U.K.’s Prince Andrew urged to talk to U.S.
Prince is involved in late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein case
LONDON — Britain’s disgraced Prince Andrew is facing mounting calls to provide information to U.S. law enforcement agencies and to lawyers investigating crimes committed by American sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his associates.
Lawyers for Epstein’s victims believe Andrew may have valuable information about the late financier’s sex offenses. When Epstein died in August, he was facing charges of trafficking in underage girls who provided sexual favors to the powerful men visiting his luxury properties in the Caribbean and elsewhere.
The 59-year-old prince stepped down from his royal duties on Wednesday with the approval of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, after a weekend interview in which he tried to justify his well-documented ties to Epstein backfired spectacularly.
Charities and British educational institutions that had fundraising ties to Andrew — the royal website lists dozens — had quickly begun to question if he could actually hurt their brands.
Andrew still may face legal questioning about allegations that he had sex with a girl provided by Epstein when she was just 17, a charge he has denied and that she insists is true.
U.S. attorney Gloria Allred, who represents some of the women abused by Epstein, said Thursday that Andrew should contact American authorities “without conditions and without delay.”
Andrew announced in his statement Wednesday that he is “willing to help any appropriate law enforcement agency with their investigations, if required,” but did not volunteer to provide evidence.
It is not clear if U.S. authorities are investigating Andrew for any possible wrongdoing. Many of the court papers related to the Epstein case are still sealed