PRINCE ANDREW has been slammed for his “insulting” 1,000 days of silence since he vowed on Newsnight to help the probe into his pervert pals Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.
The Duke of York was blasted as the staggering milestone slips by today – with the 62-year-old still not believed to have ever given a statement over the vile couple’s sex crimes.
He has once again been urged to finally reveal what he really knows about the warped pair – with Maxwell now rotting in prison and not talking after Epstein took his own life in 2019.
It is hoped Andrew could unknowingly hold information that could lead investigators to the “last piece of the jigsaw” to expose the full extent of the couple’s twisted “sexual pyramid scheme“.
But his pledge to cooperate has also been dismissed as nothing but a “PR stunt”.
The Duke of York insisted he would talk to law enforcement during his car crash Newsnight interview on November 16, 2019 – exactly 1,000 days ago as of publication.
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Lisa Bloom – who represents eight of Epstein’s victims – told The Sun Online she believes the royal never had any intention of talking to authorities.
She said: “Let’s be real. Prince Andrew is never going to live up to his promise to help authorities. That was just PR.
“The obvious reason that he refuses to cooperate is because it may put him in legal jeopardy.
“What a sad state of affairs for the many Jeffrey Epstein sexual abuse victims who I represent.”
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Andrew’s embarrassing appearance on Newsnight was widely derided as showing a lack of empathy for the victims and an apparent lack of remorse of his association with Epstein.
The Duke made bizarre excuses such as that he “couldn’t sweat” and that he was actually at “Pizza Express in Woking” in the TV chat which preceded his total removal from public life.
He is reported to have assured The Queen the chat went very well and his close aides believed he was “wonderful”.
Yet it opened the floodgates which eventually saw his accuser Virginia Giuffre bring a civil case against him – which was settled quietly out of court for an estimated £12million.
Virginia alleged she was forced to have sex with the Duke when she was just 17 after being trafficked by Epstein and Maxwell.
Andrew has always denied all allegations.
Anybody with information is like the last piece of a jigsaw that enables you to see the bigger picture
Nazir Afzal
Brad Edwards, an attorney who has represented dozens of victims of the twisted couple including Andrew accuser Virginia Giuffre, also believes the royal’s vow to speak up was an empty promise.
He said: “It appears quite obvious he had no intention of cooperating with authorities against Epstein and Maxwell.
“Regardless, both investigations are over. Epstein is dead and Maxwell in prison.”
Speaking on Newsnight, Andrew said he would testify or give a statement under oath over Epstein’s crimes.
But almost three years down the line, the disgraced duke has yet to speak to law enforcement in the US – despite reportedly being named as a “person of interest” in the probe into Epstein and Maxwell’s crimes.
FBI agents reportedly wanted to speak to Andrew “at least as a potential witness” – but admitted they did not expect him to agree to interview.
What Andrew said about cooperating with US law enforcement:
PRINCE Andrew appeared to commit to working with law enforcement when he was given a car crash grilling by Emily Maitlis on Newsnight which was broadcast of on November 16, 2019.
And yet ever since the Duke has been accused of ducking and diving after a war of words with US prosecutors over his cooperation – insisting he would help but seemingly failing to do so.
He was accused in 2020 of offering “zero” help to the probe into Epstein.
Here is exactly what Andrew said during his interview:
EMILY MAITLIS: You seem utterly convinced you’re telling the truth, would you be willing to testify or give a statement under oath if you were asked?
PRINCE ANDREW: Well I’m like everybody else and I will have to take all the legal advice that there was before I was to do that sort of thing.
But if push came to shove and the legal advice was to do so, then I would be duty bound to do so.
EM: Because you’ve said there are many unanswered questions, everyone affected wants closure, you would help to provide that closure.
PA: If there was… in the right circumstances, yes I would because I think there’s just as much closure for me as there is for everybody else and undoubtedly some very strange and unpleasant activities have been going on.
I’m afraid to say that I’m not the person who can shed light on it for a number of reasons, one of which is that I wasn’t there long enough.
And if you go in for a day, two days at a time, it’s quite easy I’m led to believe for those sorts of people to hide their activities for that period of time and then carry on when they’re not there.
EM: Virginia Roberts’s lawyers, legal team say that they’ve asked for a legal statement from you. There is an active FBI investigation, would you be willing to provide that?
