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Courier-Mail
12 minutes ago
- Courier-Mail
Bombshell new Prince Andrew, Epstein claims in new biography
Don't miss out on the headlines from Royals. Followed categories will be added to My News. It's nearly impossible to know where to start here. This weekend extracts from a bombshell new book about Prince Andrew, The Duke of York laid out a tranche of claims about the reviled, exiled royal, each of which is more stunning than the last. Mystery figure seen walking stairs near Epstein cell Questions are being asked about a mystery figure seen walking the steps to the floor which contained Jeffrey Epstein's cell the night he died. Video Player is loading. Play Video This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. 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This modal can be closed by pressing the Escape key or activating the close button. 00:19 SUBSCRIBER ONLY Mystery figure seen walking stairs near Epstein cell more... more mystery figure seen walking the steps to the floor which contained Jeffrey Epstein's cell the night he died. Questions are being asked about a... ... more Just some of the absolute jaw-droppers we have to choose from: That Jeffrey Epstein sold the duke's 'most intimate secrets' to Israel's Mossad, the Saudi Arabian authorities and Colonel Gaddafi's Libyan intelligence services; that Andrew met Epstein years earlier than he claimed; that they had 'shared women', that Epstein said the duke was 'perverted animal in the bedroom' and 'the only person I have met who is more obsessed with p***y than me'; or that during an official trip to Bangkok 'more than 40 women were brought to his hotel room'. Think Andrew had a grubby reputation before? Figured your estimation of King Charles' brother couldn't go any lower? Well, enter veteran author Andrew Lownie who after having published critically acclaimed biographies of Lord Mountbatten and Edward VIII has turned his attention to Andrew with his new bookEntitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York. Over the weekend the Daily Mail ran the first extracts from Entitled and the allegations it raises are more explosive than a TNT factory with faulty wiring. Of course, outsiders like us cannot know whether or not any of the now highly publicised claims are true. The prince has yet to make a response. Most damaging are Lownie's new claims about Andrew's friendship with Epstein, including the allegation that they first met years earlier than Andrew has claimed. Prince Andrew, Virginia Giuffre, and Ghislaine Maxwell posing for a photo. Picture: AFP MORE: Wild reason Charles can't kick Andrew out In 2019 Andrew told the BBC during his infamous Newsnight interview that he had met Epstein in 1999 but Lownie says that Andrew's former private secretary Alastair Watson confirmed the financier and the duke had been introduced in 'the early 1990s'. According to Lownie, Epstein described the duke saying, 'We are both serial sex addicts. He's the only person I have met who is more obsessed with p***y than me. 'From the reports I've got back from the women we've shared, he's the most perverted animal in the bedroom. He likes to engage in stuff that's even kinky to me – and I'm the king of kink!' Ivan Novikov, Epstein's personal driver in New York told Lownie: 'Whenever Andrew was in town I'd be picking up young girls who were essentially prostitutes. New claims do not paint Andrew in a flattering light. Picture: Kirsty Wigglesworth / POOL / AFP 'One time I drove him and two young girls aged around age 18 to a hotel. Both girls were doing lines of cocaine. Prince Andrew was making out with one of them.' The Duke of York also allegedly was a 'mainstay' at Epstein's Palm Beach house, according to Epstein's long-time housekeeper Debra Gale. According to her, the duke 'kept newly- wrapped women's pantyhose, lingerie and sandals of several sizes in his closet'. 'It was weird seeing all that. It appeared he had all types of fetishes,' Ms Gale has said. 'I once found sex toys on the floor of his room and women's panties in the bed. 'When the girls went I'd give them an envelope that Mr Epstein had left, with anywhere from $USD1,000 to $USD25,000 in it.' Ms Gale told Lownie she would see the 'handsy' royal 'a couple of times a year, if not more' and that 'Epstein made it clear he wanted to make Andrew happy'. He writes that the duke was allegedly 'a regular' on Epstein's private island Little St James. An employee of the 72-acre property reportedly told the US Virgin Islands attorney general they had seen him 'on a balcony groping girls right out in the open'. Entitled also makes claims about Andrew and Donald Trump who both reportedly attended Heidi Klum's annual Halloween Party in 2000. According to Lownie, 'Shortly afterwards and clearly good friends, Trump and Andrew were overheard at an event to discuss Trump's plans for a golfing complex in Scotland, talking entirely about 'p***y', with the American producing a list of masseuses for the prince.' Trump has not yet made a response to these claims. Billionaire Jeffrey Epstein in Cambridge, MA in 2004. He was later convicted of having sex with underage women. Picture: Rick Friedman/Corbis via Getty Images In 2001 the Duke of York retired after a two decade-nearly naval career and was appointed as an international British trade envoy that saw him flit around the world on behalf of the UK government. Andrew 'was easy prey for a rattlesnake like Epstein,' Lownie writes. 