London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Sep 12, 2025

Prince Andrew: Just 6% believe duke's answers over Epstein

Sky News asked people what they thought of a controversial interview the duke did with BBC Newsnight.

Just 6% of the public believe Prince Andrew's explanation of his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, according to a Sky News poll.

People were asked what they thought of an interview the duke did with BBC Newsnight, during which he denied having sex with a 17-year-old girl at the home of the disgraced billionaire in London in 2001.

The duke has been widely mocked on social media for his assertion that he was in a Pizza Express in Woking on the night of the alleged incident.

He also used the interview to say he knew nothing of Epstein's crimes, and addressed pictures taken of the pair two years after the American was jailed for two charges of procuring underage girls in Florida.

Andrew said he now believes it was "definitely the wrong thing to do but at the time I felt it was the honourable and right thing to do", but failed to say that he regretted his friendship with Epstein.

Just 6% of people polled said they believed the explanations he gave in the interview, with 51% saying they did not believe him and 43% saying they were unsure.

The low level of belief in his answers spans all demographics and political groups, according to the results of the survey carried out for Sky News by YouGov.

Almost half (47%) of people believe the way Prince Andrew has responded to the allegations surrounding Epstein has damaged the monarchy, with less than a quarter (23%) believing that it had not.

Some 30% said they were unsure.

The interview on Newsnight was the culmination of years of statements from Buckingham Palace, and was intended to dispel increasing scrutiny of the duke's relationship with Epstein, who died in prison earlier this year.

Andrew was accused of "utterly lacking in compassion" for the victims of the disgraced billionaire, with several commentators expressing their shock about the nature of the interview.

Lisa Bloom, who represents five of Epstein's victims, told Sky News: "He seems utterly lacking in the compassion and the astonishment that the rest of the world has felt after hearing from Jeffrey Epstein's victims."

Just days after the interview aired, the duke was accused by a former Downing Street aide of having used the n-word during a meeting at Buckingham Palace.

Sky News understands that the palace has written a legal letter to the Evening Standard over allegations made in the newspaper by columnist Rohan Silva, who was an adviser to former PM David Cameron.

He said that the Duke of York used the racist word while talking with him about trade policy in 2012, when asked if he thought the government department responsible for trade "could be doing a better job".

The royal was alleged to have said: "Well, if you'll pardon the expression, that really is the n***** in the woodpile".

The palace is understood to "strenuously deny that these words were ever used".

Sky News has also learned that KPMG is not renewing its sponsorship of Andrew's Pitch@Palace initiative.

The accountancy firm had been a founding partner of the royal's start-up mentorship scheme for entrepreneurs.

KPMG's sponsorship lapsed at the end of October and a decision was made not to take it on.

The company declined to comment.

Another partner of Pitch@Palace, AstraZeneca, said: "Our three year partnership with pitch@palace is due to expire at the end of this year and is currently being reviewed."

In another development, The Outward Bound Trust said it is reviewing Andrew's patronage of their charity at an additional board meeting this week.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Suspect Arrested: Utah Man in Custody for Charlie Kirk’s Fatal Shooting
In a politically motivated trial: Bolsonaro Sentenced to 27 Years for Plotting Coup After 2022 Defeat
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
Pig Heads Left Outside Multiple Paris Mosques in Outrage-Inducing Acts
Nvidia’s ‘Wow’ Factor Is Fading. The AI chip giant used to beat Wall Street expectations for earnings by a substantial margin. That trajectory is coming down to earth.
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
On the Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s Death: Prince Harry Returns to Britain
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Murdoch Family Finalises $3.3 Billion Succession Pact, Ensuring Eldest Son’s Leadership
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Court Staff Cover Up Banksy Image of Judge Beating a Protester
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
Elon Musk Poised to Become First Trillionaire Under Ambitious Tesla Pay Plan
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
Burning the Minister’s House Helped Protesters to Win Justice: Prabowo Fires Finance Minister in Wake of Indonesia Protests
Brazil Braces for Fallout from Bolsonaro Trial by corrupted judge
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
Nearly 40 Years Later: Nike Changes the Legendary Slogan Just Do It
Generations Born After 1939 Unlikely to Reach Age One Hundred, New Study Finds
End to a four-year manhunt in New Zealand: the father who abducted his children to the forests was killed, the three siblings were found
Germany Suspends Debt Rules, Funnels €500 Billion Toward Military and Proxy War Strategy
EU Prepares for War
BMW Eyes Growth in China with New All‑Electric Neue Klasse Lineup
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
US Justice Department Launches Criminal Mortgage-Fraud Probe into Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Escalating Drug Trafficking and Violence in Latin America: A Growing Crisis
×