PA: Again, I’m bound by what my legal advice is… legal advisers tell me.
And in a later statement, Andrew added: “Of course, I am willing to help any appropriate law enforcement agency with their investigations, if required.”
It’s believed the FBI is continuing to probe the wider crimes of the pair and other potential accomplices as Andrew faces further calls to finally speak to agents.
Nazir Afzal, the former chief crown prosecutor for northwest England, said Andrew’s lack of cooperation is an “insult” to Epstein and Maxwell’s victims.
He told The Sun Online: “It retraumatises the already broken. Prince Andrew denies any wrongdoing or conduct unbecoming.
“However, he may have information or evidence that is significant.
“I’ve prosecuted several thousand sexual offences, including those that happened years before.
“They are some of the most difficult cases to prosecute because it’s often one person’s word against another without any supporting evidence.
“I often longed for another witness who saw or heard anything to come forward to strengthen my cases.
“Anybody with information is like the last piece of a jigsaw that enables you to see the bigger picture.”
Mr Afzal argued that even if allegations against Andrew are false, he “carries responsibility” by not revealing anything he might know.
He added: “Prince Andrew may, knowingly or unknowingly, have that last piece of the jigsaw which leads to serious offenders being convicted and victims getting justice.
“Victims told me that their recovery began when they got justice. If they didn’t, the trauma would continue forever.
“The legal cases speak for itself. The moral and ethical case for helping authorities is that you help victims find peace.
“If you don’t, then you carry part of the responsibility.”
Prince Andrew was blasted over his notorious car crash interview[/caption]
Epstein killed himself while awaiting trial in 2019, while Maxwell was this year jailed for her part in his wicked trafficking web.
The shamed socialite lured vulnerable teenagers for vile multi-millionaire Epstein to abuse at his various luxurious properties – with the pair described as “partners in crime”.
Maxwell, 60, apologised to her victims as she was caged for more than two decades after being found guilty on five of the six charges against her.
Dr Ann Olivarius, a senior partner at law firm McAllister Olivarius, told The Sun Online that Epstein’s victims “deserve to know” whether he will cooperate.
She said: “While no charges have been filed against Prince Andrew, the nature of his relationship with Epstein – which, let’s remember, continued after Epstein was sent to prison – makes it highly likely he would be able to help with the ongoing enquiries.
“Of course, there is a chance that Andrew is already cooperating but is choosing to do so privately.
“After all, we have heard nothing about dozens of other prominent figures who appeared on Epstein’s Client List – are they also being asked to help with ongoing investigations?
“Andrew may think that being seen to cooperate will damage his reputation, but I’m afraid that ship has sailed.
“Epstein’s victims, as well as the British public, deserve to know.”
Dr Olivarius said that Andrew could be forced to talk by American authorities.
She added: “If he continues to stonewall US prosecutors, they could theoretically force him to cooperate, but subpoenaing testimony would be very difficult, not least because it would strain transatlantic relations.
“However, prosecutors in New York have allegedly submitted a formal request to the Home Office asking for their help.
“If so, the ball is now in the British government’s court.”
It comes after the Duke settled civil litigation in February over claims he raped Ms Giuffre at his pal Maxwell’s house.
But it has since been claimed the pay-off was as little as £3million as sources say his lawyers negotiated a cut-price deal.
It may explain why Ms Giuffre, 38, was not forced to sign a gagging order as part of the deal — and is now free to write a “tell-all” book, which she promises to do.
She alleged she was forced to have sex with Andrew by Epstein and Maxwell in 2001, when she was just a teenager and the prince 41.
Her legal team argued she was a “frightened, vulnerable child with no one there to protect her” when she was allegedly abused by Andrew, saying “no person, whether President or Prince, is above the law”.
Andrew previously said he had “no recollection” of ever meeting Ms Giuffre, and said he had no memory of the well-known photograph of him with his arm around Ms Giuffre’s waist at Maxwell’s house.
Earlier this year, Andrew settled the case outside of court whilst continuing to deny any misconduct.
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In an extraordinary statement, he told of his “regret” over his ties to paedophile Epstein and hailed Ms Giuffre’s “bravery”.
Prince Andrew’s representation has been contacted for a response.
Andrew settled his lawsuit with Ms Giuffre earlier this year[/caption]
