Epstein’s victims want former Prince Andrew to testify before lawmakers. It is unlikely to do so

LONDON (AP) — Former Prince Andrew saw his reputation ruined six years ago and became the butt of Internet jokes when he gave a disastrous interview to the BBC about his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

He is unlikely to take that risk again even as Prime Minister Keir Starmer, US Congress members and lawyers representing Epstein’s victims demand he tell investigators what he knew about Epstein and his network of wealthy and powerful friends.

Read more: Britain’s Starmer suggests former Prince Andrew should testify in the US investigation into Jeffrey Epstein

“If you look at the Newsnight evidence as a precedent, who knows what Andrew will say or how he will face some very hostile questions — much more hostile than he faced from Emily Maitlis,” said Craig Prescott, an expert in constitutional law and property at Royal Holloway, University of London, referring to the 2019 BBC interview. “It is very difficult to see how it is in Andrew’s best interest to do this voluntarily.”

Pressure is mounting on Andrew to testify after the latest release of documents from the US Department of Justice’s investigation into Epstein revealed more unsavory details about the links between the two men. Attorney Gloria Allred, who represents many of Epstein’s victims, said Monday that Andrew has a duty to provide any evidence that can help investigators understand how Epstein was able to abuse so many women for so long, and who else may have been involved in his crimes.

Read more: A list of powerful men named in the Epstein files, from Elon Musk to former Prince Andrew

But the last time Andrew tried to answer questions about his friendship with Epstein, it ended in disaster.

It didn’t end well

After a 2019 interview with Maitlis, Andrew was ridiculed for offering incredible explanations for his continued contact with Epstein after the financier’s 2008 conviction for soliciting a minor into prostitution, and for failing to show compassion for the victims.

He watches: What was revealed in the latest release of the Epstein files – and what was redacted

Last fall, King Charles III stripped Andrew of his royal titles, including the right to be called a prince, as part of his attempt to insulate the monarchy from ongoing revelations about his younger brother’s relationship with Epstein, which have tarnished the royal family for more than a decade. The former prince is now known simply as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.

Andrew was also ordered to vacate Royal Lodge, the 30-room mansion near Windsor Castle that has been his home for more than a decade.

Good luck with your claim

Lawyer Mark Stevens, who deals with international and complex cases at Howard Kennedy in London, said that Mountbatten-Windsor would not lose much if he ignored the calls directed at him to testify, and the American authorities would find it difficult to force him to appear before Congress.

Read more: The latest release of the Epstein files includes famous names and new details about a previous investigation

“There will be a lot of pressure and calls for him (to testify), but I don’t think that even if he got there, even if he gave evidence, he would reveal anything meaningful,” Stevens said. “I expect him to have the fifth privilege, as the Americans say, against self-incrimination. So I don’t think, except for his name, that he will answer any of the questions either by appearing or not.”

Documents released on Friday indicate that Epstein sought to arrange a date between Mountbatten-Windsor and a “beautiful” 26-year-old Russian woman, and that the former prince offered Epstein dinner at Buckingham Palace. The documents also revealed emails sent by Sarah Ferguson, Mountbatten-Windsor’s ex-wife, in which she described Epstein as a “legend” and “the brother I always wanted.”

The documents do not show any violations committed by many of those named; Her appearance in the files reflects Epstein’s extremely broad reach.

Not sharing what he knows

Mountbatten-Windsor has previously expressed caution about speaking to US authorities.

After stepping down from royal duties in 2019, Mountbatten-Windsor declared his willingness to assist “any appropriate law enforcement agency” in their investigation into Epstein.

But documents released last year showed how ten months of negotiations between Mountbatten-Windsor’s lawyers and federal prosecutors failed to secure his testimony.

Read more: British politician Peter Mandelson is facing pressure to withdraw from the House of Lords following the publication of the latest Epstein files

Ultimately, the king’s brother’s lawyers rejected proposals to conduct a direct interview with their client by the Public Prosecution, either in person or via video. Instead, they suggested he provide his answers in writing, something they said was perfectly acceptable in British courts.

Finally, on September 23, 2020, prosecutors abandoned the idea of ​​securing a voluntary interview and said they planned to begin the formal process of asking British courts to compel Andrew’s testimony under the two countries’ mutual legal assistance treaty. There is no indication that the interview was ever conducted.

Allred said the testimony is important for Epstein’s victims.

While Mountbatten-Windsor said he knew nothing about Epstein’s crimes, documents released by the Ministry of Justice show he had at least some understanding of the parties Epstein hosted, and how he used young women to influence his network of rich and powerful friends, Allred told the BBC.

She added: “He is not the person who should decide whether he knows anything that could help the investigation.” “I’m saying it’s not too late, and he has information he can share that might help them.”