Over the weekend, Prince Andrew gave his first interview since becoming mired in the Jeffrey Epstein child trafficking scandal. But the British royal may want to rethink his defense.
Andrew is one of the more famous people tied to Epstein, who he has admitted was his friend. Andrew has been accused of raping Virginia Giuffre when she was being held by Epstein as a sex slave.
In an interview with BBC News, Andrew said he couldn’t have committed the rape because on the night in question, he was taking his daughter out for pizza.
“I was at home with the children… I’d taken Beatrice to a Pizza Express in Woking”
— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) November 17, 2019
Prince Andrew has “categorically” denied having any sexual contact with an American woman, who says she was forced to have sex with him aged 17
[tap to expand] https://t.co/3rzIaJ1SX6 pic.twitter.com/3SDT4Jtuwv
Whether or not it’s true, the idea that his defense would involve a Pizza Express struck some as ludicrous given that since 2016, pizza places have been at the center of child sex trafficking conspiracy theories.
Following the release of Hillary Clinton campaign’s emails, far-right conspiracy theorists spread the belief that Democrats were running a child sex trafficking ring out of a Washington, D.C., pizza parlor called Comet Ping Pong.
The conspiracy, known as Pizzagate, went so mainstream that eventually, a man went to Comet Ping Pong with a rifle to investigate. And now a man accused of raping a child from a sex trafficking ring says he was eating pizza instead? Unsurprisingly, the statement stoked the conspiracy theory’s flames.
https://twitter.com/DBestseventy2/status/1195984506563502080
Impossible! Prince Andrew said he doesn’t party with girls; he only goes to pizza parties. https://t.co/j9bFpAEv0c
— Cernovich (@Cernovich) November 18, 2019
https://twitter.com/MorsStupebit/status/1195866373056012289
It’s the new #Pizzagate #PrinceAndrew : I didn’t have sex with teenager, I was at home after pizza party | Prince Andrew | The Guardian https://t.co/8kHxQtTKm6
— Dr. Micheál Ó Duibh (@MichealDubh) November 17, 2019
One of our bosses here at #PizzaExpressWoking has been asked by the Woking Gazette to do a little piece on serving #PrinceAndrew. Unfortunately he can’t remember anything about it… #Pizzagate #WokingLife
— Woking Pizza Express (parody) (@pizza_woking) November 17, 2019
Andrew’s interview was widely panned. In addition to the pizza excuse, he said the accuser’s description of him “profusely sweating” didn’t add up because he had a medical condition that prevented him from sweating.
When asked if he disapproved of Epstein’s, Andrew said rather tepidly, “Do I regret the fact that he has quite obviously conducted himself in a manner unbecoming? Yes.”
Meanwhile, thanks to Andrew’s interview, the Pizza Express in Woking, England, is getting some fun treatment—at least compared to what Comet Ping Pong went through.
Look. The reviews of the Pizza Express at Woking are very, very good. pic.twitter.com/2r4IptdAwc
— Mark Di Stefano (@MarkDiStef) November 16, 2019
READ MORE:
- QAnon-touting congressman sneaks ‘Epstein Didn’t Kill Himself’ into tweets
- Epstein died, but ‘Epstein didn’t kill himself’ memes are alive and well
- ABC says it didn’t kill a big Epstein scoop—but many aren’t buying it
