'Drunk' Giuliani imitates Queen Elizabeth, denies hanging out with Prince Andrew and 'young girls', and calls top US general an 'idiot' and 'a*****e' in unhinged rant during 9/11 commemoration dinner
Rudy Giuliani mocked Queen Elizabeth’s English accent, denied hanging out with Prince Andrew and underage women, and called America’s top military officer an ‘idiot’ and ‘a*****e’ during a 9/11 commemoration dinner in Manhattan on Saturday.
The former New York City mayor spoke at the Cipriani restaurant on Saturday, appearing at an annual dinner event to commemorate the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
Giuliani's comments about Prince Andrew were made on the same day that lawyers for Virginia Giuffre said they served the British royal with legal papers. Giuffre alleges she was sexually assaulted by Prince Andrew - an allegation that he denies.
The rant on Saturday is just the latest bizarre public appearance by Giuliani - a once-beloved mayor who is credited with leading New York City out of the turmoil of the September 11, 2001 attacks but who has spiraled downward in recent years, raising questions about his sobriety and overall well-being.
In February 2002, just months after the September 11 attacks, Giuliani was awarded an honorary knighthood by Queen Elizabeth II in recognition of his leadership during the tragedy. During Saturday's dinner, Giuliani tried to mimic the monarch.
'She said, "You did a wonderful job on Sept. 11",' Giuliani said while attempting to imitate a British accent.
'And therefore I’m making you an honorary knight, commander of the royal something or other,' he said.
Giuliani then added: 'I turned down a knighthood because if you took a knighthood, you had to lose your citizenship.'
That claim is incorrect, as several Americans have been awarded honorary knighthoods without having to relinquish US citizenship.
Reports from 2001 state also that he had accepted the Queens' honor to become a Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire for his 'outstanding help and support to the bereaved British families in New York.'
At the time, he told reporters that he was 'humbled and gratified' to accept the accolade.
The rant on Saturday sparked concern from viewers, with one posting online: 'I’m not sure I have ever seen someone give a speech at a formal occasion as drunk as Rudy Giuliani is right now at the 9/11 dinner.'
Several clips posted to Twitter show Giuliani give a rambling talk at the podium.
The former mayor took aim at Joint Chiefs Chairman Mark Milley, whose name Giuliani mispronounces after referring to him as ‘Miley.’
Rudy Giuliani mocked Queen Elizabeth’s English accent, denied hanging out with Prince Andrew, and called America’s top military officer an ‘idiot’ and ‘a*****e’ during a 9/11 commemoration dinner in Manhattan on Saturday
The former mayor took aim at Joint Chiefs Chairman Mark Milley, whose name Giuliani mispronounces after referring to him as ‘Miley.’ ‘How’s that guy a general?’ Giuliani said, slamming Milley and the Biden administration for the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, calling it ‘freaking insane’
Prince Andrew is seen with then-New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani in October 2001
In February 2002, just months after the September 11 attacks, Giuliani was awarded an honorary knighthood by Queen Elizabeth II. During Saturday's dinner, Giuliani tried to mimic the monarch
‘How’s that guy a general?’ Giuliani said, slamming Milley and the Biden administration for the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, calling it ‘freaking insane.’
The former mayor, who most recently served as former President Donald Trump’s personal attorney, lashed out at Milley and the administration for withdrawing from the Bagram air base in Afghanistan.
Giuliani then describes how he would approach Milley if he saw him in person.
'I wanted to grab his stars and shove it down his throat and say, "It's 400 miles from China, a-hole! China is going to be our enemy for the next 40 years! You have an airbase 400 miles from them and you're giving it up? Idiot!” Giuliani said.
'What the hell is wrong with you? Who pays you?'
Giuliani added: 'Christ!'
At another point in the speech, Giuliani, unprompted, then began to speak about Prince Andrew.
'I know Prince Andrew is very questionable now,' Giuliani said.
'I never went out with him. Ever!
'Never had a drink with him, never was with a woman or young girl with him.
'Ever, ever, ever.'
Giuliani said that he met Andrew on two separate occasions.
'One time, I met him in my office, and one time when we had the party,' Giuliani said.
Giuliani (seen above with his Knighthood of the British Empire, or KBE, medal in 2002) was the mayor of New York City and heralded for his response the 9/11 attacks. He coordinated the response and organized the support of state and federal authorities for the World Trade Center site, for citywide anti-terrorist measures, and for restoration of infrastructure
Giuliani displays his honorary knighthood as Prince Andrew (left) and his then-partner, Judith Nathan (right), look on in London in February 2002
Giuliani is pictured on September 12, 2001 while serving as mayor of NYC. He was hailed for his response to the crisis. Then-New York Governor George Pataki (left) and then-Senator Hillary Clinton (right) flank Giuliani in the photo above
House before the dinner at Cipriani on Saturday, Giuliani was seenat the annual 9/11 Commemoration Ceremony near Ground Zero
Giuliani's comments about Andrew were made on the same day that the British royal was sued by a woman who claims he assaulted her when she was 17.
Attorneys for Virginia Giuffre say the documents were handed over to a Metropolitan Police officer on duty at the main gates of Andrew’s home in Windsor Great Park in London at 9:30am on August 27.
The handover of the documents, first reported by the Daily Mail, is important because Andrew would be obliged to respond within 21 days of the summons.
