'She was told to give the prince whatever he demanded by Epstein'

A Harvard law professor who was named alongside Prince Andrew in the 'sex slave' case has accused the alleged victim of a pattern of 'made up stories' against prominent people.

'Jane Doe #3' alleges that she was loaned out to the royal and other friends by Jeffrey Epstein, an American billionaire who has been convicted of soliciting underage prostitution.

In court documents, she accuses Professor Alan Dershowitz, who was part of O.J. Simpson's 'dream team', of abusing her when she was underage.

Today, Professor Dershowitz spoke out against the allegations, saying that he would not rest until he had shown that the claims regarding his conduct were false.

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'Met three times': Prince Andrew with 17-year-old Virginia Roberts, centre, and Ghislaine Maxwell in 2001

He also urged the Duke of York to fight back with 'every ounce of energy' against claims the woman made that she was forced to have sex with the royal while she was a minor in the state of Florida.

Last night the prince issued a strongly-worded denial, with Buckingham Palace saying 'any suggestion of impropriety with underage minors is categorically untrue'.

Professor Dershowitz told BBC Radio 4 Today: 'My only feeling is, if she's lied about me, which I know to an absolute certainty she has, she should not be believed about anyone else.

'We know she's lied about other public figures including a former prime minister and others who she claims to have participated in sexual activities with, so I think it must be presumed all her allegations against Prince Andrew were false as well.

'You cannot allow these allegations to hang above you. The first question you have to ask yourself when you are charged with a crime like this is 'Is there any conceivable possibility you did it?' and if the answer to that is 'no', you have to fight back with every resource and ounce of energy available to you.

The claim by the woman is part of a lawsuit in connection with Epstein - a former friend of the Duke.

In court documents she accuses Epstein, the Prince and his friend the socialite Ghislaine Maxwell - the daughter of crooked tycoon Robert - of abusing her when she was underage.

The woman – named only as Jane Doe #3 but said to be 30-year-old Virginia Roberts – says in court documents she was told to 'give the prince whatever he demanded' by Epstein.

Epstein was one of the best-connected men in America until he was jailed for 13 months in 2008 for soliciting girls for underage prostitution.

The prince stayed friends with him despite his conviction and they were seen together in 2011 after Epstein's release from jail.

Professor Dershowitz, above, said he would not rest until he had shown that the claims regarding his conduct were false

Jane Doe #3's lawyers, who are also representing another woman, 'Jane Doe 4', also told an American court that Prince Andrew had lobbied the US government over Epstein's case.

A Buckingham Palace spokesman denied the claims today.

Prof Dershowitz, who represented Epstein in the 2008 case, accused the woman's lawyers of working with their client to make up the allegations and said that he would now be seeking to have them disbarred.

'The story is totally made up. I don't know this woman, It is part of a pattern of made-up stories against prominent people and world leaders,' he said.

'I want to see this played out not only in the court of public opinion but in the court of law.

'I will prove beyond any doubt not only that the story is totally false but it was knowingly false, that the lawyers and the client conspired together to create a false story.

'That is why I am moving for their disbarment.

'I will swear under oath - and I challenge them to swear under oath - that it did not happen.

'I will not rest or stop until the world understands not only that I had nothing to do with any of this but that she deliberately, with the connivance of her lawyers, made up this story wilfully and knowingly.'

He acknowledged that he had met Andrew on a number of occasions - including at a birthday party for Lord Rothschild which was also attended by Epstein - but said they had never been alone together and that he was not a witness to any impropriety.

'I have never been alone with Prince Andrew, I have never been at a party with any women with Prince Andrew and I am certainly not a witness or participant in any sexual activities whatsoever,' he said.

Part of the court document filed, pictured above, demanding the American government be ordered by the federal court to hand over correspondence which the women's lawyers claim will show Prince Andrew and Dershowitz lobbied against Epstein being prosecuted

Yesterday, the woman said she would not be 'bullied into silence by aggressive attacks' following comments made by Professor Dershowitz to the Guardian, for whom he has written in the past.

She said: 'These types of aggressive attacks on me are exactly the reason why sexual abuse victims typically remain silent and the reason why I did for a long time.

