Why did Prince Andrew stay at Jeffrey Epstein’s home and attend a dinner on his trip to ‘break up’ with the convicted child sex offender?

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In the Newsnight interview, the prince spoke for the first time about a stay at Epstein’s Manhattan home five months after the convicted child sex offender left prison, a trip that included a party where the prince was “guest of honour”.

But while he told Emily Maitlis the party “wasn’t quite as you put it” and described Epstein’s house as “a convenient place to stay”, some observers have asked why the prince could not have stayed elsewhere, why his stay lasted four days, and why he would attend such a dinner under any circumstances if he was bringing the relationship to an end.

Others have also asked why, after stopping contact with Epstein in 2006 when he heard the financier was being investigated, the prince chose to re-establish contact in 2010 simply in order to say the relationship was over.

Play Video 1:54 Prince Andrew denies having sex with teenager, saying he took daughter for pizza in Woking – video

What do the prince’s claims, and the ongoing legal action in the US, mean for the FBI investigation and the potential involvement of UK authorities?

As the FBI widens the scope of its investigation in an attempt to identify more of Epstein’s victims, the prince’s comments might attract even more attention to him.

Alan Dershowitz, who defended Epstein on charges of sex trafficking, has said the prince would have no choice but to submit to questioning by US authorities should they decide to lodge a request.

Scotland Yard has reportedly been briefed on the latest developments in the US, while Dai Davies, a former head of royal protection, has previously said it would be in the public interest for an investigation to take place after the Metropolitan police dropped an inquiry.

Under what circumstances might he discuss the claims against him under oath?

The prince said at the weekend he was prepared to testify under oath “if push came to shove and the legal advice was to do so”.

Gloria Allred, the US lawyer acting for Epstein’s victims, has called for the prince to answer questions under oath. She said: “He could just decide to appear and I think that would be the best action that he could take.”

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How credible is the prince’s claim that a condition caused by his Falklands War service left him unable to perspire?

He was attempting to undermine Virginia Roberts’ recollection that he was “dripping with sweat” after dancing with him in 2001 before the then 17-year-old allegedly had sex with him.

But no sooner had the prince made the claim than a picture began circulating on social media showing him outside the nightclub Chinawhite in 2000, which some observers claimed appeared to show him sweating. Despite the prince’s insistence that he always wears a suit and tie when going out in London, he is tieless and suitless in the photo.

Anhidrosis is the inability to sweat normally. Causes include burns from radiation therapy, certain drugs, diabetes, alcoholism and hereditary issues.

Timeline Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell and Prince Andrew Show Hide

In the early 90s, Ghislaine Maxwell, the daughter of British media tycoon Robert Maxwell, met investment banker and financier Jeffrey Epstein. Their relationship was initially romantic, but it evolved into something more akin to that of Maxwell being a close friend, confidante and personal assistant. The Duke of York, Prince Andrew, was reportedly introduced to Epstein through their mutual friend Maxwell in 1999, and Epstein reportedly visited the Queen’s private retreat in Aberdeenshire. Some have suggested the introduction was made earlier. A 2011 letter to the Times of London from the prince’s then private secretary, Alastair Watson, suggests Andrew and Epstein knew each other from the early 90s. Andrew, Maxwell and Epstein are seen together at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Florida. Later that year, Epstein and Maxwell attend a joint birthday party at Windsor Castle hosted by the Queen. Andrew and Epstein holiday together and are pictured on a yacht in Phuket, Thailand, surrounded by topless women. The Times of London reported the prince’s holiday was paid for by Epstein. In the same year, Virginia Giuffre, then 17, claims to have had sex with Andrew in Maxwell’s home in Belgravia, London. Giuffre, whose surname was Roberts at the time of the alleged incidents, says she slept with Andrew twice more, at Epstein’s New York home and at an “orgy” on his private island in the Caribbean. Epstein is jailed for 18 months by a Florida state court after pleading guilty to prostituting minors. Soon after his release, Epstein is visited by Andrew in New York. The pair are photographed together in Central Park. Footage emerges years later, reportedly shot on 6 December, that appears to show Andrew inside Epstein’s Manhattan mansion waving goodbye to a woman from behind a door. Andrew quits his role as UK trade envoy following a furore over the Central Park photos. Allegations that Andrew had sex with Giuffre emerge in court documents in Florida related to Epstein. The papers say she was forced to have sex with Andrew when she was 17, which is under the age of consent under Florida law. Buckingham Palace denies the allegations. The claims against Andrew are later struck from US civil court records following a federal judge’s ruling. Andrew is accused of sexual impropriety by a second alleged Epstein victim, Johanna Sjoberg. She claims he touched her breast at the billionaire’s Manhattan apartment in 2001. Buckingham Palace says the allegations are 'categorically untrue'. Epstein is found dead in his jail cell after being re-arrested and charged with sex trafficking. A medical examiner says the death was a suicide. A pilot on Epstein’s private jet later that month claims Andrew was a passenger on past flights with the financier and Giuffre. Andrew takes part in a disastrous BBC TV interview during which he claims he could not have had sex with Giuffre because he was at home after a visit to Pizza Express in Woking, and that her description of his dancing with her beforehand could not be true because he was unable to sweat, and that he had "no recollection of ever meeting this lady". After several days of negative reaction, Andrew announces he is to step back from public duties 'for the foreseeable future'. US prosecutor Geoffrey Berman gives a public statement suggesting there has been 'zero cooperation' with the investigation from Andrew. After Berman again claims the prince has 'completely shut the door' on cooperating with the US investigation in March, lawyers for Andrew insist he has repeatedly offered to cooperate and accuse US prosecutors of misleading the public and breaching confidentiality. Maxwell, who has seldom been seen in public in recent years, is arrested by the FBI on charges related to Epstein. Unsealed testimony from a 2015 civil case reveal a series of claims about her role in Epstein sex-trafficking ring, including allegations that she trained underage girls as sex slaves.

Why did he ignore a spin doctor’s advice not to do the interview?

It is not known why the prince believed the interview was a good idea and how it came to happen. Maitlis has said it went ahead after the Queen signed it off.

Of potentially more significance is the departure of the prince’s PR adviser, Jason Stein, who is understood to have left his post two weeks ago after telling the duke not to do the interview.

With the prince now having invited potentially more scrutiny, as well as arguably having caused himself greater reputational damage, who will steady the ship at Buckingham Palace?

How will he proceed with his ‘Pitch@Palace’ scheme from here?

The prince has continued to travel the world, and attended a summit of south-east Asian leaders in Thailand this month as part of Pitch@Palace, the startup mentorship scheme he established and which hosts pitches by would-be entrepreneurs at Buckingham Palace.

But the pressure on him could affect the way in which the scheme is viewed in the UK and elsewhere, not least by businesspeople, other agencies and businesses associated with it.

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• This article was amended on 18 November 2019 to correct descriptions of Epstein’s offending.