Jeffrey Epstein considered Prince Andrew to be 'an idiot' but a 'useful one,' new book says

• A new book excerpt reveals that Jeffrey Epstein called Prince Andrew "an idiot" but "a useful one."
• The detail was mentioned in an excerpt of journalist Tina Brown's book "The Palace Papers."

An excerpt from journalist Tina Brown's new book "The _Palace Papers" reveals that Jeffery Epstein called Prince Andrew "an idiot" but "a "useful one," The Telegraph published Monday.

"Privately, Epstein told people that Andrew was an idiot, but – to him – a useful one. A senior royal, even if tainted, is always a potent magnet abroad," the excerpt said.

"Epstein confided to a friend that he used to fly the Duke of York to obscure foreign markets, where governments were obliged to receive him, and Epstein went along as HRH's investment adviser. With Andrew as frontman, Epstein could negotiate deals with these (often) shady players," the book excerpt said.

In January, Andrew was stripped of some of his titles when a judge allowed a lawsuit from Virginia Giuffre Roberts, who accused him of sexually abusing him at one of Epstein's residences, to go to trial.

"With The Queen's approval and agreement, The Duke of York's military affiliations and Royal patronages have been returned to The Queen," a Buckingham Palace spokesperson previously told Insider. "The Duke of York will continue not to undertake any public duties and is defending this case as a private citizen."

Giuffre claimed that financer Jeffery Epstein forced her to have sex with Prince Andrew multiple times when she was a minor back in 2001, as Insider reported. Epstein — who was facing federal charges of sex trafficking of minors and conspiracy — was found dead by suicide in jail in August 2019.

Andrew and Giuffre reached a settlement in February before the case was able to reach the trial phase. At the US criminal trial of Epstein's associate Ghislaine Maxwell in December, accusers testified that Epstein would often mention Andrew's name, which they said intimidated them and prevented them from contacting authorities about their experiences with sexual abuse.

According to the book excerpt, Maxwell, who was convicted of sex trafficking in December, is said to have introduced both Andrew and Epstein.

"Prince Andrew was Ghislaine's biggest social catch to present to Epstein. He was easy to entertain and satiate. Andrew, Epstein and Ghislaine became a peripatetic social trio – the Three Musketeers of Lust – showing up together at Ascot, joining a shoot at Sandringham, and stepping out at the Queen's Dance of the Decades at Windsor Castle in June 2000," the book excerpt said.