Prince Andrew must tell all he knows about Epstein – leader comment

Prince Andrew not only needs to do the right thing, but be seen to do the right thing over the Jeffrey Epstein affair, following the arrest of Ghislaine Maxwell.
Prince Andrew has been urged to give a statement to the US attorney for the southern district of New York (Picture: Stefan Roussea/pool/AFP via Getty Images)Prince Andrew has been urged to give a statement to the US attorney for the southern district of New York (Picture: Stefan Roussea/pool/AFP via Getty Images)
Prince Andrew has been urged to give a statement to the US attorney for the southern district of New York (Picture: Stefan Roussea/pool/AFP via Getty Images)

Prince Andrew’s calamitous BBC Newsnight interview about his friendship with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein – in which, among other bizarre statements, he said he “still” did not regret getting to know the late US financier – saw him retire from public life.

In the court of public opinion, he lost and lost badly. His actions may not have been criminal but, as far as the vast majority of the public are concerned, Andrew at the very least made some extremely poor decisions about Epstein and others.

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The Royal family may have hoped that the affair would subside into the past, but ongoing investigations in the US and claims that Andrew is failing to fully co-operate with the authorities mean this is unlikely to happen any time soon.

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Following the arrest in the US of Ghislaine Maxwell – Epstein’s former partner and a friend of the Prince – over accusations she helped her former boyfriend “identify, befriend and groom” girls, including one aged 14, Audrey Strauss, acting US attorney for the southern district of New York, said: “We would welcome him [Andrew] coming in and giving us an opportunity to hear his statement.” Lawyers for Epstein’s victims were more forthright, with one accusing the Prince of subjecting them to a “torture test” by not telling prosecutors everything he knows and also “evading” the US authorities.

While a source close to the Prince reportedly expressed bewilderment, saying Andrew had twice communicated with the US Department of Justice, it seems clear that whatever he said was not enough to satisfy some. Whether or not Andrew has told all that he does know, once again he is creating the impression – or at least allowing the impression to be created – that he is not being as open and candid as he could be for reasons unknown.

He must not only do the right thing, but be seen to do the right thing. If not, the damage to the Royal family – and indeed the institution of monarchy – will only increase.

This may be difficult for him and his mother, the Queen, but he now needs to go to the US to speak to the authorities there and submit himself to the kind of scrutiny he agreed to face on Newsnight. The lawyers’ question may be tougher, but it is a test he must pass if he and the Royal family are to recover some of their lost reputation.

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