ATTERSON n a yacht surrounded by topless suit, Epstein had forced her into Jeff's. British press were using another x Island. The Guardian reported lands-based corporations owned wife of the governor of the Virgin i involving a million-dollar dona- o the governor's reelection camoberts's claim that she had been rince on the island as well as in 1 of Prince Andrew with his arm very young-looking Virginia Robared in the tabloids. hat the Duke of York had any form ship" with Roberts, Buckingham ay. "The allegations made are false h Ferguson, the Duchess of York, e prince and their daughter Eugeters, "He is the greatest man there of my life in 1986 when I married st in the world." se I know what it feels like to have ou-and not support him so pubshockingly accusatory allegations, 222 FILTHY RICH which I don't think is right," she said a few days later when interviewed by Today host Matt Lauer. "It's a defamation of character, and as a great father and a humongously good man and all the work he does for Britain I won't stand by and let him have his character defamed to this level." But at the same time, a certain schadenfreude attended the good man's fall from grace, and former associates kept coming out of the woodwork to dish to the press. "I've seen him treat his staff in a shocking, appalling way," said a former aide to the prince. "He's been incredibly rude to his personal protection officers, literally throwing things on the ground and demanding they 'fucking pick them up.' No social graces at all. Sure, if you're a lady with blond hair and big boobs, then I bet he's utterly charming." Despite all this, the prince had stuck by Epstein. There was even a photo, frequently trotted out by the tabloids, of the two of them strolling in Central Park. Some few months before it was taken, a reporter posing as a businessman had secretly taped Sarah Ferguson's demand for five hundred thousand pounds in return for access to the prince. "If you want to meet him in your business," she'd said then, "look after me, and he'll look after you. You'll get it back tenfold." "Once again," she said afterward, "my errors have compounded and rebounded and also impacted on the man I admire most in the world: the Duke." Prince Andrew had had his troubles already-with shady real estate deals, sticky romances, highly embarrassing document dumps (courtesy of Julian Assange and WikiLeaks), and 223 HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_009304 JAMES PATTERSON questionable ties to Tunisian oligarchs, corrupt presidents of former Soviet republics, and Mu'ammar Gadhafi, among other entanglements, many of which were explored in a Vanity Fair article headlined THE TROUBLE WITH ANDREW. "The duke has a record of being loyal to his friends," a "royal source" told Vanity Fair's Edward Klein. "Take his feelings for Sarah Ferguson. If you are a prince and you bring a woman into the royal life and, for whatever reasons, she's spit out, you might have feelings of debt toward her. The duke feels that she's been spattered and rejected. His close relationship with the Duchess of York is problematic, and there have been many problems over the last 5 to 10 years, all of which stem from the duchess. Some of the behavior of the duchess is inconsistent with being married to, or an ex-wife of, the duke. There's no question but that Sarah's been a financially self-destructive element in the duke's life." "The same kind of loyalty manifested itself last December, when the duke visited Epstein at his home in New York," said a spokesperson for Buckingham Palace. "Epstein was a friend of the duke's for the best part of 20 years. It was the first time in four years that he'd seen Epstein. He now recognizes that the meeting in December was unwise." "Don't expect to see a photo of the two of them together," another "royal source" would say. But one more story about the prince's dealings with Jeffrey Epstein had already emerged. At a dinner party at Epstein's town house, the prince dished about the wedding of his nephew Prince William to Kate Middleton. "He was amused that his dinner companions were so interested in every detail," a g gossip columnist. "Wha Queen wear, would his e: Other guests in atten dler, George Stephanopo Woody Allen. At around the same t Post, "I'm not a sexual pr ence between a murderer Was it so remarkable that in Epstein's company? Ar fodder for years. Randy A the circles that Jeffrey E seen as a vice. Epstein cai lation took hold on Wall S were charging ten thousa you'd see things that wo that would make Nero hi guisher. When the urge didn't have to swap wives. They could simply swa By the same token, wa like the prince would ha insofar as reality is even a odd that he thought it was raphers strolling through offender-when at the tin ing, and trading industri 224 HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_009305 'ATTERSON oligarchs, corrupt presidents of Mu'ammar Gadhafi, among other h were explored in a Vanity Fair ITH ANDREW. >eing loyal to his friends," a "royal rard Klein. "Take his feelings for rince and you bring a woman into reasons, she's spit out, you might ier. The duke feels that she's been >se relationship with the Duchess ere have been many problems over hich stem from the duchess. Some is is inconsistent with being marduke. There's no question but that -destructive element in the duke's y manifested itself last December, n at his home in New York," said a n Palace. "Epstein was a friend of of 20 years. It was the first time in stein. He now recognizes that the wise." noto of the two of them together," I say. t the prince's dealings with Jeffrey ein's town house, the prince dished nephew Prince William to Kate s dinner companions were so inter- 224 FILTHY RICH ested in every detail," a guest in attendance told a New York Post gossip columnist. "What would Kate wear, what would the Queen wear, would his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson be invited?" Other guests in attendance that night included Chelsea Handler, George Stephanopoulos, Charlie Rose, Katie Couric, and Woody Allen. At around the same time, Jeffrey Epstein told the New York Post, "I'm not a sexual predator, I'm an 'offender.' It's the difference between a murderer and a person who steals a bagel." Was it so remarkable that Prince Andrew would have been seen in Epstein's company? Andrew's philandering had been tabloid fodder for years. Randy Andy, they called him in the UK. And in the circles that Jeffrey Epstein moved in, philandering wasn't seen as a vice. Epstein came of age just as industrywide deregulation took hold on Wall Street. Junk bonds were king. Call girls were charging ten thousand dollars a night. And in the shadows, you'd see things that would have made Caligula blush. Sights that would make Nero himself reach for the nearest fire extinguisher. When the urge presented itself, the new super rich didn't have to swap wives. They could simply