A survivor of Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse has called on Buckingham Palace to proactively review files and emails related to Prince Andrew’s past relationship with the late financier, according to remarks made to the BBC. Juliette Bryant said she welcomed a recent statement in which King Charles III signalled he was “ready to support” police as they consider allegations concerning his brother, but urged the Royal Family to take further steps to help uncover the truth.
Bryant, 43, who said she was abused by Epstein in the early 2000s, told the BBC from her home in Cape Town that while she had never met Prince Andrew and has made no allegations against him, she believed the Palace should do more than issue statements. “It’s great that they’ve made a statement, finally. But the thing is, are they going to actually act on it?” she said.
The former aspiring model added that both she and other victims would be willing to be contacted by the Palace, expressing hope that the pledge of support would translate into concrete action. Referring to the Royal Household, police and other authorities, Bryant said they “need to go through all Prince Andrew’s files and emails,” noting that authorities had previously examined her own information in relation to Epstein.
Buckingham Palace previously said the King had “made clear… his profound concern” regarding allegations linked to Prince Andrew, formally known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. The Duke of York has repeatedly denied wrongdoing in relation to his friendship with Epstein. In a fresh statement cited by the BBC, a Palace spokesperson said the King stood ready to support Thames Valley Police if approached, adding that the monarch’s thoughts and sympathies remain with victims of abuse.
The co-author of a recent memoir by Virginia Giuffre, Amy Wallace, also welcomed what she described as a seemingly strengthened response from the Palace. Speaking to BBC Woman’s Hour, Wallace said the latest wording appeared to call Prince Andrew out more directly, rather than offering only a general expression of concern for survivors, though she voiced doubt that he would testify in the United States about his links to Epstein without direct instruction from the King.
The renewed debate follows the release last month by the US Department of Justice of more than three million files related to Epstein. The latest tranche included photographs showing Prince Andrew fully clothed and kneeling over a woman lying on the ground, as well as material suggesting he knowingly shared confidential information from his role as UK trade envoy in 2010 and 2011, according to the BBC.
Bryant said she was 20 when she first met Epstein, then 49, at a restaurant in Cape Town in 2002. She alleged that he abused her multiple times on his private island and at his ranch in New Mexico between 2002 and 2004, describing herself at the time as feeling like a “scared mouse around a snake.” She characterised Epstein as “a mastermind criminal and highly manipulative,” adding that many young women, including herself, were unable to cope with the situation.
