The US prosecutors consider Prince Andrew to be a "person of interest" in the Jeffrey Epstein inquiry. The Duke of York, 61, is being sought as a witness in the investigation into the alleged co-conspirators of the deceased billionaire sex offender.
However, according to a source familiar with the investigation, prosecutors regarded Prince Andrew to be a person of interest. Prince Andrew was seen "at least as a potential witness," but he was not expected to be interviewed. It's the first time the Queen's son has been referred to as a "person of interest" in the Jeffrey Epstein case by anyone involved in the investigation.
Prince Andrew is a "person of interest"
Investigators looking into Ghislaine Maxwell and other Epstein allies are reportedly interested in speaking with the Duke of York about the pedophile financier's acquaintance. The Queen's son is being investigated as a person of interest, and interviewing him would be part of the investigation into probable co-conspirators.
Prince Andrew had sought to falsely portray himself to the public as eager and willing to help, despite not giving interviews to federal officials and repeatedly declining requests to speak with investigators, prosecutors said last week. According to the source, Andrew remains a person of interest to prosecutors in the US Attorney's office for the Southern District of New York, but they do not expect to be able to interview him in the near future, if at all.
Virginia Giuffre, who claims she was abused by Epstein, filed a legal complaint against Prince Andrew in federal court in Manhattan earlier this month. Andrew allegedly forced Giuffre to have unwanted sexual intercourse in Maxwell's London home, according to Giuffre, who used to go by the name Virginia Roberts.
The accusation has been refuted by Prince Andrew. While awaiting trial on charges of trafficking minors, Jeffrey Epstein died in an apparent suicide in 2019. Between 1994 and 2004, Ghislaine Maxwell pled not guilty to claims that she acquired teenage girls for Epstein to sexually abuse. In November, she is due to go on trial, as per Daily Mail.
Last year, prosecutors submitted a formal request to the British government, known as a mutual legal assistance treaty (MLAT) filing, requesting access to the prince so they could speak with him. The MLAT is a mechanism used in criminal investigations to collect information from foreign countries that is difficult to obtain cooperatively.
The legal team advises the Duke to keep calm amid accusations
According to a report, Prince Andrew is "cheerful and relaxed" and is being told to stay calm and go on following the bombshell lawsuit accusing him of sexually assaulting a teenage girl. The failure of his attempts to explain his association with Jeffrey Epstein, as well as his denial that he even knew Giuffre - whom he was seen hugging when she was 17 - were important factors in his decision not to speak out further about the claims, according to a pal.
About the case filed last week by longtime accuser Virginia Roberts Giuffre, a friend of the prince stated, "His legal team always expected this and have prepared," Fox News reported. The Duke's legal team told him to be calm and carry on, and he is following their counsel, claiming he "has no intention" of altering course and publicly addressing the allegations again, according to the source.
Meanwhile, a lawyer allegedly said that Prince Andrew's attorneys may try to have the sexual assault claims against him dismissed by claiming diplomatic immunity, which means he cannot be prosecuted. According to Spencer Kuvin, who represents several of Jeffrey Epstein's victims, the prince's legal team is "sure" to explore the move and that they would have a "strong case."
When Virginia Giuffre claims that the Duke of York sexually assaulted her in 2001, Prince Andrew was a trade envoy - a position that grants diplomatic immunity - and hence may be immune from prosecution. Kuvin believes the prince's legal team will make a move to dismiss Giuffre's complaint, and that his former role as a trade envoy would be taken into account, as per The Independent.
Related Article: Prince Andrew Sexual Abuse Claim Prompts Royal Family to Review Titles; Jeffrey Epstein's Employee Plans to Testify Against Him
@YouTube
