The Duke of York was has been criticised for his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein – who was due to stand trial for sex trafficking last year – before he died by suicide in prison. Andrew has also been accused of having sex with alleged trafficking victim Virginia Roberts Giuffre on three separate occasions. Buckingham Palace vehemently deny these allegations. A statement reads: “It is emphatically denied that The Duke of York had any form of sexual contact or relationship with Virginia Roberts.
“Any claim to the contrary is false and without foundation.”
Andrew tried to challenge accusations made against him in an interview with BBC Newsnight last November.
In the interview, he said he would assist with investigations into Epstein and his former partner Ghislaine Maxwell, who has also been arrested on charges of sex trafficking.
US prosecutors, who are looking to interview Andrew as a witness, have claimed he has not cooperated with their requests for an interview.
The Duke of York is said to be “bewildered” by these claims and his legal team insist they have reached out “at least three times”.
After the difficult interview caught international attention, Andrew’s nephew, William, was allegedly unhappy.
day Times quoted a royal source at the time who suggested the Duke of Cambridge was angry with his uncle’s behaviour and decided his removal from public life was “the right thing to do”.
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“What should have happened was the full palace process.”
Andrew’s representatives declined comment on the claims made by the Sunday Times’ source.
Emily Maitlis, the BBC presenter who conducted the interview, recently revealed that he and his team felt the questioning had gone well for the Duke.
She told Radio Times: “We know that the Palace was happy with the interview.
“We had plenty of engagement with them after it went out.
“I think their shock was not at the interview itself, but the reaction it caused in the days and weeks afterwards.”
