Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been accused of telling an Epstein victim that the financier was “inappropriate” after she confided in the former prince, it has been revealed. Andrew, 65, reportedly introduced a young actress he was dating to Epstein during a visit to Windsor Castle in the late 1990s.

After Epstein met the actress, it is believed he went on to later sexually assault her. The victim, who received a payout from Epstein’s estate, reportedly told Andrew that Epstein had behaved inappropriately to her 25 years ago. This has been claimed by Perry Wander, a high-profile US lawyer, who told The Mail on Sunday that Andrew then told the actress “he wasn’t surprised” as someone else had made a similar allegation about Epstein before.

This conversation reportedly happened more than a year before Epstein trafficked Virginia Giuffre to London, where she met the former prince.

Giuffre later accused Andrew of sleeping with her three times when she was just 17 – claims Andrew has always strongly denied.

The Mail on Sunday also reported that lawyer Mr Wander said the woman who mentioned Epstein’s inappropriate behaviour to Andrew had come forward after being inspired by Giuffre’s “courage” to speak out about Epstein and what happened to her.

The lawyer said the woman, who has not been named, was encouraged by the former prince to spend time with Epstein and flew several times on his jet. She also reportedly visited Epstein’s mansion in Palm Beach, Florida, and his private Caribbean island, and ended up being sexually assaulted by Epstein.

Mr Wander said: “My client has disclosed that Prince Andrew encouraged her to seek out and follow Jeffrey Epstein’s guidance, and to spend time with Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.

The lawyer continued: “When she questioned Prince Andrew about whether doing so was safe, he reassured her that he ‘trusted Jeffrey and Ghislaine’ and that she ‘should listen to Jeffrey’s counsel and spend time with him and Ghislaine.”

It is believed she later told Andrew that she did not like the way Epstein treated her, however she did not tell Andrew that Epstein had sexually assaulted her. The Mail on Sunday said that the former prince then allegedly admitted that he knew that someone else had also complained about Epstein’s actions.

The Mail on Sunday reports that Mr Wander said: “One memory that stayed with her – and became a compelling factor in identifying Prince Andrew – was a conversation in early 2000 in which she confided in him about her time with Epstein and disclosed that he had behaved inappropriately towards her.

“In response, he admitted that he wasn’t surprised because he heard that someone else had made a similar allegation. She remembers thinking: If he knew that, why would he encourage me to spend time with Epstein? She has expressed feelings of ambivalence toward Prince Andrew and initially did not wish to identify him publicly. But Virginia Giuffre’s courage taught her that fear should not stand in the way of justice.”

Andrew, who has recently lost his royal titles as a result of scandals surrounding his past friendship with Epstein, has been approached for comment.