'That trend should change. I'm not going to be bullied back into silence.'

Her lawyers have also claimed that the prince tried to use his influence to help Epstein during the police probe and demands the American government be ordered by the court to hand over correspondence.

The women's lawyers say it will show Prince Andrew and Professor Dershowitz lobbied against Epstein being prosecuted.

WHY HAS PRINCE ANDREW BEEN LINKED TO THE CASE? THE HISTORY BEHIND THE LEGAL MOTION The Duke of York has been named in a document handed to the Florida court this week in connection with an ongoing lawsuit by two other women who claim they were abused by Epstein. The multi-millionaire was convicted of sex offences in 2008 after a plea deal which saw him serve 13 months of an 18 month prison sentence. But two women who say they were abused by him, known as Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2, said their rights have been violated because they were not consulted before the deal was done and they began suing U.S. prosecutors over their handling of the case six years ago. Today it was revealed that Jane Doe 3, who has named Prince Andrew, and another woman named as Jane Doe 4, say they have been violated in the same way and want to join the group action. Advertisement

The order they want the court to grant are 'documents regarding Epstein's lobbying efforts to persuade the Government to give him a more favorable plea arrangement and/or non-prosecution agreement, including efforts on his behalf by Prince Andrew and former Harvard Law Professor Alan Dershowitz'.

Last night the prince issued a strongly-worded denial, with Buckingham Palace saying 'any suggestion of impropriety with underage minors is categorically untrue'. The spokesman said that the statement also applied to the allegation that Prince Andrew lobbied the US government.

The woman claimed she and other underage girls were 'procured for sexual activities' by Ghislaine Maxwell, the socialite daughter of crooked tycoon Robert Maxwell.

Miss Maxwell is alleged to have facilitated the prince's 'abuse' of the girl, after helping Epstein to convert her 'into what is commonly referred to as a sex slave'.

Miss Maxwell is described as a madam and 'a primary co-conspirator in [Epstein's] sexual abuse and sex trafficking scheme'.

A spokesperson for Miss Maxwell has reportedly strongly denied the allegations, and she has previously made clear that Epstein's crimes were committed long before she had dealings with him.

Legal documents lodged with a court in Florida name Andrew, 54, as one of three men allegedly involved in abusing the woman 13 years ago when she was 17 – which is underage in Florida state law.

The bombshell papers state: 'One such powerful individual Epstein forced [her] to have sexual relations with was a member of the British Royal Family, Prince Andrew, aka Duke of York.'

The claim names three locations, saying one involved an orgy with numerous underaged girls. It alleges: 'Epstein instructed Jane Doe #3 that she was to give the prince whatever he demanded and required Jane Doe #3 to report back to him on the details of the sexual abuse.'

Last night a Buckingham Palace spokesman said: 'This relates to long-standing and ongoing civil proceedings in the United States, to which the Duke of York is not a party. As such we would not comment on the detail.

'However, for the avoidance of doubt, any suggestion of impropriety with underage minors is categorically untrue.' Until now Buckingham Palace has refused to comment on stories around the case, but last night lawyers for the prince advised his private office to release a statement, given the high-profile nature of the latest legal salvo, which made headlines around the world.

Prince Andrew pictured in 2011 with multi-millionaire Jeffrey Epstein, who is at the centre of the new case

His accuser countered with a statement issued through her lawyers that said: 'I am looking forward to vindicating my rights as an innocent victim and pursuing all available recourse. It appears that I am now being unjustly victimised again.

'These types of aggressive attacks on me are exactly the reason why sexual abuse victims typically remain silent and the reason why I did for a long time. That trend should change. I'm not going to be bullied back into silence.'

Although she was not named in court documents, she was being linked in America to Miss Roberts, who as a teenager was photographed standing next to Andrew.

Epstein was suspected nearly a decade ago of paying for sex with dozens of underage girls. The FBI ultimately dropped its investigation and, in a 'plea bargain', he admitted a single offence and served 13 months of an 18-month jail sentence.

