In a lifetime of spectacular gaffes and poorly-chosen pals, the “dim” Duke of York has outdone himself with his friendship with the twisted Jeffrey Epstein.
Epstein took himself off the board Aug. 10 in his Manhattan jail cell. In his wake, many rich and powerful men are having a harsh light shone into their activities. Prince Andrew, the Duke of York is among them.
But “Air Miles Andy” has long been problematic for the Royal Family. A greedy, spendthrift lunkhead who likely profited from illicit arms trading as a special trade ambassador for the UK.
“When I was at the Foreign Office, it was very difficult to see in whose interests he was acting,” former minister Chris Bryant told The UK Sun. “He doesn’t exactly add lustre to the Royal diadem.”
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HERE ARE SOME OF PRINCE ANDREW’S PALS
The prince denies he is friends with wanted war criminal Gaddafi. GETTY IMAGES
SAIF AL-ISLAM GADDAFI
The son of the late Libyan dictator Moammar Gaddafi. Islam served as the face of his dad’s brutal and bloodthirsty regime and was the de facto prime minister, according to CNN. A playboy who loves models, he remains wanted for crimes against humanity. Prince Andrew met with Gaddafi on numerous occasions but denies they are friends. He does seem like Andrew’s kind of guy.
The brutal dictator of Azerbaijan. Pal of the prince! GETTY IMAGES
ILHAM ALIYEV
The dodgy and brutal president of Azerbaijan. As UK trade rep, Andrew became pals with the bloodthirsty dictator who has been declared a human rights disgrace. He recently made his wife vice president.
This socialite with dark connections is also best mates with Andrew. GETTY IMAGES The oligarch said, “a friend in need is a friend indeed”. GETTY IMAGES
GOGA ASHKENAZI/ TIMUR KULIBAYEV
Hmmm. The Queen gave Prince Andrew and his then-wife the Duchess of York a royal residence in the form of Sunninghill Park. Neither used the posh pile. Enter Kazakh socialite Goga Ashkenazi, who Randy Andy had been romantically linked to. Her Oligarch ex Kulibayev bought the house for around $25 million, or about $6 million over asking. British media asked why, after all the place was by then a dump, he bought it? We say cui bono: who benefits?
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Arms dealer Tarek Kaituni is a wanted man. He gave Princess Beatrice diamonds for her birthday.
TAREK KAITUNI
Libyan weapons smuggler. But his questionable business didn’t stop Andrew from becoming mates. In 2008, he paid for the prince to enjoy a nice little holiday in Tunisia. The firestorm over the trip didn’t much bother the rogue royal. Kaituni was a guest at Princess Beatrice’s private birthday party in 2011. The arms dealer reportedly gave the young royal a diamond necklace.
Vilest of them all. High society pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Protected by the powerful.
JEFFREY EPSTEIN
Worst of the worst. The hedge fund gazillionaire and the prince were pals for 20 years, having been introduced by Epstein’s “pimp” socialite Ghislaine Maxwell. Even after Epstein went to the slammer in 2008 for trying to procure teens for sex, Andrew remained steadfast. In 2015, one of Epstein’s former sex slaves, Virginia Roberts, alleged she had been forced to have sex with the pervy prince. She was 17 at the time. Roberts also claimed the prince attended an orgy in the Caribbean on Epstein’s “Pedophile Island.” He is denying the allegations.
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Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information.