PRINCE Andrew branded his friend “a puritan” when he advised him to distance himself from convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, it has been claimed.
The Duke of York’s relationship with the financier is being scrutinised following Epstein’s arrest in July for child sex trafficking and his suicide this month.
Andrew, 59, was infamously pictured with the hedge fund manager, 66, in 2011 in New York – after Epstein had been jailed for having sex with a minor.
A mutual friend of both men told Vanity Fair that the prince refused to cut ties with the multi-millionaire banker after his conviction.
The unnamed source said that “after Jeffrey was convicted, I phoned Andrew and told him, ‘You cannot have a relationship with Jeffrey.
“’You can’t do these things.’ And he said, ‘Stop giving me a hard time. You’re such a puritan.’”
They said that Andrew began shouting at him insisting he intended to stay “loyal” to his paedophile pal.
The source added: “From there, our conversation descended into a screaming match, and finally Andrew said, ‘Leave me alone. Jeffrey’s my friend.
“’Being loyal to your friends is a virtue. And I’m going to be loyal to him.’”
Stop giving me a hard time. You’re such a puritan
In the 2011 interview with Vanity Fair, the source said how Epstein taught Andrew to relax and introduced him to denims and sweat pants.
He said: “I remember when Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein first became friends.
“Jeffrey had Andrew put on a pair of sweatpants for the first time in his life. He had him wear blue jeans for the first time. It was Jeffrey who taught Andrew how to relax.”
Jaun Alessi said in a sworn deposition in 2009 that royal attended naked pool parties and saw him being treated to massages from a harem of girls while he worked for Epstein at his Palm Beach residence.
At the time the Prince strenuously denied the claims saying he had never had any sexual contact with the girls nor was he aware of any such pool parties, Vanity Fair reported in 2011.
This comes as it emerged that the Duke was seen at Epstein’s New York mansion- dubbed the House of Horrors – just after the wealthy financier was spotted leaving on December 6, 2010.
By then, Epstein had already been placed on the child sex offender’s register.
Photos released by Mail on Sunday show the Duke peering out of the front door of the home on New York’s East 91st Street, waving to a young woman as she leaves.
The emergence of the footage comes after Epstein was found hanging in his prison cell as he awaited trial on charges of sex trafficking.
Among those making claims against him was Virginia Roberts, who has claimed Epstein used her as a sex slave.
She released a manuscript just hours before Epstein’s death, which added to more than 2,000 documents of a lawsuit pending against the former financier and his pals.
Roberts has previously claimed she had sex with Prince Andrew three times – including at the millionaire’s US home – but her allegations were thrown out by a judge.
A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said: “This relates to proceedings in the United States, to which The Duke of York is not a party.
“Any suggestion of impropriety with underage minors is categorically untrue.
“It is emphatically denied that The Duke of York had any form of sexual contact or relationship with Virginia Roberts. Any claim to the contrary is false and without foundation.”
A source claimed to the Mail On Sunday that the footage was extremely concerning for the Prince.
They said: “When the Prince came to the door I was stunned. He looked totally at ease. He said a few words to the girl, who was very pretty, and then she walked off down the street in the direction of Central Park.
“If I hadn’t known it was Prince Andrew, I would have thought he owned the place. He looked so comfortable and relaxed as he stood there at the door.
“It was only as the girl walked off that he glanced around the door frame, almost as if to check no one was watching.”
They added it was “chilling” to see Epstein himself “flaunting” his lifestyle.
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