The documents, filed at West Palm Beach Federal Courthouse in Florida, are part of an ongoing civil dispute between Epstein and four of his alleged victims. The latest issue refers to his plea-bargain which two unnamed victims, Jane Doe #1 and Jane Doe #2, say prosecutors should not have agreed.

Jane Doe #3 and Jane Doe #4 have joined their legal action. Epstein's lawyer, Jack Goldberger, said the allegations were 'old and salacious and 'been consistently proven to have no merit'.

While Miss Maxwell branded all claims against her as 'untrue' and 'obvious lies' after she was reportedly named in the US court papers by the woman.

She has previously denied any wrongdoing and said in 2011 she would take legal action over some of the reporting of the story.

Her spokesman said: 'The allegations made ... against Ghislaine Maxwell are untrue.

'The original allegations are not new and have been fully responded to and shown to be untrue.

'Each time the story is retold it changes, with new salacious details about public figures and world leaders.

'(The woman's) claims are obvious lies and should be treated as such and not publicised as news, as they are defamatory. Ghislaine Maxwell's original response to the lies and defamatory claims remains the same.

'Miss Maxwell strongly denies allegations of an unsavoury nature, which have appeared in the British press and elsewhere and reserves her right to seek redress at the repetition of such old defamatory claims.'

DID 'JANE DOE #3' ALSO SLEEP WITH A PRIME MINISTER? By Christian Gysin for the Daily Mail Epstein, pictured, had an impressive array of contacts in his 'black book' of phone numbers, including former US President Bill Clinton As well as explosive allegations about Prince Andrew, 'Jane Doe #3' told the court she was 'trafficked for sexual purposes' to a string of other powerful men – including 'a well-known Prime Minister'. No clue was given to the identity, but the court documents say Epstein's 'lending' of young girls to prominent international figures – foreign presidents and US politicians and businessmen among them – was to 'ingratiate' himself and 'so that he could potentially blackmail them'. From his 97-page 'black book' of phone numbers and email addresses, it is clear Epstein had an impressive array of contacts. When its contents were disclosed three years ago, the book was shown to include contact details for former US President Bill Clinton, ex-secretary of state Henry Kissinger, and Barbara Walters, then one of America's most influential broadcasters. Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson's details are there, along with entrepreneur Donald Trump, members of the Kennedy family and former prime minister Tony Blair. There is also an entry for Mr Blair's former spin doctor Alastair Campbell – but with a Downing Street number, not his personal mobile phone. Formula One's Bernie Ecclestone, Eddie Irvine, Jacques Villeneuve and Flavio Briatore are listed – by numbers relating to their 'boat/plane'. It has previously been reported that at varying times President Clinton, Prince Andrew, former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak, New Mexico's ex-governor Bill Richardson and the former US treasury secretary Larry Summers had all been passengers on Epstein's fleet of private jets. However, there is no suggestion from Jane Doe #3 that she was involved with any of the people named above. In reference to the services offered by Epstein, court papers suggest, there are entries for masseuses including one for 'Sonya (speak little English)' and 'Tanya (speaks NO English'). Advertisement

Teenager claims she was picked to provide erotic services for Epstein and friends

By David Williams, Chief Reporter for the Daily Mail

The anonymous woman who yesterday made sensational sex claims about Prince Andrew was identified in court papers only as Jane Doe #3.

But sources in the US last night linked her allegations to an account given by blonde mother-of-three Virginia Roberts five years ago. Miss Roberts made a series of sensational claims which drew Prince Andrew into the heart of the scandal over paedophile billionaire Jeffrey Epstein.

Jane Doe #3 claims she 'was forced to have sexual relations' with the prince when she was under the age of consent.

Miss Roberts's story – which is chronicled both in legal documents and in a detailed newspaper interview – offers a fascinating, often chilling insight into Epstein's debauchery. She claimed the shamed American tycoon introduced her to the jetset world of the powerful, the fabulously rich and the famous – from the Duke of York to former US President Bill Clinton, former Vice-President Al Gore, Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey, Donald Trump and former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak.

Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell were among guests on this pheasant shoot, attended by Andrew (right), at Sandringham, Norfolk, after the Prince and the US businessman became friends

It was also a sordid world of abuse where she is said to have been treated as a 'sex slave', passed around at the behest of Epstein and first abused as a minor. Epstein is also accused in the court papers of loaning out girls so he could later blackmail their abusers. A settlement was reached by Miss Roberts with Epstein five years ago, but some of the claims in the new documents lodged in the Florida courts mirror those of the earlier case.

Miss Roberts had claimed she had not only been abused by Epstein but had jetted around the world with him and was 'sexually exploited by [his] adult male peers, including royalty, politicians, academicians, businessmen and/or professional and personal acquaintances'.

Now 30 and living in California, Miss Roberts was 15 and working as a changing room assistant at a club in Palm Beach, Florida, owned by Mr Trump, when she met Epstein.

KEY ALLEGATIONS: WHAT CLAIMS ARE MADE BY TWO JANE DOES - Jeffrey Epstein forced Jane Doe 3 to have sexual relations with Prince Andrew between 1999 and 2002. - The girl had sex with the Prince when she 17, which is considered underage in Florida - They met for sex in London, New York and on Epstein's private island in the U.S. Virgin Islands - On the final occasion Prince Andrew had sex with her in an 'orgy with numerous other under-aged girls' - She was told by the Epstein 'to give the Prince whatever he demanded and report back to him on the details of the sexual abuse' - Robert Maxwell's youngest daughter Ghislaine acted as a 'madame' for the girl and allowed Prince Andrew to have sex with her in her London home, documents claim - In 2002, Jane Doe 4, described at the time as a 'poor and vulnerable 16-year-old' alleges she was told that she could make $300 by 'giving an old man a massage' in Florida - Epstein subsequently committed 'sexual acts against Jane Doe 4 on many occasions', according to court documents Advertisement

Epstein's close friend Ghislaine Maxwell, the glamorous and well-connected daughter of disgraced tycoon Robert Maxwell, allegedly approached the pretty, blue-eyed teenager and offered her the chance to work for a wealthy 'gentleman' who needed a travelling masseuse.

They visited Epstein's mansion nearby where she was said to have been ordered to strip and straddle his naked body. 'My face was red with embarrassment but I felt under immense pressure to please them,' she said.

'The whole time it was going on, they were promising me the world, that I'd travel with Jeffrey on his private jet and have a well-paid profession.'

Epstein paid her $200 for what he called the 'erotic massage' and told her to return the next day.

She spent the next four years with Epstein. For three of those years, she was under Florida's age of consent – 18.

'Basically, I was training to be a prostitute for him and his friends who shared his interest in young girls,' she says.

That stage of his alleged abuse started after two years when he asked Miss Roberts to fly to his Caribbean island and make a friend of his 'feel how you make me feel'.

She says she was given to men, aged from their 40s to their 60s, either on the island or on Epstein's New Mexico ranch. In interviews with The Mail on Sunday after the settlement of the original legal action, Miss Roberts claims she met Prince Andrew three times.

She claims she accompanied Epstein on a six-week trip to Europe and North Africa in 2001, and they went to Miss Maxwell's London house.

The following day, Andrew arrived and Miss Maxwell served tea and biscuits to the four of them.

It is alleged Miss Maxwell invited the prince to guess Virginia's age and he correctly said '17', at which Miss Maxwell joked that Jeffrey would 'soon have to trade her in'.

After dinner and a trip to Tramp nightclub, where she danced with the prince, they returned to Miss Maxwell's house. They all went upstairs and Virginia asked Epstein to take a picture of her with Andrew to 'show my mom'. She adds: 'Ghislaine and Jeffrey left us after that, and later Andrew left.'

The following morning, Miss Maxwell allegedly told her: 'You did well. He had fun.' At the time of that interview, there were no claims that the prince had been involved with Miss Roberts.

She says she met Andrew a second time at Easter 2001, finding him sitting in a leather armchair at Epstein's Manhattan home.

A picture of Jeffrey Epstein's apartment in New York, where Prince Andrew is said to have stayed

Her final encounter with the prince was on Epstein's Caribbean island, by which time she was 18.

Miss Roberts also told of meetings Mr Clinton but says she was never 'lent out' to him.

She said: 'I only ever met Bill twice but Jeffrey had told me that they were good friends.

