Prince Andrew accused of arranging trip of young woman to UK for sexual encounter

London (EFE).- Prince Andrew, the brother of King Charles III, has been accused by another woman of arranging in 2010 the trip of a 20-year-old woman to the United Kingdom for a sexual encounter at his residence, Royal Lodge, part of the Windsor Castle complex.

The woman’s identity has not been disclosed, but her lawyer told the BBC that Andrew, then Duke of York, allegedly spent the night with the young woman and accompanied her the following day to tea at Buckingham Palace.

The BBC attempted to verify the visit through the Buckingham Palace visitors’ book but was unable to do so because the woman’s name remains unknown, the broadcaster reported Sunday.

The allegation was made public by Brad Edwards, a lawyer with the US firm Edwards Henderson, who represents around 200 victims of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, including Virginia Giuffre.

Giuffre has alleged in detail that she had sexual encounters with Andrew on at least three occasions when she was 17, facilitated by Epstein.

Andrew has repeatedly denied those claims, but his longstanding association with Epstein severely damaged his reputation.

In October, King Charles stripped Andrew of his remaining princely title and ordered him to vacate Royal Lodge.

Edwards said his client is still considering whether to file a formal complaint against Andrew and claims to possess messages allegedly exchanged with him prior to her trip to London for the encounter.

Prime minister weighs in The new allegation adds to mounting scrutiny following the release of so-called “Epstein papers,” which on Saturday revealed photographs showing Andrew, appearing to be about 40 years old, kneeling beside a woman and touching her stomach in what appears to be a playful pose.

The documents also include what appears to be a message exchange between Epstein and Andrew in which the financier proposes to “send” a young Russian woman described as “intelligent, beautiful, trustworthy.”

Andrew allegedly replied that he would be “delighted” to receive her.

After the publication of the material, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, speaking during a visit to Japan, was asked whether Andrew should be summoned to testify in the United States, as several Democratic lawmakers have urged.

“The victims of Epstein should be the first priority,” Starmer told reporters.

“Whether he should apologize or not is a matter for him, but I have always said that anyone with information should be prepared to share it when requested.”

Edwards criticized the British royal family’s handling of the matter, arguing that stripping Andrew of his titles without further action allows him to portray himself as lacking resources.

“The idea is that the Royal Family wants to do the right thing for the victims,” Edwards said. “But what they have done has had the opposite effect.”

Andrew has not commented publicly on the new allegations.

On Saturday, he was photographed riding a horse near Windsor, aware of the media attention surrounding him. EFE

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