‘ Outrageous’ year- long wait for Prince Andrew to speak to US authorities
A lawyer representing alleged victims of Jeffrey Epstein has branded it “outrageous” that a year has passed since the Duke of York publicly promised to co- operate with the US authorities.
Andrew - the Queen's second son - stepped down from public life on November 20, 2019, following the fallout from his disastrous Newsnight interview about his f r i endship with convicted sex offender Epstein.
The duke was criticised for showing a lack of empathy towards the paedophile’ s victims and a lack of remorse over his friendship with disgraced financier, who took his own life while in prison last year.
On the first anniversary of the duke quitting royal duties, Lisa Bloom, who represents six of Epstein’s alleged vict i ms, called on Andrew t o submit to an interview with the FBI as they investigate the duke’s friend, socialite Ghislaine Maxwell who is accused of procuring teenage girls for Epstein to abuse.
Ms Bloom said it was never too late to do the right thing.
In the Newsnight interview with the BBC’ s Emily Maitlis, the duke denied claims that he slept with Virginia Giuffre, who says she was trafficked by Epstein, on three separate occasions, including when she was 17, still a minor under US law.
The duke, i n a statement released on his parents’ wedding anniversary last year, said that the Queen had given her permission for him to bow out of royal duties for the “foresee
able future”.
He said: "The circumstances relating to my former association with Jeffrey Epstein has become a major disruption to my family's work.”
Andrew added he continued to “unequivocally regret my ill- judged association” with Epstein and pledged to help “any appropriate law enforcement agency” .
Ms Bloom said: “How out
rageous that it’ s been a year since Prince Andrew publicly promised to co- operate with law enforcement investigating all those who enabled Jeffrey Epstein's sexual assaults on hundreds of women and girls.
“He simply has not kept that promise. Meanwhile, the six victims I represent struggle to repair their lives.
“Weimplore Prince Andrew t o s ubmit t o an i nter vi ew
with the FBI investigation of Ghislaine Maxwell and other accused co- conspirators, to tell what he knows, to turn over documents and evidence, and to instruct his staff to do so as well.
“It is never too late to do the right thing.”
A s p o ke s woman f o r t he duke’ s lawyers declined to comment.
One year on from withdraw
ing from his public role, the duke is widely expected never to return to royal duties.
He has faced a war of words between his camp and American authorities over his availabilit y to answer questions about Epstein.
Andrew was a c c us e d o f attempting to “falsely portray himself to the public as eager and willing to co- operate” by US attorney Geoffrey Berman,
who was leading the investigation into Epstein.
But the duke’ s legal team said he had made three offers to give a witness statement.
Calls for him to speak to the authorities were r enewed after Maxwell appeared i n court i n the US accused of facilitating Epstein’s sexual exploitation of underage girls.