'I asked, 'How come?' and he laughed and said, 'He owes me some favours.' Maybe he was just joking but it constantly surprised me that people with as much to lose as Bill and [Prince] Andrew weren't more careful.'

On one occasion, Miss Roberts claimed, Epstein invited two young brunettes to a dinner which he gave on his Caribbean island for Mr Clinton shortly after he left office. But, as far as she knows, the ex-President did not take the bait.

Miss Roberts claims that she met the Prince at the London home of Ghislaine Maxwell, pictured

'I'd have been about 17 at the time,' she says. 'I flew to the Caribbean with Jeffrey and then Ghislaine Maxwell went to pick up Bill in a huge black helicopter that Jeffrey had bought her. Bill must have known about Jeffrey's girls. There were three desks in the living area of the villa on the island.

'They were covered with pictures of Jeffrey shaking hands with famous people and photos of naked girls, including one of me that Jeffrey had at all his houses, lying in a hammock.

'We all dined together that night. Jeffrey was at the head of the table. Bill was at his left. I sat across from him. Ghislaine was at Bill's left and at the left of Ghislaine there were two olive-skinned brunettes who'd flown in with us from New York.

'I'd never met them before. I'd say they were no older than 17, very innocent-looking.

'They weren't there for me. They weren't there for Jeffrey or Ghislaine because I was there to have sex with Jeffrey on the trip. Maybe Jeffrey thought they would entertain Bill, but I saw no evidence that he was interested in them. He and Jeffrey and Ghislaine seemed to have a very good relationship. Bill was very funny.

'After dinner I gave Jeffrey an erotic massage. I don't remember seeing Bill again on the trip but I assume Ghislaine flew him back.'

Speaking to The Mail on Sunday, Miss Roberts also remembered meeting Naomi Campbell at a birthday party on a yacht in the South of France. 'She is a friend of Ghislaine's but she was a real bitch to me,' she said.

Within a few months, she recalled, Epstein was hinting she was 'too old' for him although he and Miss Maxwell once disgusted her, she claimed, by suggesting she had a child by him. 'They said I would have to sign a contract relinquishing rights to the child and consenting to Jeffrey having as many relationships as he liked,' she says. 'It was a smack in the face.'

For her 19th birthday, Epstein flew Miss Roberts to Thailand to take a massage course. She met an Australian martial arts expert there and married him ten days later.

She had three children and lived in Australia but last night she was said to living in her home state of California – she had run away from home as an 11 year-old.

After his arrest in 2008, Epstein was jailed for 18 months on two charges of soliciting a minor for sex. He was released after 13 months and placed on the sex offender register for life. He mostly lives at his home on the Virgin Islands.

Lawyers for the women, including Jane Doe #3, are seeking a motion to expose a secret deal Epstein struck with prosecutors to avoid a lengthy sentence and a charge of statutory rape.

Miss Maxwell could not be reached for comment last night, but lawyers acting on her behalf have previously told the Mail that Epstein's crimes were committed long after their client ceased to have dealings with him.

