk press are trying to bring Rotherham I to the equation.

Been out all day and if I can go back several pages can I clarify my comment that caused suziewoozie to spell out again, the reasons I couldn't "almost' feel sorry for Prince Andrew. I don't feel in the least bit sorry for PA who is mired in a mess entirely of his own making. My comment was based on the fact I was so shocked by his stupidity throughout that train wreck of an interview, in which he showed no empathy for the victims and in fact, presented himself as the victim

How any one, older women particularly, can seek to defend the sexual exploitation of vulnerable young women is beyond me. As Eloethan, Smileless, pink quartz and others have said, this isn't one woman saying PA was one of the men JE trafficked her to. This was highly organised sexual exploitation of children and young women. The authorities in the US missed opportunities to investigate in the past but they're doing it now.
Good.

One royal not the royals , in fairness merlot

Ghislaine was Robert Maxwell's favourite child. This whole seedy story shows why. PA is just a thick plonker with the sensitivity of a rhinosceros.