Prince Andrew boards private jet at Aberdeen airport as he cuts Balmoral stay short

Prince Andrew cut short his Balmoral holiday just days after he faced renewed scrutiny over his friendship with paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.

The Duke of York was due to spend the whole week at the Queen’s Scottish estate, but was pictured boarding the private jet this afternoon. 

The royal was seen stepping out of a black Range Rover at Aberdeen airport. The Duchess of York left on Sunday.

At the weekend, the Queen sat next to her son on their way to church on the grounds of Balmoral, a day after it emerged Epstein has killed himself in a US jail.

The Prince shared a car with his mother and daughter, Princess Beatrice, to Kirk on the Scottish estate, while Charles and Camilla drove themselves.

It came as the Duchess of York also left Balmoral early, amid claims she was ushered out when the Duke of Edinburgh refused to be under the same roof as her.

It is said he accuses her of having publicly humiliated the Queen and the royal family following her divorce from Andrew in 1996.

Epstein, who was found dead in his jail cell on Saturday, was accused of arranging to have sex with dozens of underage girls at his residences in New York and Florida. 

His body was discovered at 6.30am at the Metropolitan Correctional Centre in Manhattan, hours after a court in New York released 2,000 pages of previously sealed legal documents.

One document repeated the allegation, which the Prince has always denied, that Andrew had sex with a 17 year old girl.  

The court papers repeated claims that the Duke slept with Virginia Roberts, 17 at the time and one of Epstein’s ‘sex slaves’, and groped a 21-year-old woman. The Prince denies the claims.

Lawyers for his alleged victims said Epstein had ‘cheated justice’ and expect the criminal investigation to focus on British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, a mutual friend of Epstein and the Duke.

The latest legal documents claim she ‘operated as … Epstein’s procurer of under age girls’. She has repeatedly denied involvement in his crimes.    

Buckingham Palace issued a statement on behalf of Prince Andrew strongly denying any wrongdoing. 

Prince Andrew has strenuously denied the allegations of ‘impropriety with underage minors’ as ‘categorically untrue’ and the allegations naming him were struck out of the earlier proceedings.  

Miss Maxwell also denies any wrongdoing.

Asked if the Duke of York would respond to the news of his former friend’s death, a Buckingham Palace spokesman said: ‘This relates to proceedings in the United States, to which The Duke of York is not a party.

‘Any suggestion of impropriety with underage minors is categorically untrue.’

In 2015 Buckingham Palace issued a dramatic and unprecedented denial that he slept with Miss Roberts, saying; ‘It is emphatically denied that the Duke of York had any form of sexual contact or relationship with Virginia Roberts.

‘Any claim to the contrary is false and without foundation.’ 

It was claimed today that Epstein’s ‘little black book’ contained the names of 301 of Britain’s richest and most powerful people.

As well as Prince Andrew, it is alleged that it included Sir Mick Jagger, Tony Blair, Sir Richard Branson, and the Andrew’s former wife Sarah Ferguson.

The American paedophile cultivated an extraordinary cache of more than 1,000 phone numbers and email addresses for hundreds of famous names across the Atlantic.

Epstein is said to have written down 16 phone numbers for his friend Prince Andrew including a mobile number and landlines for Sandringham and Balmoral, where the prince once invited him for a visit.    

There are also 18 numbers for Andrew’s ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, who once had a £15,000 dept paid off by Epstein, according to the Mirror. 

Ex-British Prime Minister Tony Blair is recorded once, while his former cabinet minister Lord Mandelson has ten numbers recorded, including one marked ‘direct line’ one marked ‘home’ and one marked ‘country home’.   

Other names and numbers in his book are also said to include Sir Mick Jagger, Sir David Frost, Richard Branson, Naomi Campbell, and a number of members of the House of Lords.

Other royal connections in the list include ‘Charles Althorp’, meaning Charles, Earl Spencer, Princess Diana’s brother, and Rosa Monckton, the late princess’s best friend. 

The ‘book’ is also said to contain contacts of Epstein’s former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell, the daughter of Robert Maxwell, including her extended family, friends and brief acquaintances. 

The book is now in the hands of the FBI – but there is no suggestion that the people named knew of Epstein’s crimes and many will never have met him.

A spokesman for Richard Branson said previously: ‘Jeffrey Epstein has the island next door to Necker but Richard has literally only met him once for about five minutes. That’s the extent of it.’ 

