Prince Andrew and the Redlight District in Thailand

Prince Andrew reportedly vacationed in Phuket, Thailand, with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell in 2001, during a period when Andrew’s relationship with Epstein was far closer than he would later publicly suggest. According to the reporting, Andrew stayed at the ultra-exclusive Amanpuri resort, where private villas could cost thousands of pounds per night, while Epstein and Maxwell were also in Phuket. Photographs from the trip showed Andrew aboard a yacht surrounded by topless women, and other accounts placed Andrew and Epstein together in Patong, an area notorious for its red-light district, go-go bars and sex tourism. The pair were reportedly seen visiting nightlife venues including Banana Disco and bars staffed by scantily clad dancers. The trip stood out because it showed Andrew and Epstein socializing together internationally and in explicitly adult-oriented settings, rather than merely crossing paths at formal dinners or business events.

The Thailand trip also became another piece of evidence undermining Andrew’s later effort to portray Epstein as someone he was never particularly close to. Andrew and Epstein were photographed together on the holiday, The Times later reported that Epstein paid for Andrew’s trip, and Ghislaine Maxwell was reportedly staying at the same resort. The broader record showed that the three moved through the same social world for years, including private homes, royal properties, Caribbean trips and parties. None of the reporting established that Andrew committed a crime during the Thailand trip, and Andrew has repeatedly denied wrongdoing connected to Epstein. But the episode added to the larger credibility problem surrounding his public narrative: this was not the picture of a distant acquaintance, but of a prince taking an overseas holiday with Epstein and