Prince Andrew Refuses To Cooperate In Jeffrey Epstein Probe, Prosecutors Office ‘Considering Its Options’

(Updated: 4:51 p.m. EST, March 9 2020)

Topline: Prince Andrew has “completely shut the door” on cooperating with US authorities investigating sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, federal prosecutors said Monday as they announced they would consider other options in their pursuit of getting the Queen of England’s son to discuss his friendship with the former financier. 

• According to U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman, Prince Andrew has gone back on his November promise to cooperate with investigators in the case of his former friend, the disgraced financier.
• It is unclear what “options” Berman is considering.
• Berman made a similar claim in January, when he first announced that Prince Andrew hadn’t worked with the investigation as the prince said he would.
• Prince Andrew, who has been accused of rape and denied it, was forced to step down from royal duties after an interview he gave to the BBC in November in which he defended his friendship with Epstein.
• “Jeffrey Epstein couldn’t have done what he did without the assistance of others, and I can assure you that the investigation is moving forward,” Berman said at the time.
• Buckingham Palace told British media outlets Monday that it would not comment and that the matter was being handled by Prince Andrew’s legal team.

Key background: Prince Andrew has faced allegations of rape from Virginia Roberts, now Giuffre. Giuffre has said that she was forced to have sex with the royal by Epstein three times when she was 17 years old. Prince Andrew has consistently denied all claims of sexual misconduct related to Epstein, but did step back from royal duties after pressure stemming from their friendship and a car crash interview the prince gave in November.

He has been criticized for meeting with Epstein even after the financier was convicted of soliciting prostitution from a minor in 2008. Flight logs show Prince Andrew was among those on Epstein’s plane in 1999 on a trip from the U.S. Virgin Islands, where a recent lawsuit alleges Epstein held underage girls captive as late as 2018.

Crucial quote: “Contrary to Prince Andrew’s very public offer to cooperate with our investigation into Epstein’s co-conspirators, an offer that was conveyed via press release, Prince Andrew has now completely shut the door on voluntary cooperation and our office is considering its options,” Berman said Monday.