'If you fail to respond, judgment by default will be entered against you for the relief demanded in the complaint,' Giuffre’s lawyers said in the documents.
But Blackfords, a law firm that said they represent Andrew 'in certain UK matters,' have questioned whether the papers were properly served and raised the possibility of challenging the court’s jurisdiction in the case, according to a September 6 letter referenced in court documents filed by Giuffre’s attorneys.
'We reiterate that our client reserves all his rights, including to contest the jurisdiction of the US courts (including on the basis of potentially defective service),' they wrote.
A US judge will ultimately determine whether the papers were properly delivered. Judge Lewis Kaplan of the US District Court for the Southern District of New York will hold the first pretrial conference in the case via teleconference on Monday.
The prince has repeatedly denied the allegations in the lawsuit brought by Giuffre, a longtime accuser of the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
When the suit was filed last month in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, legal experts suggested it left Andrew with no good options as the second son of Queen Elizabeth II seeks to repair his image and return to public life.
If the prince tries to ignore the lawsuit, he runs the risk that the court could find him in default and order him to pay damages.
Giuliani's comments about Prince Andrew were made on the same day that lawyers for Virginia Giuffre said they served the British royal with legal papers. Giuffre alleges she was sexually assaulted by Prince Andrew - an allegation that he denies. From left: Andrew, Giuffre, and Ghislaine Maxwell, who allegedly procured underage girls for Jeffrey Epstein
Prince Andrew is seen above during a television interview in Windsor, England on April 11, 2021
And if he decides to fight, Andrew faces years of sordid headlines as the case winds its way through court.
Guiffre’s attorney, David Boies, said in court documents that it was implausible that Andrew is unaware of the suit.
'Attorneys at Blackfords, who he has apparently instructed to evade and contest service, have confirmed that Prince Andrew himself already has notice of this lawsuit and is evaluating his chances of success,' Boies wrote.
'And even if Blackfords had not confirmed as much, any other conclusion would be implausible - reputable media outlets around the world reported on the filing of plaintiff's complaint, and hundreds, if not thousands, of articles about this lawsuit have been published.'
The lawsuit is another unwanted story for the royals, reminding the public of Andrew’s links to Epstein two years after his death.
Britain’s royal family is also still recovering from allegations of racism and insensitivity leveled at them by Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, earlier this year.
Giuliani was the mayor of New York City and heralded for his response the 9/11 attacks.
He coordinated the response and organized the support of state and federal authorities for the World Trade Center site, for citywide anti-terrorist measures, and for restoration of infrastructure.
He has since become a controversial figure over his support for Donald Trump's election fraud claims.
Giuliani's Upper East Side apartment was raided by the FBI in April amid a probe into his dealings with the Ukraine, although he is yet to be charged with any crime, and denies all allegations of wrongdoing.
On the eve of the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks, Giuliani and former New York Governor George Pataki were reunited with NYPD and FDNY officials for the first time since September 1, 2001.
Milley has been a target of pro-Trump forces since the top general reportedly expressed relief that Biden won last fall's presidential election.
Several books written about the waning days of the Trump presidency reported that Milley feared the outgoing president would attempt a coup in hopes of overturning the election results and staying in power.
Milley has also been criticized for the manner in which US forces pulled out of Afghanistan even while hundreds of American citizens as well as Afghans who helped the US military during the 20-year war remained behind in the country.
Last month, The Wall Street Journal reported that Biden ignored Milley's request to keep a force of 2,500 US troops in Afghanistan for fear that removing them would lead to a Taliban takeover.
The Wall Street Journal reported last month that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin (left) warned President Joe Biden that a full withdrawal from Afghanistan wouldn't provide any insurance of stability, while Milley (right) wanted to keep 2,500 U.S. troops there
Hundreds of people run alongside a US Air Force C-17 transport plane, some climbing on the plane, as it moves down a runway of the international airport in Kabul, Afghanistan on August 16
Afghan people climb atop a plane as they wait at the airport in Kabul on August 16 after a stunningly swift end to Afghanistan's 20-year war, as thousands of people mobbed the city's airport trying to flee the Taliban's feared hardline brand of Islamist rule
Taliban forces stand guard at a roadside as Afghan women hold placards during a pro-Taliban rally outside the Shaheed Rabbani Education University in Kabul on Saturday
Biden stayed firm with his decision to remove US troops by August 31, the Journal reported, because he believed the US was propping up an Afghan government on life support.
The president viewed the government in Kabul as corrupt and blamed it for wasting billions of dollars of US aid.
He and his advisers had hoped President Ashraf Ghani and the Afghan government would pull itself together once the U.S. laid out an exit date, the Journal said, however some military advisers warned that Ghani wasn't up to the task.
After capturing towns and villages throughout the country in the weeks and months leading up to the withdrawal, the Taliban entered Kabul on August 15, the same day Ghani fled Afghanistan.
Milley had argued that the US should keep a small fighting force in the country. There were about 2,500 US troops in Afghanistan when Biden took over the drawdown from former President Trump.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who previously served as military commander in the region, warned that a full withdrawal wouldn't provide any insurance of stability.
Biden had argued that by reneging on the agreement Trump made with the Taliban, American forces and US allies could be exposed to more violence.
Biden's team was blindsided by the pace in which the Taliban took over Afghanistan and miscalculated the Afghan army's willingness to fight.
