Prince Andrew a ‘person of interest’ in Epstein probe: report

Prince Andrew, Duke of York, is reportedly a “person of interest” to U.S. prosecutors investigating the alleged sex trafficking conducted by disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell, a British socialite.

Sources close to the matter told Reuters that U.S. investigators are seeking to interview Andrew as part of their probe into Epstein, who died in 2019, and any possible co-conspirators. Reuters notes that as a person of interest, Andrew is at least seen as a potential witness in the case.

Though he originally said he would help investigators in the case, prosecutors have accused the prince of seeking to falsely portray himself to the public as eager and willing to cooperate while apparently refusing to sit down with investigators despite multiple requests.

Despite the high level of interest in speaking with Andrew, prosecutors apparently do not expect to speak with him in the foreseeable future, Reuters reports.

“He doesn’t seem to want to talk to us,” one source told the news service.

Representatives for Prince Andrew declined to comment when reached by The Hill.

Earlier in August, alleged Epstein victim Virginia Roberts Giuffre filed a lawsuit against Andrew, accusing him of sexually abusing her when she was a minor. Giuffre has long said that Maxwell directed her to have sex with the prince. Andrew has denied all allegations against him, going so far as to suggest that a photo of him with his arm around Giuffre was digitally altered.

“I am holding Prince Andrew accountable for what he did to me. The powerful and the rich are not exempt from being held responsible for their actions,” Giuffre said at the time of the lawsuit’s filing.

“I hope that other victims will see that it is possible not to live in silence and fear, but one can reclaim her life by speaking out and demanding justice,” she added.

Last week, the commissioner of London’s Metropolitan Police Service, Cressida Dick, said authorities were reviewing the case against Andrew, though a formal investigation has not been opened.

“As a result of what’s going on, I’ve asked my team to have another look at the material,” Dick said Thursday. “No one is above the law.”