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PRINCE ANDREW SAYS HE WAS ‘VERY HAPPY’ WITH SARAH FERGUSON The Duke of York was given nicknames such as ‘Randy Andy’, ‘Air Miles Andy’ and the ‘Party Prince’ for his portrayed boisterous

younger years where he travelled the globe.  But Prince Andrew said it never really fit him, as he “never felt the need” to go out socialising. The Duke said: “Well, I think that’s also a

bit of a stretch. I don‘t know why I’ve collected that title because I don’t…I never have really partied.  RELATED ARTICLES “I was single for quite a long time in the early Eighties but then

after I got married I was very happy and I’ve never really felt the need to go and party.” In an extended interview with the BBC’s Emily Maitlis to address his connection to convicted

paedophile Jeffrey Epstein and allegations he had sex with teenager Virginia Roberts, Prince Andrew added: “Certainly going to Jeffrey’s was not about partying, absolutely not.” Prince

Andrew has previously strongly denied allegations he had sex with Virginia Roberts (now Giuffre) when she was 17. The allegations emerged during the investigation into Prince Andrew’s former

friend Jeffrey Epstein, who was accused of child sex trafficking offences. Ms Giuffre accused Jeffrey Epstein of using her as a sex slave and said she met Prince Andrew on a trip to London

in 2001. She also claimed she had sex with the Duke of York on three occasions after being trafficked by Epstein to sleep with his rich and famous friends. Prince Andrew was ‘very happy’

with Sarah Ferguson 'Never felt need to be Party Prince' (Image: GETTY) Prince Andrew with Princess Beatrice and Eugenie and Sarah Ferguson (Image: INSTAGRAM•SARAH FERGUSON) Prince

Andrew during the BBC interview (Image: BBC) During the interview, Prince Andrew said he became friends with Epstein to learn about the real world after returning from serving in the Royal

Navy. He said: “I’m an engaging person, I want to be able to engage, I want to find out, I want to learn and so you have to remember that I was transitioning out of the Navy at the time and

in the transition I wanted to find out more about what was going on because in the Navy it’s a pretty isolated business because you’re out at sea the whole time and I was going to become the

special representative for international trade and investment. “So I wanted to know more about what was going on in the international business world and so that was another reason for going

there. And the opportunities that I had to go to Wall Street and other places to learn whilst I was there were absolutely vital.” The Duke of York met Epstein through his university friend,

socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, and hosted a shooting weekend at Sandringham for Ms Maxwell in 2000. Ms Maxwell, 57, strongly denied recruiting and grooming girls for Epstein. She has not been

charged with a crime. Sarah Ferguson and Prince Andrew on their wedding day (Image: GETTY) Andrew also invited the pair to stay at Windsor, saying he didn’t know at the time Epstein was

procuring young girls for sex trafficking.  He denied having any knowledge of Epstein trafficking young women when staying at his properties, during which time he was a patron of the

children’s charity the NSPCC. He added: “We now know that, at the time there was no indication to me or anybody else that that was what he was doing and certainly when I saw him either in

the United States… “Oh no when I saw him in the United States or when I was staying in his houses in the United States, there was no indication, absolutely no indication.  “And if there was,

you have to remember that at the time I was Patron of the NSPCC’s Full Stop campaign so I was close up with what was going on in those time about getting rid of abuse to children so I knew

what the things were to look for but I never saw them.” Andrew said he had “no recollection” of meeting his accuser Virginia Roberts and alluded to claims the photograph of the pair

together, which shows the duke with his arm around his accuser’s waist, could be fake.  He said: “I think it’s…from the investigations that we’ve done, you can’t prove whether or not that

photograph is faked or not because it is a photograph of a photograph of a photograph. So it’s very difficult to be able to prove it but I don’t remember that photograph ever being taken.”

He added: “Nobody can prove whether or not that photograph has been doctored but I don’t recollect that photograph ever being taken. “I’m terribly sorry but if I, as a member of the royal

family, and I have a photograph taken and I take very, very few photographs, I am not one to, as it were, hug and public displays of affection are not something that I do. So that’s the best

explanation I can give you and I’m afraid to say that I don’t believe that photograph was taken in the way that has been suggested.” Prince Andrew and Emily Maitlis during the BBC interview

(Image: BBC) Sarah Ferguson and Prince Andrew have remained close friends after their divorce (Image: GETTY) He denied ever having sex with Virginia Roberts, saying he was taking his

daughter Princess Beatrice to a birthday party at Pizza Express in Woking on the night he is accused.  He said: “On that particular day that we now understand is the date which is the 10th

of March, I was at home, I was with the children and I’d taken Beatrice to a Pizza Express in Woking for a party at I suppose sort of 4 or 5 in the afternoon.  "And then because the

Duchess was away, we have a simple rule in the family that when one is away the other one is there. I was on terminal leave at the time from the Royal Navy so therefore I was at home.” He

also said Ms Giuffre’s version of events could not be correct because she described him as “sweating profusely” during the encounter. Andrew said: “There’s a slight problem with the sweating

because I have a peculiar medical condition which is that I don’t sweat or I didn’t sweat at the time. “I didn’t sweat at the time because I had suffered what I would describe as an

overdose of adrenalin in the Falkland’s War when I was shot at and I simply…it was almost impossible for me to sweat.  “And it’s only because I have done a number of things in the recent

past that I am starting to be able to do that again. So I’m afraid to say that there’s a medical condition that says that I didn’t do it so therefore…” US courts struck allegations about

Prince Andrew off records after branding Mrs Giuffre’s claims "immaterial and impertinent". Virginia Giuffre (nee Roberts) (Image: REX) A US Federal Appeals Court said allegations

should not be believed as fact or as "some sort of marker of reliability" because New York law grants absolute immunity from liability for defamation. Buckingham Palace said

previously: "Any suggestion of impropriety with underage minors is categorically untrue." It added: "It is emphatically denied that the Duke of York had any form of sexual

contact with Virginia Roberts. Any claim to the contrary is false and without foundation." Epstein died in his New York jail cell in August this year while awaiting trial for child sex

trafficking offences. His death, recorded as a suicide, came two days after he signed a will putting his £448million ($577m) estate into a trust. He had previously pleaded no guilty to the

charges which involved dozens of underage girls in his nations in Manhattan's Upper East Side and in Palm Beach, Florida.