ALLEGATIONS OF SEX IN LONDON, NEW YORK AND THE CARIBBEAN The claim filed at Florida district court in West Palm Beach by the woman known as Jane Doe #3 includes allegations that: 'Epstein sexually trafficked the then-minor Jane Doe, making her available for sex to politically-connected and financially-powerful people. 'Epstein's purposes ... were to ingratiate himself with them for business, personal, political and financial gain, as well as to obtain potential blackmail information. Virgin Islands: The girl claims she was made to have sex with Prince Andrew in Epstein's villa, pictured 'One such powerful individual Epstein forced [alleged victim] Jane Doe #3 to have sexual relations with was a member of the British royal family, Prince Andrew, aka Duke of York. 'Jane Doe #3 was forced to have sexual relations with this prince when she was a minor in three separate geographical locations: in London (at Ghislaine Maxwell's apartment), in New York and on Epstein's private island in the US Virgin Islands (in an orgy with numerous underaged girls.) 'Epstein instructed Jane Doe #3 that she was to give the prince whatever he demanded and required Jane Doe #3 to report back to him on the details of the sexual abuse. 'Maxwell facilitated Prince Andrew's acts of sexual abuse by acting as a 'madame' for Epstein, thereby assisting in internationally trafficking Jane Doe #3 (and numerous other girls) for sexual purposes. 'Epstein also trafficked Jane Doe #3 for sexual purposes to many other powerful men, including numerous prominent American politicians, powerful business executives, foreign presidents, a well known prime minister, and other world leaders. 'Epstein required Jane Doe #3 to describe the events that she had with these men so that he could potentially blackmail them. Maxwell was another person in Epstein's inner circle and co-conspirator in Epstein's sexual abuse. 'In addition to participating in the sexual abuse of Jane Doe #3 and others, Maxwell also took numerous sexually explicit pictures of underage girls involved in sexual activities. 'Maxwell herself regularly participated in Epstein's sexual exploitation of minors, including Jane Doe #3. 'Maxwell persuaded Jane Doe #3 (who was then 15 years old) to come to Epstein's mansion in a fashion very similar to the manner in which Epstein and his other co-conspirators coerced dozens of other children. 'Epstein kept Jane Doe #3 as his sex slave from about 1999 through 2002, when she managed to escape to a foreign country and hide out from Epstein and his co-conspirators for years.' Advertisement

The Prince and the paedophile: How Andrew enjoyed sensual massages at sex offender friend's Florida mansion... and Duke invited him into the heart of the Royal Family

By Sam Greenhill for the Daily Mail

Jailed as a paedophile, Jeffrey Epstein found many of his wealthy friends quietly melted away.

But there was one long-standing associate on whose loyalty he could rely – Prince Andrew.

The pair had been chummy for years, and not even Epstein's conviction for abusing underage girls appeared to dent their bond. Three years after Epstein's downfall in 2008, the friends were photographed strolling together in New York's Central Park.

It caused acute embarrassment and cost the prince his job representing Britain as a trade envoy. Even his staunchest defenders at Buckingham Palace 'had their heads in their hands', according to an informed source. 'This is just indefensible. There is nothing we can do,' one courtier said.

But Andrew has always done pretty much as he likes, especially if it involves partying with beautiful women. In this, his super-rich playboy friend was something of a kindred spirit. Neither is married – Epstein has never wed – and the two powerful men partied together all over the world.

Revellers including Epstein's personal assistant Miss Marcinkova (left) and Miss Kellen (second from right)

The Duke of York holidayed and had daily massages at the £4million Florida mansion where Epstein abused teenage girls, legal papers claimed in 2011. Andrew is said to have enjoyed regular rub-downs at the whitewashed Palm Beach residence where winged gargoyles flanked the gate and masseuses worked for £60 an hour. Photographs of naked women adorned the walls.

In return, Epstein seemed to enjoy extraordinary access to the heart of the Royal Family, courtesy of Andrew, and has been a guest of the Queen at Balmoral, Windsor Castle and Sandringham.

Sarah Ferguson was also a visitor to Epstein's Florida mansion, and he even helped her to clear her debts. She accepted £15,000 from him in a grubby deal she later admitted was a 'gigantic error of judgment'.Epstein and Andrew met in the 1990s, introduced by the financier's then girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell, the glamorous daughter of disgraced tycoon Robert Maxwell.

She and Epstein became a couple shortly after the newspaper publisher's 1991 death when Miss Maxwell moved to New York and – bankrolled by him – established herself as a leading Manhattan socialite.

She repaid the favour by putting Epstein in touch with her own well-heeled friends in Britain, including Andrew. According to friends, this first meeting probably took place during a holiday at the Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, owned by Donald Trump.

In 2000, Epstein was an honoured guest at a June engagement at Windsor Castle to celebrate the Queen's birthday.

Six months later, he was invited to a party at Sandringham which the prince had arranged to celebrate Miss Maxwell's 39th birthday. In between, she took Epstein to a 'hookers and pimps' party at a New York nightclub hosted by former lingerie model Heidi Klum in a black latex S&M outfit.