swap harems. By the same token, was it so very strange to think that a man like the prince would have grown so detached from realityinsofar as reality is even a word that applies to a prince? Was it odd that he thought it was absolutely fine to be seen by photographers strolling through Central Park with a registered sex offender-when at the time large swaths of the financial, banking, and trading industries were characterized by their very 225 HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_009306 JAMES PATTERSON detachment from day-to-day concerns such as morality, ethics, and appearances? As for Jeffrey Epstein, one question that might be worth asking is, if he's in fact a narcissist and megalomaniac, could he actually believe that he's innocent? Then again, that might be the wrong question. Epstein did plead guilty, after all. But what if he simply doesn't see what he pleaded to as a crime? What if he's proud of his lifestyle? And if that's the case, why wouldn't Prince Andrew be proud to be seen in public with his dear friend Jeffrey Epstein? What if, for people like Epstein and the prince, it's just servants and masters, the way of the world? They're natural winnersaristocrats, after all-and if life were fair, well, how would we know who the real winners are? 226 Anna Salter: Novemb W hy do powerful and Prince Anc Dr. Anna Sa sionally. Educated at Harv psychology, she spoke, witl Epstein and others like him "Consider a car," says are brakes. We all have sex be a good idea to act on. A behavior. We have good br "Sexual offenses and in times the result of a bad r prepubescent children or e children as opposed to pos always the result of bad bra HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_009307 'ATTERSON concerns such as morality, ethics, question that might be worth asksist and megalomaniac, could he nt? Then again, that might be the ead guilty, after all. But what if he eaded to as a crime? What if he's at's the case, why wouldn't Prince public with his dear friend Jeffrey stein and the prince, it's just ser- e world? They're natural winnersife were fair, well, how would we e? CHAPTER 59 Anna Salter: November 2015 W hy do powerful men do the things that Jeffrey Epstein and Prince Andrew have been accused of doing? Dr. Anna Salter studies child sex offenders professionally. Educated at Harvard, with a graduate degree in clinical psychology, she spoke, with the benefit of hindsight, about Jeffrey Epstein and others like him from her office in Madison, Wisconsin. "Consider a car," says Dr. Salter. "There's a motor, and there are brakes. We all have sexual impulses we don't think it would be a good idea to act on. Most of us have good control over our behavior. We have good brakes. "Sexual offenses and inappropriate sexual behavior are sometimes the result of a bad motor-for example, an attraction to prepubescent children or eleven-to-fourteen-year-old pubescent children as opposed to postpubescent individuals. But they are always the result of bad brakes. 226 227 HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_009308 JAMES PATTERSON “Antisocial psychopaths don't have brakes at all." Dr. Salter has never met Epstein, but she's followed his case closely and finds him a familiar type. She's especially struck by the singular nature of the relationship between powerful, wealthy men and vulnerable, underage women. "[The men] are more impressive to a fourteen-year-old [girl] than to, say, an adult young woman who is self-supporting and feels more sure of herself," she explains. "They are attracted to what they call freshness-barely budding sexuality and lack of sexual experience. The difference between them and their victims feeds their ego. "Great wealth and access are generally factors that make men feel they are entitled to whomever and whatever they want. Some have narcissistic personalities with inflated self-images. And of course, great wealth and status make such men think they can get away with it. Too often, they're right." On the other hand, Dr. Salter believes that certain conditions, such as the ones exhibited by Jeffrey Epstein, might be an inborn character trait. Personality can be influenced, sometimes quite heavily, by genetics. "Virtually no one believes anymore that humans are born a totally blank slate," she explains. "We arrive with temperamental and personality variations that, of course, the environment can often, but not always, influence. We arrive with baggage." Is Epstein a born psychopath, then? "Psychopathy is the umbrella term for individuals who do not have a conscience. Pyschopaths are often narcissistic, but narcissists are often not psychopathic. Some individuals who prey 228 F on young girls delude them will not harm the child. Th medicated it with thinking pathic and simply don't car can't say anything about E] but narcissism and psychop look at concerning anyone w bescent individuals but wh teens. "Psychopaths are often su seekers who are bored if not manipulate. They do not esta "They are callous and r don't feel bad about harming "Rules don't apply to th They are sure they won't get ( HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_009309 ATTERSON n't have brakes at all." stein, but she's followed his case r type. She's especially struck by onship between powerful, wealthy women. essive to a fourteen-year-old [girl] 'oman who is self-supporting and explains. t they call freshness-barely budexual experience. The difference as feeds their ego. are generally factors that make men ever and whatever they want. Some s with inflated self-images. And of us make such men think they can ey're right." Salter believes that certain condiited by Jeffrey Epstein, might be an enced, sometimes quite heavily, by es anymore that humans are born a ains. ramental and personality variations hent can often, but not always, influge. spath, then? rella term for individuals who do not paths are often narcissistic, but nar- 10pathic. Some individuals who prey 228 FILTHY RICH on young girls delude themselves into thinking that the abuse will not harm the child. They have a conscience, but they have medicated it with thinking errors. Others are flat-out psychopathic and simply don't care if it hurts the young girl or not. I can't say anything about Epstein, as I have not evaluated him, but narcissism and psychopathy are concepts an evaluator would look at concerning anyone who was sexually attracted to postpubescent individuals but who then began to focus on younger teens. "Psychopaths are often superficially charming, high-stimulus seekers who are bored if not doing something. They lie, con, and manipulate. They do not establish deep affective ties. "They are callous and remorseless individuals who simply don't feel bad about harming someone. "Rules don't apply to them because they are exceptional. They are sure they won't get caught." 229 HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_009310