While the Prince and Buckingham Palace have staunchly denied any involvement in Jeffrey Epstein's and Ghislaine Maxwell's crimes, Prince Andrew's relationship to them seems to have been even closer than previously assumed.

Former Metropolitan police officer Paul Page, who served in the Royal Protection Command from 1998 until 2004, alleged that Maxwell and several other women made secret trips to the palace to meet with the Duke of York.

He said that the female guests wouldn't sign the Palace's gate book and royal protection officers would even drive them home, or face an angry Andrew who'd become 'abusive' if challenged.

Ex-Met officer Page made the allegations against the Duke of York during a 2009 trial where he was accused of £3million investment fraud.

Page's statement was never disclosed to the jury but have now been revealed for the first time.

According to the Mirror, Page claimed: 'It was not just the royalty protection officers who abused their position, members of the Royal Household also frequently did.

'The biggest culprit was Prince Andrew. Andrew would often have lady friends come to visit, including frequent visits by Ghislaine Maxwell , daughter of the disgraced late Robert Maxwell.'

Self-pity

It comes as the Duke of York has told friends he fears never being able to return to the US with the Jeffrey Epstein case hanging over his head.

Andrew has not set foot in the country since early 2017 and sources say plans to launch a business initiative there later this year have been put on ice.

According to the Mail's sources, the prince is concerned about being drawn into civil proceedings brought by some of paedophile Epstein's many victims.

Just days ago Miss Roberts's lawyer Brad Edwards urged the prince to co-operate in order to help the victims of Epstein secure justice. He said: 'I look forward to co-ordinating a formal deposition where he will be given the opportunity to tell us everything he knows.'

US legal experts say that if Andrew is considered to have information relevant to any of the civil proceedings, someone might want to 'depose' him – ask him to give a statement.

It is also possible he could be considered a witness in any criminal proceedings surrounding Epstein's death.

Lawyers say it would be difficult to force him to go to the US to give evidence but, if he were to set foot in the country, he could be subpoenaed for his testimony.

Andrew got a foot massage from a 'young Russian woman' in Epstein's mansion

Prince Andrew was seen inside the New York apartment of Jeffrey Epstein being given a foot massage by two young Russian women, according to a report in the US.

Literary agent John Brockman said he walked into the Upper East Side mansion to find a middle-aged Englishman being given the massage.

The man, who wore a suit and braces, was introduced to Mr Brockman, an influential agent representing leading science writers, as 'Andy'.

It was only when 'Andy' started to complain bitterly that, unlike him, Prince Albert of Monaco could misbehave as he liked in private and get away with it that his identity dawned on Mr Brockman.

The Duke, said Mr Brockman, added: 'In Monaco, Albert works 12 hours a day but at 9pm, when he goes out, he does whatever he wants, and nobody cares. But if I do it, I'm in big trouble.'

Mr Brockman said he only then realised who he was talking to. He said that a week later, the New York Post ran a picture of Andrew and Epstein walking in Central Park under the headline 'The Prince and the Perv'. In the ensuing furore, the Duke gave up his role as UK trade ambassador.

People in the Daily Mail comment section are calling for an end of the monarchy in Britain.