The controversies and allegations surrounding Prince Andrew, Sarah Ferguson, and the late Jeffrey Epstein are still up and running today. And when the news about Epstein's apparent suicide while waiting for trial hit the media a few weeks ago, the reports became even more aggressive.
According to BBC News, the relationship between Prince Andrew and Epstein has come to a much closer "scrutiny." And the links between the two personalities have been traced back in the late 90s.
There were a lot of instances when Prince Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein were seen together. And it has been revealed that most of these events were not business-related or any of the sort. Accordingly, the public is convinced that the two were close friends since then.
In 1996, a few years before Prince Andrew and Epstein were first seen together, Sarah Ferguson and the prince got divorced. But, it has been uncovered that years later, Epstein, who was a big hedge fund manager, lend money to the Duchess of York to pay off her debts.
According to reports, Sarah Ferguson confirmed that this really happened and revealed that her former husband was the one who fixed the transactions. Even so, she claimed that it was a "gigantic error" of judgment on her part to which Epstein responded by trying to sue her, as per the New Zealand Herald.
These statements came into light after accusations against Jeffrey Epstein were made that he molested a 14-year-old girl in Florida that happened between 2002 and 2005. He received an 18-month sentence but was released 13 months after.
Upon his release, Epstein was seen again with Prince Andrew at Central Park in New York. Their photographs have largely confirmed that they had close ties with each other. And, quite obviously, these links attracted many criticisms considering that Epstein is a convicted sex offender.
Even so, Prince Andrew and the Buckingham Palace released statements claiming that the prince did not have any idea about Epstein's activities. The claims also emphasized that he was not involved in any of these accusations. He stated that, while he was staying in some Epstein's properties, they did not meet or spend time with each other.
Two months ago, Jeffrey Epstein was charged again with "further allegations" of conspiracy and sex trafficking. A month later, he committed suicide.
No word has been heard since from the prince and the Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson. But, the critics' perceptions of the prince are in the mix given the close ties that he had shared with the late Epstein.
