Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
NOTHING TO SAY NOTHING TO ADD
Duke of York ‘will not help with Epstein investigation’
He should be concerned.. but if he did nothing wrong, come forward and talk to the FBI SPENCER KUVIN
PRINCE Andrew has “no intention” of speaking to US authorities amid calls for the FBI to pursue associates of sex fiends Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein.
The disgraced Duke of
York had previously vowed to help investigators probing a catalogue of sex crimes committed by the twisted lovers, who trafficked young girls to abuse.
But a well-placed royal source said: “Andrew has no intention of speaking to US authorities. He has nothing to say and nothing to
DISGRACE Jeffrey Epstein add. He sees no reason why anyone would want to speak to him and now that his case has been settled with Virginia Giuffre, he considers the matter settled.”
Ms Giuffre, a victim of Epstein and Maxwell, had brought a civil suit against Andrew, who she says abused her three times in 2001. The case was settled out of court when Andrew paid £12million to Ms Giuffre, though he has no recollection of meeting her. British former socialite Maxwell, 60, was this week sentenced to 20 years for recruiting young girls for Epstein between 1994 and 2004.
Financier Epstein, another friend of the Queen’s son, killed himself in a jail cell in 2019 as he awaited his own sex-trafficking trial.
As victims delighted in Maxwell’s sentence, lawyer Lisa Bloom said at New York’s federal court: “Virginia’s civil case should be just the beginning.
“Everyone associated with Epstein and Maxwell should be carefully investigated. We call upon the FBI to fully investigate Prince Andrew.”
Spencer Kuvin, who represents several of Epstein and Maxwell’s victims, said of Andrew: “He should definitely be concerned.”
Speaking to the Mirror, he added: “But if he did nothing wrong, then come forward and tell the full story to the FBI, not the media.”
During and after his disastrous Newsnight interview in 2019, after which he was forced to step back from royal duties, Andrew offered to help any law-enforcement agency investigating former friend Epstein’s activities. But in January 2020, then-us Attorney for the Southern District of New York Geoffrey Berman claimed: “To date, Prince Andrew has provided zero co-operation.”
Andrew’s lawyers Blackfords said at the time: “The Duke of York has on at least three occasions this year offered his assistance as a witness to the DOJ [the US Department of Justice].
“Unfortunately, the DOJ has reacted to the first two offers by breaching their own confidentiality rules and claiming that the duke has offered zero co-operation. In doing so, they are perhaps seeking publicity rather than accepting the assistance proffered.”
A spokesman for the Duke last night declined to comment. russell.myers@mirror.co.uk
@rjmyers