A new book about the Duke of York has been edited to remove claims about Melania Trump’s relationship with Jeffery Epstein.
The book, called Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York, written by Andrew Lownie, has made headlines in recent weeks after making claims about the disgraced duke’s life.
An entire chapter is dedicated to Prince Andrew’s infamous friendship with Epstein, the late convicted sex offender.
The chapter also included a claim that Donald Trump and his wife had been introduced by the disgraced financier – which has now been edited out of future editions.
The president and first lady have long said they were introduced by Paolo Zampolli, a modeling agent, at a New York Fashion Week party in 1998.
A HarperCollins UK spokesperson said: “We can confirm that several passages from Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York by Andrew Lownie have been removed in consultation with the author. Entitled is published in the UK by HarperCollins. In the US the book is self-published by Mr Lownie.”
It is understood that the changes will appear in all future print editions of the book and that the ebook and audio book have already been updated to reflect these changes.
However, it is estimated to have been printed in around 60,000 copies of the book already.
The decision comes after Mrs Trump threatened to sue Hunter Biden, the son of former US President Joe Biden, for claiming Epstein introduced her and Mr Trump in the late 1990s.
The statements are false, defamatory, and “extremely salacious,” Melania Trump’s lawyer, Alejandro Brito, wrote in the letter to Biden.
The letter demanded that Biden walk back the claim and apologise or face legal action for “over $1bn in damages”.
It also accuses the former president’s son of having a “vast history of trading on the names of others” and repeating the claim “to draw attention to yourself.”
Hunter Biden has refused to apologise after the first lady threatened legal action.
Democratic strategist James Carville was also forced to take down parts of a podcast episode that alleged a connection between her and Jeffrey Epstein, following involvement from the first lady’s lawyer earlier this month.
“First Lady Melania Trump’s attorneys are actively ensuring immediate retractions and apologies by those who spread malicious, defamatory falsehoods. The true account of how the First Lady met President Trump is in her best-selling book, Melania,” a spokesperson for the first lady’s office previously told The Independent.
The book has included a number of accusations about Prince Andrew, including claims of affairs, fights with Prince Harry and of being “unbelievably cruel” to royal staff.
One passage says Andrew called a staff member in the Royal Household a “f***ing imbecile” for not referring to the Queen Mother by her full title in 2005.
According to the book, Prince Andrew’s catchphrase when dealing with royal staff was “I want this done and I want this done now. Do it!”