Epstein also kept another diary with the names of over 100 ‘recruits’ from areas where he had residences, including New York and Palm Beach, Florida, as well as Paris.

Prosecutors believe he orchestrated a network of students who were lined up by other young women and then forced to satisfy the hedge fund billionaire’s wishes.

Epstein’s private island was raided by the FBI last night.

More than a dozen agents arrived on speedboats at the luxury Caribbean property – dubbed ‘Paedophile Island’.

It came only hours after high-flying friends of the disgraced late financier were warned that they ‘should not rest easy’.    

Meanwhile sources said the Duchess, who arrived on Thursday night, had to unexpectedly leave for London, sparking speculation within the royal household. 

She was spotted catching a British Airways flight at nearby Aberdeen Airport on Sunday afternoon. The Queen began allowing the Duchess to join the annual family gathering at Balmoral about six years ago.

But an insider said: ‘In previous years the duchess has left the day before the Queen’s husband arrives.

‘This year he arrived several days earlier than expected, which is rather strange, so the duchess left.’ 

She was expected to spend up to a week with Prince Andrew and their daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie at the castle. 

Today the royal family were pictured embarking on a day of outdoor activities as they enjoy the traditional summer at Balmoral.

The Queen, who spends every summer at the Scottish castle, was seen enjoying a horse ride alongside a groom today, dressed in a trench coat and  a headscarf, though the accomplished rider opted against wearing a helmet.

The monarch, 93,  was joined by Prince Edward, 55, her youngest son, who was pictured riding alongside his daughter Lady Louise Windsor, 15.

Elsewhere Edward’s wife Sophie, Countess of Wessex, 54, was seen taking their son James, Viscount Severn, 11, to try his hand at fly fishing on the River Dee. 

The Duke of York’s representatives declined to give more information about why he left Balmoral.  

Is this proof Prince Andrew’s Jeffrey Epstein girl WAS paraded at VIP parties? Pictures appear to show alleged teen sex slave Virginia Roberts partying on yacht with Naomi Campbell in SAME clothes she wore in infamous Andy image

 by Daniel Bates In New York For The Daily Mail

It is the photograph that has dogged Prince Andrew for years, as well as his disgraced former friend Jeffrey Epstein and the paedophile’s alleged ‘madam’ Ghislaine Maxwell.

The prince grins broadly with his arm around the bare midriff of a 17-year-old girl, Virginia Roberts, who claims Epstein forced her into sex with a series of rich and powerful men.

Now, an uncanny series of photographs can be revealed showing how a girl, thought to be Miss Roberts, was paraded around glamorous parties by Epstein and Miss Maxwell, daughter of disgraced newspaper tycoon Robert Maxwell.

The teenager was flown to the south of France on Epstein’s private jet and the images appear to show her at an exclusive event alongside celebrities such as supermodel Naomi Campbell and Italian businessman Flavio Briatore.

Astonishingly, in these deeply disturbing images, the girl appears to be wearing the same clothes as when she posed for the earlier photograph with Andrew – an off-white, strappy top which exposed her midriff and distinctive, multi-coloured trousers. 

Miss Roberts has even described in legal documents how she attended the party in St Tropez to celebrate Miss Campbell’s 31st birthday. A tranche of 2,000 pages was disclosed by the US courts released last week, and in them Miss Roberts said she ‘met Naomi Campbell at a birthday party of hers on a yacht in the South of France’.

‘She is a friend of Ghislaine’s, but she was a real b**** to me,’ Miss Roberts said. Later, the same document stated: ‘I met famous friends of [Epstein’s], such as Al Gore, Heidi Klum, and Naomi Campbell.’

Her lawyer Sigrid McCawley asked: ‘When in 2001 did you go on a six-week trip with him?’ Miss Roberts replied: ‘I don’t remember exactly when it was but, it’s the one where we went to Tangier, Morocco, England… France.’

Miss Roberts wrote about another encounter with Miss Campbell – a year later – in a manuscript of her memoir, which was also included in the court documents. They all attended the grand opening of the Nikki Beach Club in St Tropez where Miss Campbell was hosting her birthday in 2002.

Describing that evening’s party, Miss Roberts said Miss Campbell was wearing a Dolce & Gabbana bikini top and a miniskirt.

