Eleven years later, and the friendship between Epstein and the Duke of York appeared undimmed. The fourth in line to the throne was a house guest of the American in New York as recently as December, when the two were photographed strolling through Central Park. The fact that Epstein is a convicted sex offender with an industrial-scale appetite for young girls appeared not to offend the Duke, who has been only too ready to accept his hospitality. Even to the extent of accepting massages at Epstein’s home in Palm Beach, Florida, scene of lurid happenings involving girls recruited locally to serve as “erotic masseurs”. There is, however, no suggestion that the Duke was involved in any form of sexual exploitation.