Prince Andrew claims in a new interview that “I kick myself . . . on a daily basis” over the friendship he had with the late pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein — but he can’t remember ever meeting the teenage “sex slave” he’s accused of bedding.
The Duke of York spoke for the first time about the scandal, in which he’s accused of having sex with Virginia Roberts Giuffre three times, in a “no holds barred” BBC interview that’s set to air Saturday.
“I have no recollection of ever meeting this lady, none whatsoever,” said Prince Andrew, 59, according to quotes from the interview released Friday.
The duke was responding to a question from journalist Emily Maitlis, who had asked, “She says she met you in 2001, she says she dined with you, danced with you at Tramp Nightclub in London. She went on to have sex with you in a house in Belgravia belonging to Ghislaine Maxwell, your friend. Your response?”
The brief excerpts of the interview make no mention of a photo from the time period, apparently showing Prince Andrew with his arm around a then-17-year-old Giuffre’s waist, with Maxwell in the background.
Asked why he continued to pal around with Epstein — visiting him even after his 2008 conviction for procuring an underage girl for prostitution— the duke tried to show some regret.
“I stayed with him and that’s… I kick myself for on a daily basis because it was not something that was becoming of a member of the royal family and we try and uphold the highest standards and practices and I let the side down, simple as that,” he said.
In court papers, Giuffre says that she had sex with Prince Andrew three times — including when she was 17 — between 1999 and 2002. She claims they slept together at the London townhouse of Epstein’s gal pal Ghislaine Maxwell after a night of clubbing, at Epstein’s New York home and at an orgy party on his private Caribbean island.
Earlier this month, she told “60 Minutes Australia” he “should go to jail.”
In August, Buckingham Palace, released a statement defending Prince Andrew and denying any wrongdoing.
The full interview, which was shot at Buckingham Palace, is set to air at Saturday 4 p.m. EST on BBC Two, according to the network.