Miss Roberts writes: ‘Ghislaine and Jeffrey kissed her cheeks and wished her a happy birthday and then I was introduced.’ Later that night they went to the main birthday party where Miss Roberts was ‘introduced to model after model and the rich men that followed around’.

Miss Roberts writes: ‘It was a fun bash, the entire crowd sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to Naomi and by the time we got back in the car to retreat for the night I was giddy from drinking and dancing all evening.’ After that party Miss Roberts claimed that Epstein told her to have sex with a wealthy American businessman.

She claimed that she performed a sex act on that businessman ‘just to shut him up’ and that it lasted for ‘two horrible minutes’. By contrast, the photographs of the 2001 party show how a blonde teenager in the distinctive trousers appeared lost and completely out of her depth standing next to ex-Formula 1 driver Eddie Jordan and Miss Campbell’s then boyfriend, Mr Briatore.

At the glamorous event, aboard a luxury yacht named ‘Lady in Blue’, the teenager was seen next to Mr Briatore – who was once a co-owner of Queens Park Rangers Football Club – amid a crush to get on.

Mr Briatore was wearing a velvet jacket and pink shirt and Miss Campbell is wearing a black leather jacket with her midriff exposed.

The girl who is thought to be Miss Roberts can be seen at the front of the image holding her hand to her face while Miss Maxwell, in a light blue turtle neck, is pushing past bodyguards to get on board.

In another image, the girl thought to be Miss Roberts is standing awkwardly holding several jackets, near a grey-haired man in a lilac polo shirt who appears to be Epstein. The images were taken on May 19 that year, two months after Miss Roberts claims she was flown to London where she met Andrew and had sex with him.

A judge later threw out these allegations and ordered them to be struck from the record for being ‘immaterial and impertinent’.

Prince Andrew has strenuously denied the allegations of ‘impropriety with underage minors’ as ‘categorically untrue’. Miss Maxwell also denies any wrongdoing.

Miss Roberts has claimed that Epstein flew her all over the world and loaned her out to his wealthy friends for sex. A spokesman for Miss Campbell said she did not have a close friendship with Epstein or Miss Maxwell.

Although Epstein attended her birthday party, he was invited by Mr Briatore, Miss Campbell’s then boyfriend, the spokesman added. In 2015, explaining Andrew’s decision to breach royal convention and directly tackle allegations about his private life, an aide said: ‘When there are lurid and deeply personal allegations made against you to a national newspaper that are directly linked to a civil case in which you are accused of having sexual relations with underage minors, the natural instinct is to come out and say it is not true.

‘The duke did not want these claims to go uncontested. Commenting on a member of the Royal Family’s private life or commenting an ongoing legal case goes against what the Palace would do typically.

‘The default position is no comment but these are extraordinary circumstances and given the allegations… the decision was taken that it was time to issue a denial on the record.’ 

Jeffrey Epstein had 301 Britons in his ‘little black book’ including Mick Jagger, Tony Blair and Richard Branson, FBI files reveal

By Martin Robinson, Chief Reporter for MailOnline 

Jeffrey Epstein’s ‘little black book’ contained the names of 301 of Britain’s richest and most powerful people including Sir Mick Jagger, Tony Blair, Sir Richard Branson, Prince Andrew and his former wife Sarah Ferguson, it was claimed today.

The American paedophile cultivated an extraordinary cache of more than 1,000 phone numbers and email addresses for hundreds of famous names across the Atlantic.

Epstein is said to have written down 16 phone numbers for his friend Prince Andrew including a mobile number and landlines for Sandringham and Balmoral, where the prince once invited him for a visit. 

There are also 18 numbers for Andrew’s ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, who once had a £15,000 dept paid off by Epstein, according to the Mirror. 

Ex-British Prime Minister Tony Blair is recorded once, while his former cabinet minister Lord Mandelson has ten numbers recorded, including one marked ‘direct line’ one marked ‘home’ and one marked ‘country home’.   

Other names and numbers in his book are also said to include Sir Mick Jagger, Sir David Frost, Richard Branson, Naomi Campbell, and a number of members of the House of Lords.

Other royal connections in the list include ‘Charles Althorp’, meaning Charles, Earl Spencer, Princess Diana’s brother, and Rosa Monckton, the late princess’s best friend. 

The ‘book’ is also said to contain contacts of Epstein’s former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell, the daughter of Robert Maxwell, including her extended family, friends and brief acquaintances. 

