Revealed: Prince Andrew stayed at the Bahamas home of fashion tycoon Peter Nygard who paid to settle three sexual harassment complaints
- Prince Andrew stayed at the Bahamas home of the fashion tycoon in 2000
- Visit came after Peter Nygard had paid to settle three sexual harassment cases
- The royal has resigned from royal duties after car crash BBC interview
Prince Andrew stayed at the opulent Bahamas home of a fashion tycoon who paid to settle sexual harassment complaints by three female employees, it emerged last night.
The Duke of York was one of many famous names – including Michael Jackson – who stayed at the home of 78-year-old Peter Nygard, who has been described as the Hugh Hefner of Canada.
According to an article published in the Chicago Tribune in June 2000, Andrew had stayed at the luxury resort with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson ‘weeks before’.
Prince Andrew stayed at fashion tycoon Peter Nygard’s home in the Bahamas after the fashion tycoon paid to settle three sexual harassment complaints, it emerged last night
The Duke of York and his ex-wife stayed at the fashion designer’s villa in the Bahamas
The visit came after Nygard faced three sexual harassment complaints by former employees filed with the Manitoba Human Rights Commission in the 1990s, all of which he settled.
According to a report in the Winnipeg Free Press, one of the women, a 27-year-old travel co-ordinator, said she ‘repeatedly brushed off Mr Nygard’s touches and sexual advances’.
Another, a 39-year-old communications manager, claimed he added naked swimming to the agenda of a business meeting.
Mr Nygard’s lawyer claimed the women filed complaints in order to get better severance, and the company settled to avoid litigation costs.
Before that, in 1980, Nygard was charged with the rape of an 18-year-old woman. However, the charge was dropped when the alleged victim failed to testify at a preliminary hearing.
The mansion includes an area on stilts that leads out over the sea. One 27-year-old woman claims she ‘repeatedly brushed off Mr Nygard’s touches and sexual advances’
Mr Nygard’s website boasts of the visit by the Duke and Duchess of York.
The Finnish-born mogul’s sprawling home lies on 4.5 acres of land on the peninsula of Lyford Cay on New Providence, the most populous island in The Bahamas.
He purchased the land in 1987 and transformed it into a Mayan-style resort where he entertained a whole host of A-listers and political elites, including Oprah Winfrey and Robert De Niro.
He also hosted former President George H.W. Bush and Michael Jackson – who faced allegations of sexual abuse of young boys before his death in 2009.
His huge complex features 12 themed cabanas, as well as an aquarium, helipad and a casino.
Earlier this week, Mr Nygard was sentenced in his absence by a judge in the Bahamas to 90 days in prison, after he failed to turn up to a court case regarding illegal dredging work near this home.
He is currently and claims he is too ill to travel to the Bahamas.
He received a business degree from the University of North Dakota and went into the clothing business. He now owns a major company which produces clothing under ten brand names, and sells in major department stores in Canada and the United States.