Prince Andrew has “provided zero cooperation” to the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking inquiry, a US prosecutor has said.
US attorney Geoffrey Berman said the Duke of York’s lawyers had been contacted by prosecutors and the FBI who requested to interview him as part of the investigation.
But Berman – who is overseeing the investigation – said: “To date, Prince Andrew has provided zero cooperation.”
Andrew stepped down from royal duties in November following a disastrous Newsnight interview in the wake of the scandal.
At the time he said: “I am willing to help any appropriate law enforcement agency.”
Following the interview, he was accused of lacking empathy for Epstein’s victims and of failing to show regret over his friendship with the disgraced financier, who died in jail in August 2019.
Virginia Giuffre, who claims she was trafficked by Epstein, said in an interview with BBC Panorama that she was left “horrified and ashamed” after an alleged sexual encounter with Andrew in London in 2001.
She claimed she danced with Andrew in Tramp nightclub, adding he was “the most hideous dancer I’ve ever seen in my life” and “his sweat was [...] raining basically everywhere”.
Buckingham Palace is not commenting on the matter.
A source said: “This issue is being dealt with by the Duke of York’s legal team.”
Berman was speaking at an event to promote a new law that makes it easier for victims to sue over childhood abuse.
Before being asked about the duke, Berman confirmed the investigation was looking at possible “conspirators” who worked with Epstein.
He added: “Jeffrey Epstein couldn’t have done what he did without the assistance of others, and I can assure you that the investigation is moving forward.”
During his Newsnight interview, the duke said an alleged encounter with Giuffre in 2001 did not happen as he spent the day with his daughter, Princess Beatrice, taking her to Pizza Express in Woking for a party.
He also said he does not recall meeting Giuffre, and had a medical condition at the time, after suffering an overdose of adrenaline in the Falklands War when he was shot at, that meant he did not sweat.