The book is now in the hands of the FBI – but there is no suggestion that the people named knew of Epstein’s crimes and many will never have met him.

A spokesman for Richard Branson said previously: ‘Jeffrey Epstein has the island next door to Necker but Richard has literally only met him once for about five minutes. That’s the extent of it.’ 

Epstein also kept another diary with the names of over 100 ‘recruits’ from areas where he had residences, including New York and Palm Beach, Florida, as well as Paris.

Prosecutors believe he orchestrated a network of students who were lined up by other young women and then forced to satisfy the hedge fund billionaire’s wishes.

Epstein’s private island was raided by the FBI last night.

More than a dozen agents arrived on speedboats at the luxury Caribbean property – dubbed ‘Paedophile Island’.

It came only hours after high-flying friends of the disgraced late financier were warned that they ‘should not rest easy’.

US Attorney General William Barr vowed the probe would continue despite Epstein’s suicide at the weekend.

A tourist filmed law enforcement officers wearing the yellow ‘FBI’ logo on their backs arriving at Little St James, the 72-acre US Virgin Island retreat Epstein bought 20 years ago.

The onlooker, who asked to remain anonymous, said: ‘We were enjoying lunch when we saw over a dozen people getting off their speedboats and landing on the island.

‘When we looked harder, we could see the FBI logo on the backs of their shirts.

‘It didn’t take long for us to realise they must be conducting a raid on Epstein’s house.’

Claims have been made that underage girls were used as sex slaves and repeatedly abused inside a temple on the island.

Meanwhile, Mr Barr vowed to continue probing the alleged sex trafficking of underage girls, despite the tycoon killing himself in jail. His comments will heap further pressure on Epstein’s close associates, including Prince Andrew, who has been accused of having sex with one of the ‘sex slaves’.

Mr Barr’s intervention comes as Ghislaine Maxwell, a former friend of Andrew’s and Epstein’s ex-girlfriend, hinted that she planned to ‘totally disappear. 

Some reports suggested the socialite daughter of the disgraced late tycoon Robert Maxwell had started to co-operate with the FBI and her alleged recruitment of girls for Epstein. Her current whereabouts are unknown.

‘She said that she planned to totally disappear and not say anything,’ a source close to Miss Maxwell said. Miss Maxwell has never been charged and has vehemently denied the allegations. Prince Andrew also denies the claims against him, which were struck from the record at an earlier hearing.

Mr Barr’s broadside came at a police event in New Orleans. He said: ‘Let me assure you that this case will continue on against anyone who was complicit with Epstein. Any co-conspirators should not rest easy. The victims deserve justice.’ Mr Barr said there would also be a full investigation into the catalogue of failures which allowed Epstein to hang himself on Saturday at the high-security prison where he was being held.

He said he was ‘appalled and angry’ at the failure to check on the 66-year-old every 30 minutes at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York. Epstein was found at 6.30am by a guard at the prison, where a series of errors allowed him to become the first suicide there in 21 years.

The day before, New York’s federal court had released 2,000 pages of damning documents. Officials said Epstein was placed on suicide watch after he tried to kill himself on July 23. But on July 29 he was taken off suicide watch and returned to the 9 South special housing unit, which has less stringent security. Last night it emerged that Epstein was not checked on for ‘several hours’ and one of his guards was not even a trained prison officer. Serene Gregg, of the American Federation of Government Employees, said the prison is operating with inadequate staffing. She said: ‘It was only a matter of time for it to happen. It was inevitable, because of the conditions at that institution.’

Although officials believe Epstein killed himself, the results of his post-mortem examination have been delayed – a move bound to fuel conspiracy theories that his associates may be implicated in his death.

If Epstein’s death is ruled a suicide after an autopsy, his family could pursue a claim for wrongful death because he was in the custody of the state. Victims of the financier’s alleged sex trafficking ring are also planning to sue his estate.

Former employees of Epstein closed ranks yesterday. One told the Mail that he ‘saw nothing that was of concern’ while working as an interior designer for him. Another hung up. A separate document released by the US courts last week suggested Princes William and Harry may have met Epstein when they were children.

Epstein’s former maintenance man at his Palm Beach mansion, Juan Alessi, said he had met ‘Princess Diana’s secretary with her children’. But Diana’s ex-secretary Patrick Jephson told the Sun: ‘I can’t think of any occasion when Mr Epstein would have any claim to say he had given hospitality to the Princess of Wales.’