Prince Andrew latest: Andrew hosted Epstein at Royal Lodge ‘days before his arrest’

Prince Andrew hosted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein alongside Ghislaine Maxwell and Harvey Weinstein at Royal Lodge while the financier was wanted for sexual assault of a minor, new reports say.

The trio attended a party at Royal Lodge as part of Andrew’s daughter Beatrice’s 18th birthday celebrations in 2006, reports the BBC.

At the time, Epstein was wanted in the US on suspicion of sexual assault. The financier was arrested in Florida eight days after the event.

Speaking to BBC Newsnight in 2019, Andrew said he was “not aware” Epstein had an arrest warrant over his head at the time of the party.

Earlier this month, Prince Andrew relinquished all of his royal titles ahead of the publication of Virginia Giuffre’s posthumous memoir.

While he is still a prince, Andrew will no longer use his Duke of York title, but he will still retain his dukedom, which can only be removed by an Act of Parliament.

You can read about all of the royal titles Prince Andrew has given up below…

Graham Smith, chief executive officer of Republic, said: “The royals need to be challenged, and if the politicians won’t do the job and the police won’t investigate then more and more members of the public will be asking the tough questions.

“We want to see broadcasters invite Charles into a studio and ask him the same questions.”

MPs could debate Prince Andrew’s conduct, his 30-room mansion and the possibility of stripping him of his dukedom.

The Government has so far refused to allocate time in the House of Commons for MPs to discuss Andrew’s situation because the royal family wants Parliament to focus on “important issues”.

But the issue could be raised on one of the days when ministers are not in control of the parliamentary timetable.

A Liberal Democrat source indicated to the Sunday Times that the party could be prepared to use one of its opposition days to allow MPs to discuss Andrew’s behaviour.

Prince Andrew has reportedly agreed to leave the Royal Lodge under the condition he can move to Frogmore Cottage.

The prince has been facing mounting pressure to leave the 30 bedroom mansion this week.

According to The Sun, Andrew and his former wife Sarah Ferguson, who also lives at Royal Lodge, have agreed to move out if Andrew can move to Frogmore Cottage, and Sarah can move to Adelaide Cottage, where the Prince and Princess of Wales are due to move out of next month.

A friend of the pair told the paper: “Andy is willing to leave, but these are his demands.

“He is realistic and knows the writing is on the wall and that his time at Royal Lodge is up.

“If he must go then he has asked for Frogmore Cottage.

“Incredibly Sarah has said she wants Adelaide Cottage.”

Frogmore Cottage is ultimately owned by the Crown Estate, but is used as a private royal residence and is not open to the public. Ownership of Frogmore Cottage is passed from monarch to monarch.

In 2019, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex moved into the property and used it as their official home base while in the UK. It was gifted to them by the late Queen Elizabeth after they married in 2018.

The payment “fully covered the necessary renovation costs of Frogmore Cottage”, which remains “the UK residence of the duke and his family”, Harry’s spokesperson said in 2020.

The couple last spent time at the cottage in 2022, when they came to the UK to attend the late Queen’s platinum jubilee celebrations. They also hosted their daughter Lilibet’s first birthday there.

MPs could debate Prince Andrew’s conduct, his 30-room mansion and the possibility of stripping him of his dukedom.

The Government has so far refused to allocate time in the House of Commons for MPs to discuss Andrew’s situation because the royal family wants Parliament to focus on “important issues”.

But the issue could be raised on one of the days when ministers are not in control of the parliamentary timetable.

A Liberal Democrat source indicated to the Sunday Times that the party could be prepared to use one of its opposition days to allow MPs to discuss Andrew’s behaviour.

Prince Andrew has reportedly agreed to leave Royal Lodge under the condition he can move to Frogmore Cottage, the former home of Prince Harry and Meghan, with a separate property for his former wife Sarah Ferguson.

Andrew has been facing mounting pressure to leave the 30-room mansion this week amid the continuing outcry over his links to Jeffrey Epstein. Andrew strenuously denies all accusations against him.

According to The Sun, Andrew and Ms Ferguson, who also lives at Royal Lodge, have agreed to move out if Andrew can move to Frogmore Cottage and Sarah can move to Adelaide Cottage – where the Prince and Princess of Wales are due to move out of next month.

“No one is really sure how it’s going to go down at the Palace yet,” a friend of the pair told the paper.

“Andy is willing to leave, but these are his demands. He is realistic and knows the writing is on the wall and that his time at Royal Lodge is up. If he must go then he has asked for Frogmore Cottage.”

Sarah Ferguson, Prince Andrew’s ex-wife, has reportedly denied the pair have made any demands to move into Frogmore Cottage and Adelaide Cottage.

A source told The Times she said the arrangement is one of the options suggested by Buckingham Palace in the past.

The Independent has contacted Buckingham Palace for comment.