The Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson has broken her silence on the Prince Andrew sex scandal allegations to speak in support of her former husband, saying “he’s the best man there is”.
As Prince Andrew, 54, returns home to the United Kingdom the Duchess, 55, was seen enjoying a ski holiday in Switzerland where she defended her former husband, with whom she is still close.
Although she didn’t comment on the specific sex scandal allegations that the Prince is currently facing, she did launch a strong defence of his character.
“I will say it was the finest moment of my life in 1986 when I married him,” the Duchess told the UK’s Mirror.
Sarah continued “He is a great man, the best man in the world. The York family are a tight unit – we are always have been a tight unit. He is the greatest man there is.”
Prince Andrew is said to be attending an urgent summit with his mother Queen Elizabeth at home after he was named in a in a US lawsuit against his friend Jeffrey Epstein in which one of the litigants, Virginia Roberts, alleges that she was coerced into having sex with the Prince while still underage.
The Palace has “emphatically” denied the claims in not one, but two official statements, saying that “Any suggestion of impropriety with underage minors is categorically untrue.”
The second statement read that: “It is emphatically denied that the Duke of York had any form of sexual contact or relationship with Virginia Roberts. Any claim to the contrary is false and without foundation.”
The Prince is close friends with the American billionaire Jeffrey Epstein, who is also a convicted sex offender who has already served 13 months for soliciting prostitution.
The latest accusations levelled at Epstein by one litigant – Australian woman Virginia Roberts, is that she was held by him as a “sex slave” and was groomed and coerced by Epstein into sleeping with the Prince on three separate occasions. On one occasion she alleges she was paid $15,000 to sleep with him.
Although Prince Andrew’s ongoing connections with Epstein forced him to step down from his role as Britain’s trade envoy to the US in 2011, it is reported that there will be no disruption to his normal public duties this time around.
A reportedly senior royal aide told People magazine: “There is an acknowledgement that the civil case will last a considerable length of time. But he’s not going to go to ground. He will carry on what he has been doing in terms of his public engagements and work.”
The Prince is yet to comment on the accusations directly.
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