'Epstein played Andrew. The prince was a useful idiot who gave him respectability, access to political leaders and business opportunities. He found him easy to exploit.' Lownie writes that, according to Steven Hoffenberg, Epstein's one-time 'mentor', 'Epstein would boast that Andrew was his 'Super Bowl trophy' and he planned to sell Andrew's secrets to Israel's intelligence agency Mossad'. Hoffenberg, who died in 2022, told Lownie: 'Andrew had a weakness for the girls and fast life, Epstein provided that fantasy. Andrew would then give intelligence that Epstein would give to Israel. Andrew didn't understand that he was being used.' Lownie also reports on claims made by 'many in Andrew's circle' to journalist Ian Halperin that Epstein had 'sold Andrew's most intimate secrets to notorious foreign intelligence agencies, including Israel's Mossad, to Saudi Arabia and to the Mukhabarat el-Jamahiriya, the national intelligence service of Libya under Colonel Gaddafi''. He also reports on allegations that 'Epstein had Kremlin connections and may have been an 'agent of influence' for Vladimir Putin.' On Sunday, Lownie told The Times that 'The claim about the kompromat, I've got it from other sources.' One friend of the duke's also said: 'Ghislaine is manipulating him and he's too naive to realise it…It's all very premeditated.' Entitled's new Andrew claims also extend to his personal life back in the UK. Prince Andrew, Duke of York reacts as he leaves at the end of the Royal Family's traditional Christmas Day service in 2022. Picture: Daniel LEAL / AFP As of 2001, a royal source said, 'There is the spectre of drugs hanging over almost everyone he's now associating with'. A friend reportedly said: 'He's spiralling out of control.' Andrew allegedly asked a woman to dance at at wedding and she turned him down, he replied, 'I suppose a b*** j** is out of the question, then?' He allegedly said to a masseuse, 'Hey, nice ar**e. Do you take it up the a**e?'' She said of the experience, 'All the way through he was talking about anal sex and making anal sex jokes. He asked when I had last had sex.' According to Entitled, 'Nor were staff out of bounds. There was a long-standing rumour of an affair with a household staff member when he was still married to the Duchess of York. One nanny left because he made unwelcome advances. 'When I started,' an employee told Lownie, 'I was warned to stay away from him. He would sometimes enter the staff quarters.' In 2006, Andrew represented the late Queen at the King of Thailand's diamond jubilee celebrations. During his stay, 'more than 40 women were brought to his hotel room'. Lownie writes: 'Hotel staff were used to foreigners bringing in girls, but amazed that more than 10 a day were going to Andrew's room.' The relationship between the two men is being examined in a new biography. Tom Sykes, a longtime and highly connected royal correspondent, has offered a corroborating account in his new Substack newsletter The Royalist. A veteran diplomatic source told Sykes of Andrew's alleged behaviour: 'What was so extraordinary about the Andrew thing was… the sheer number of girls going in and out of his room that weekend—and the fact that he just blatantly didn't give a shit who knew about it. 'I think now the floodgates are opening. If even one-tenth of the women who've slept with him—or just had weird sexual encounters with him—decide to talk, this could be a tsunami of shit for him.' Sykes writes that 'other Thai contacts confirmed' the Bangkok story and 'Even in Bangkok, what he did shocked people.' Back in London, rumours had, according to Sykes swirled for years about Andrew's so-called 'voracious sexual appetite'. Sykes also recounts a 'chilling' joke that is one of the duke's reported favourites: 'The grand old Duke of York, he had 10,000 men—and by golly, I can tell you it hurt.' A woman who knew him during his teenage years at Gordonstoun school in Scotland described him as 'a very slimy so-and-so, arrogant, pleased with himself, a bully'. The Duke of York is also described by former paramours as being 'perfunctory' and a 'let down' in bed who 'has been dumped by most of the girls linked to him because he is a bore.'' An image provided by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement shows financier Jeffrey Epstein. Wendy Berry, the housekeeper at King Charles' Highgrove and whose son worked at Buckingham Palace told Lownie: 'Apparently his bedtime habits as a single man left a lot to be desired. A collection of scrunched-up, soiled tissues usually lay scattered around the bed each morning for staff to collect after they had made his bed.' Meanwhile the Duke of York allegedly tells such 'disgusting' jokes that even a friend of his said they left dinner guests 'aghast'. He reportedly joked about farting to Prince Edward's then girlfriend Romy Adlington in the 1980s, 'Don't you find they always smell worse when you do them in the bath?' Andrew's sense of humour is reportedly painfully juvenile. Lownie recounts how at a dinner party he turned to someone beside him and said, 'This pâté smells. What do you think?' and when she lent 'forward to smell it and he promptly pushed her face into the dish.' There is more, so much more from Entitled, like that the Duke of York allegedly pulls off shonky moves on the golf course, pinched bottoms female during house parties, referred to 'The royal member' and could be 'cruel' towards royal staff. It's understandable why, even two weeks before Entitled is released, it is already