Prince Andrew met Jeffrey Epstein while he was quite the vulnerable divorcee and a woman who used to date the royal revealed why the Duke of York clicked with the disgraced financier.
Lady Victoria Hervey believes that Epstein provided Prince Andrew an escape following his divorce to Sarah Ferguson. Hervey dated the Duke of York back in 1999 but their relationship didn't bloom into something romantic.
Hervey, however, remained within Prince Andrew's circle and actually got to hang out with the Duke of York, Epstein and his then-girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell. Hervey said she found Epstein quite a charming man, at first, and Maxwell, apparently, set her up with the billionaire in 2001.
The model and socialite confessed that she felt she was being watched when she visited Epstein's New York home. She suspected there were hidden cameras in the house so she decided to leave and go to a friend's house.
However, Hervey said that she wasn't likely Epstein's type because she was slightly older than the women she sees at his parties. Epstein's friendship with Prince Andrew, on the other hand, was something else and she claimed that the two men suited each other.
The model said that Epstein loved the idea of being good friends with Queen Elizabeth's son. Prince Andrew, on the other hand, loved the fact that Epstein could fly him around the world to be with influential people.
But, Hervey is one of the few people to defend the royal after his train wreck interview with BBC. She said that she doesn't believe Prince Andrew is guilty of abusing a minor because he would not have allowed himself to be scrutinized on national television.
Unfortunately for the Duke of York, the public has formed their judgement even before he went on TV to talk about his friendship with Epstein. Because of this, Hervey believes that he failed to give what the public wanted and he was greatly criticized for it.
Meanwhile, another former model has come forward with claims she knew of someone who was "ordered" by Epstein to sleep with the Duke of York. Lisa Phillips said she would often encounter the billionaire at parties and even met Prince Andrew in person, whom she described as "very nice."
In 2004, someone she met at another party confessed to her about what happens at Epstein's house in New York. The woman Phillips talked to was in her early 20s but she claimed she was manipulated by Epstein to bed the Duke of York.
Phillips said she confronted Epstein about it but he told her it was not a big deal because her friend "was OK with it." The financier, also, said that it's good to have "things on people."
