The FBI has spent months trying to get an interview with Prince Andrew about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, but investigators have had no luck getting him to speak on the record about the case.
New York prosecutors told the press this week that the prince has “completely shut the door” on cooperating with authorities. They are now considering what further legal action can be taken.
Andrew continues to deny any wrongdoing or knowledge of Epstein’s many crimes, despite a growing body of evidence indicating that he was involved.
Manhattan Attorney Geoffrey Berman described the prince as a “co-conspirator.”
“Contrary to Prince Andrew’s very public offer to cooperate with our investigation into Epstein’s co-conspirators, an offer that was conveyed via press release, Prince Andrew has now completely shut the door on voluntary cooperation and our office is considering its options,” Berman said, according to the Guardian.
Andrew has previously promised to help investigators with the case, but has since removed himself from public life. He has also refused requests for interviews that investigators have sent him.
When asked about the recent statement from New York prosecutors, a spokesperson for the palace told the Guardian, “The issue is being dealt with by the Duke of York’s legal team.”
Virginia Giuffre, one of the many girls trafficked by Jeffrey Epstein, has become one of his most outspoken victims. She has also accused the prince of raping her while she was underage. Giuffre has appeared on dozens of interviews with broadcasters around the world to share her story.
Andrew has made no public comments on the matter since promising to speak with investigators after his BBC interview where he made numerous claims that were later exposed as lies.
Most notably, the prince claimed that he never met Giuffre or even heard the name before. A leak of private emails where he mentioned Virginia Giuffre surfaced just days after the interview, proving his claims false.
During his BBC interview, Prince Andrew claimed that he was at a Pizza Express in Woking on the night Giuffre says he raped her after the pair visited a nightclub together. However, eyewitnesses have now come forward to support Giuffre’s claims about being at the club with him on the evening in question.
Andrew was also found in the flight logs of Epstein’s notorious private airplane, booked on flights that went to his property in the Virgin Islands, where the Attorney General for the territory has claimed that Epstein “held underage girls captive” as recently as 2018.