Spare a thought for right-royal victim Duchess Fergie it's been another truly hellacious week | Marina Hyde

"For starters, Mr Epstein has hired a full-time male masseur (the man happens to be a former Ultimate Fighting champion). He has also organised what he calls a board of directors of friends to counsel him on his behaviour. Dearie me. Maybe that's what his friend Prince Andrew was doing in the famous photo of them walking in Central Park two years later, bundled up against the New York cold and an approaching tornado of sex-abuse allegations?"

"Although, hang on, because that was the four-day house visit that Andrew said he'd made to break off contact for ever with Epstein. I took the decision that I had to show leadership, he boasted to Emily Maitlis, and I had to go and tell him: that's it. As most people wondered of the dim-witted old sleazebucket when that Newsnight interview came out: could you not have done it on the phone instead?"

"But then, of course he couldn't, because this was not actually the end of contact at all. An email from a few months later has already surfaced, sent from Epstein to what the UK Financial Conduct Authority redact as a member of the British royal family, looking to set up a meeting between said royal and the since-disgraced former Barclays boss Jes Staley. The response from the member of the British royal family was: Keep in close touch and we'll play some more soon!!!"

Jeffrey Epstein hired a full-time male masseur, who is identified as a former Ultimate Fighting champion, and organised a 'board of directors of friends' to counsel him on his behaviour. Prince Andrew claimed a four-day visit was meant to break off contact, boasting he had shown leadership by telling Epstein 'that's it,' but subsequent evidence suggests contact continued. An email from Epstein sought to set up a meeting between a member of the British royal family and Jes Staley, and the royal responded, 'Keep in close touch and we'll play some more soon!!!' Private emails from Duchess Fergie resurfaced and undermined her prior public statement condemning paedophilia.

Read at www.theguardian.com