Ghislaine Maxwell (pictured with Jeffrrey Epstein) kept a laundry basket full of sex toys in a cupboard at Epstein's 'House of Sin', it was claimed

Andrew was also at a Manhattan cocktail party thrown that year by Miss Maxwell which was filled with young Russian 'models' – leaving some of the other guests 'horrified', court papers indicated.

Epstein was first arrested in 2005, after the stepmother of a 14-year-old girl told Florida police that he had paid the youngster $200 (£120) for an 'erotic massage'.

An FBI investigation uncovered a string of vulnerable teenagers who claimed he kept them as a harem at his luxury homes.

He allegedly staged orgies on private jets and flew girls as young as 12 to 'topless parties' at his Florida mansion, dubbed the 'House of Sin'. By 2008, the FBI believed it had identified 20 women who might level sexual allegations against him in court.

Epstein struck a 'plea bargain' with prosecutors that saw him confess to two relatively minor charges related to child prostitution with the rest of the case dropped. He received an 18-month jail sentence.

More sordid secrets of Epstein's 'House of Sin' then began to emerge – including Andrew's penchant for massages. The billionaire's long-standing handyman and cleaner Juan Alessi said, in court papers seen by the Mail, that he set up massage tables for Andrew on a daily basis. Speaking under oath to solicitors in 2009, he said pictures of naked women were on display by the pool, while other witnesses described nude photographs of underage girls adorning a stairway.

He said Miss Maxwell kept a laundry basket full of sex toys in a cupboard at the house, alongside a shiny black costume. Mr Alessi added that the five-bedroom home 'was run like a hotel' with a host of celebrity guests passing through. Among them was Andrew, who stayed in the blue guest room where there was apparently soap in the shape of male and female genitalia.

Mr Alessi said: 'I saw guests at the house that were celebrities ... It was Prince Andrew. It was Princess Sarah.' He later clarified that he meant the Duchess of York. Asked whether the pair ever had massages, Mr Alessi said: 'Prince Andrew did.' At least 40 girls later came forward, some saying Epstein sexually assaulted them during massages. One sordid allegation was that for his birthday one year, he was presented with three 12-year-old girls from France for his sexual pleasure.

Epstein's personal assistant Sarah Kellen, 35, is said to have arranged for a string of underage girls to visit his mansion and would pay them around £150 a visit. She prepared massage tables and oils that the girls were to use for their 'work'. A former girlfriend of the billionaire financier, model Nadia Marcinkova, took part in threesomes with him, court documents said. Both women refused to comment when questioned by lawyers.

Until now, it has always been reported that there was no evidence Andrew was aware that his host was paying children for sex.

Indeed, the Daily Mail has previously stressed that none of the claims about the prince has been corroborated, and that they have yet to be tested in a court of law.But some Buckingham Palace courtiers were in despair yesterday that the Royal Family has been dragged further into the Epstein mire. American friends of Epstein have always noticed how he delights in his royal links.

There have even been unsubstantiated rumours – most probably started by the financier himself and on which Buckingham Palace has not commented – that one of secretive Epstein's financial clients was the Queen herself. Murray Gell-Mann, a Nobel Prize-winning physicist and recipient of Epstein largesse, said he was given that impression by the financier.

It is unknown whether Epstein has actually met the Queen, but there is no disputing that he was given rare access to the royals' inner sanctum. In July 1999, Andrew invited Miss Maxwell and Epstein, then her boyfriend, to stay at Craigowan Lodge in the grounds of Balmoral. Andrew lavished hospitality on Epstein and his girlfriend, before escorting his guests on a tour of the estate. For Epstein, the weekend had been a social triumph.

The financier started from humble beginnings. The son of a parks department worker, he was working as a maths teacher in Manhattan in 1976 when he was plucked from obscurity by a pupil's father who got him a job on Wall Street. For Andrew, his growing closeness to Epstein would cause him intense embarrassment. In 2011, after the photo appeared of him with the billionaire in New York, Andrew was shamed into stepping down as Britain's trade envoy.

On that occasion, it was the Queen who came to his rescue, in a remarkable show of maternal love. Andrew is the Queen's favourite son, and she has been deeply upset at the opprobrium heaped on him. Only time will tell how she will react to his latest travails.