Prince Andrew should be questioned by the FBI under oath about his friendship with paedo Jeffrey Epstein, victims’ lawyer claims – The Sun
PRINCE Andrew should be quizzed by the FBI under oath over his friendship with billionaire paedo Jeffrey Epstein, a victim's lawyer says.
Gloria Allred represents Virginia Roberts, who claims the Duke of York plied her with drink and had sex with her when she was Epstein's teenage "slave" – which he strongly denies.
The Prince has said he never took part in, witnessed or suspected any suspicious or unlawful behaviour during his friendship with Epstein.
Last night the US lawyer said speaking to prosecutors would help Andrew clear his name over his relationship with the depraved financier.
Ms Allred told the Mirror: “It’s not testimony under oath. I challenge him to do that.”
Her client, who now goes by the name Virginia Giuffre, is pursuing a civil claim over the abuse she suffered at Epstein's hands.
Last month she claimed in a US TV interview that Epstein's "madam" Ghislaine Maxwell instructed her to have sex with Andrew after a night out in London when she was 17.
Virginia, now 35, said: "He was an abuser, he was a participant."
Buckingham Palace said of her allegations: “It is emphatically denied that The Duke of York had any form of sexual contact or relationship with Virginia Roberts.
"Any claim to the contrary is false and without foundation.”
Andrew was a guest at Epstein's "paedo island" retreat in the US Virgin Islands, and also stayed at his homes in Paris and Manhattan.
He was controversially photographed with Epstein in New York in 2010 after his release from jail – but says he went to end their friendship following his disgrace.
Epstein hanged himself in jail in August while facing fresh federal charges of trafficking underage girls for sex.
The FBI has reportedly expanded its Epstein probe and is seeking to talk to 100 alleged victims, who could provide information on the Duke.
The Sunday Times quoted a former head of royal protection at Scotland Yard, Dai Davies, saying a full investigation would be in the Duke’s best interests.
Mr Davies said: “I would have thought it's in Prince Andrew's interests to clear this matter up.
"Any residue of doubt or innuendo should be cleared up by a clear, unequivocal, structured investigation."
The FBI is also said to be reviewing a Scotland Yard probe into Giuffre's allegations that was dropped in 2015.
Royal aides reportedly said Andrew will "cooperate" with law enforcement agencies on both sides of the Atlantic if he's asked, but he did not know of any wrongdoing.
Andrew has said in a personal statement: "At no stage during the limited time I spent with him did I see, witness or suspect any behaviour of the sort that subsequently led to his arrest and conviction.
"I have said previously that it was a mistake and an error to see him after his release in 2010 and I can only reiterate my regret that I was mistaken to think that what I thought I knew of him was evidently not the real person, given what we now know."
Last month a former US cop who says he has hundreds of hours of video from Epstein's Florida mansion claimed the FBI may be covering up Andrew's role in the abuse scandal.
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