on the bestseller list. On Sunday a glum-looking Andrew and his ex-wife and roommate Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York were photographed in grey old Windsor. It's hard to get further away from a Caribbean private island or a luxe Bangkok hotel. Daniela Elser is a writer, editor and commentator with more than 15 years' experience working with a number of Australia's leading media titles. Where to find help If you or someone you know is experiencing sexual abuse or family violence contact: National Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence Counselling Service 24-hour helpline 1800 RESPECT on 1800 737 732 on 24-hour Emergency Accommodation helpline on 1800 800 588 Safe At Home helpline on 1800 633 937 National Violence and Abuse Trauma Counselling and Recovery Service on 1800 FULLSTOP (1800 385 578). They also have a specific line for the LGBTIQA+ community called the Rainbow Sexual, Domestic and Family Violence Helpline on 1800 497 212 They also have a specific line for the LGBTIQA+ community called the Rainbow Sexual, Domestic and Family Violence Helpline on SHE (free and confidential counselling and support) on 6278 9090 Sexual Assault Support Services on 6231 1811 , or after hours 6231 1817 , or after hours Family Violence Crisis and Support Service on 1800 608 122 Bravehearts – Sexual Assault Support for Children on 1800 BRAVE 1 Kids Helpline is for young people aged 5 to 25 on 1800 551 800 Don't go it alone. Please reach out for help by contacting Lifeline on 13 11 14 Men who have anger, relationship or parenting issues, should contact the Men's Referral Service on 1300 766 491 or the Don't Become That Man helpline on 1300 243 413 Originally published as Bombshell claims emerge about Prince Andrew in new biography
Canberra Times
12 minutes ago
- Canberra Times
Trump set for meeting with Putin over Ukraine
The White House official earlier said that while the meeting between Witkoff and Putin had gone well and Moscow was eager to continue engaging with the United States, secondary sanctions that Trump had threatened against nations doing business with Russia were still expected to be implemented on Friday.
7NEWS
12 minutes ago
- 7NEWS
NSW Health Minister Ryan Park's emotional plea as dangerous new drug aimed at teens hits the streets
NSW Health Minister Ryan Park has pleaded with people not to buy vapes, just a day after a Sydney man became the first person in Australia to be charged with the supply of vape liquids laced with potentially lethal opioids. NSW Police arrested the 20-year-old man after officers seized nitazene, a safe, vape hardware, imitation firearms, and about $7000 in cash at a property in Revesby on August 1. After opening the safe on August 4, police found a further 1.8kg of nitazene, taking the total seizure to 2.1kg. Nitazene is a highly potent synthetic opioid which is potentially more dangerous than fentanyl. Speaking about the seizure on Sunrise on Thursday, Park issued an emotional plea for people to not buy illegal vapes. 'I am really concerned both as a policymaker and a legislator and health minister but also, importantly, as a dad of a 15-year-old,' Park told host Matt Shirvington. 'I cannot believe this has taken place. 'This highlights the risks but it also highlights why need to take action in relation to vapes and illegal tobacco. 'We can't have a situation where this is available, particularly to young children, across NSW. 'My message is simple, you don't know what is in it, you don't know who has made it and usually don't know if it is linked to criminal activity. Therefore, it is likely to have a substance that is extremely dangerous.' Park stressed how toxic nitazene is to the human body. It is largely understood to be more dangerous than fentanyl. In the US, synthetic opioids such as fentanyl contribute to nearly 70 per cent of overdose deaths. 'It is extremely dangerous. How it reacts in one person's body compared to another is completely different,' Park said. 'It can have catastrophic outcomes, and it can kill people extremely quickly. This is designed to get a generation hooked on this type of illicit opioid. 'That is extremely concerning from a NSW Health perspective but also, from the dad of a teenager, I cannot begin to imagine how scared (parents are) around marketing of vapes and illegal tobacco. 'This will send a real shudder through many families when they hear about this.' Shirvington pressed the minister on the source of the illegal drug, asking whether it was made in a backyard or sourced from overseas. 'It is a combination,' Park said. 'No doubt what they are trying to do is bring it into the country at a point and then what we see is the ability of backyard labs to manufacture this type of substance. 'That is why this is extremely concerning. 'We cannot have a situation like what we see in parts of the US, where this is widespread and having catastrophic outcomes in communities in the country. 'This is the last thing we want to see coming onto NSW and Sydney streets.' Park also championed harsher penalties for sellers. 'We have introduced legislation that will see potentially people going to jail for seven years and fines of up to $1.5 million for the sale of illegal tobacco or vapes,' Park said. 'As well as the ability to shut down a premise, not to shut down the component that is selling these products but shut down the business for a period of up to three months and then, if possible and if ongoing, the court can issue even longer shutdown orders.'
