Prince Andrew’s Epstein interview sparks fake reviews, memes

The interview on the royal’s friendship with Jeffrey Epstein has unleashed a torrent of cynical jokes and social media memes.

Prince Andrew’s extraordinary television interview about his friendship with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein on Saturday night has unleashed a torrent of cynical jokes and social media memes, ridiculing the royal’s claims he couldn’t recall sex slave Virginia Roberts Giuffre 18 years ago, but that he could remember attending Pizza Express in Woking with daughter Princess Beatrice.

READ MORE: Prince Andrew gives extraordinary interview over Jeffrey Epstein saga | Prince Andrew, again shows poor judgment | Prince Andrew joined paedophile’s island orgy, accuser claimed

Andrew’s attempts to discredit Ms Giuffre, saying that he couldn’t sweat because of his war exploits in the Falklands, and his insistence he had never brought a drink at the nightclub Tramps – at odd with the sworn evidence of Ms Giuffre – was also heavily mocked.

The pizza chain was flooded with reviews, such as from Dave Branwood who posted: “It has been 18 years since I visited, but I remember it like it was yesterday. I was sweating profusely. So were all the other customers. It was hot. The pizza was spicy. The atmosphere was electric. But one man, one mysterious man was ice cool, sweat free. I’ll never forget it. He was like a Prince amongst men”.

Best pizza review I’ve ever read! #PrinceAndrew #PizzaExpressWoking 😂🤣 pic.twitter.com/1BfppRMF9l

— lee skinner (@JuniorlushLee) November 17, 2019

Andrew said in the BBC interview that he remembered the Pizza Express event “weirdly distinctly” because he rarely goes to Woking, and to visit Pizza Express was “a very unusual thing for me to do”. He said he had then spent the night looking after his daughters and so couldn’t have been with Ms Giuffre, then aged 17 – one of three occasions she claims she was forced to have sex with Andrew, forced upon her by the child trafficker and financial billionaire Epstein.

Andrew’s interview with the BBC has sparked a wave of incredulity that he thought it was a good thing to do.

Comedian Dom Joly tweeted that the interview was “a worse car crash than getting a lift home from Prince Philip”.

This is a worse car crash than getting a lift home from Prince Philip. #PrinceAndrew

— Dom Joly (@domjoly) November 16, 2019

Craig Murray, who was the British Ambassador to Uzbekistan from 2002 to 2004, said “the only true thing Prince Andrew said in the entire interview was that he never pays for the drinks”.

I suspect the only true thing #PrinceAndrew said the entire interview was that he never pays for the drinks. Entire family of sponging leeches.

— Craig Murray (@CraigMurrayOrg) November 16, 2019

Royal biographer Angela Levin told the BBC the interview was “ill-judged”.

She said: ”Unfortunately it was a sign of his arrogance. He has always been arrogant.

“The Queen’s motto is don’t complain don’t explain. I think in her heart she will be extremely embarrassed.

“I know for a fact Prince Andrew does not listen to his advisers.’’

One of Andrew’s senior advisers resigned a fortnight ago after his advice to reject the interview was overturned.

Viewers picked holes in Andrew’s version of events and there has been a huge social media backlash against the Queen’s third child.

Viewers were perplexed why Andrew, who said he had had no contact with Epstein between 2006 and 2010, then decided ‘’for convenience’’ and also for ‘’honour’’ to fly across the Atlantic to stay with the then convicted sex offender for at least four days to have a dinner party and to break off the friendship.

“Run that by me again,” tweeted British media personality Carol Vorderman.

In the interview Andrew questioned the veracity of the 2001 photo of himself with his arm around Ms Giuffre saying: “I don’t believe that photograph was taken in the way that has been suggested”. This was because he was dressed in his “travel clothes” not a suit and tie he would normally wear in London and that as a royal he doesn’t get close and personal with people. Within minutes, Twitter was flooded with historic pictures of Andrew running into a nightclub wearing a shirt without a jacket, and cuddling women.

There was also anger that Andrew had failed to acknowledge Epstein’s victims in the interview. His insistence that his friendship with Epstein “was actually very useful” because of the opportunities he was given to learn by him or because of him has raised eyebrows. He also admitted he was still in touch with Epstein’s girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, who has gone to ground since Epstein’s suicide on August 10 this year.

Palace aides had hoped the interview would draw a line under the Epstein controversy, so that it wouldn’t continue into the new year to undermine Andrew turning 60 and Princess Beatrice’s wedding, both next year.

But going public has now galvanised the lawyers acting for Epstein’s victims to secure evidence under oath from Andrew.

Jack Scarola, who represented Ms Giuffre said Andrew would be a key witness in the FBI investigation into those who facilitated Epstein’s abuse. He said Andrew should volunteer an interview under oath, rather than provide media statements which carry little weight.