Prince Andrew has been hit with a formal request for interview by the U.S. Department of Justice about his ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, NBC News and Today U.K. report.
Federal prosecutors want to speak to the royal as they continue their investigation into Epstein’s history of sexual abuse. Prince Andrew was a known associate of Epstein, who died last summer in his jail cell while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. The second son of Queen Elizabeth II has been accused by one of Epstein’s accusers of having sex with her when she was 17 years old. Buckingham Palace has repeatedly denied that the Duke of York had any sexual contact or relationship with the woman.
The request, according to NBC News, was made using a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty, or MLAT, which is similar to a subpoena and is a “rare move.”
Prince Andrew announced in November 2019 that he would be stepping back from his public duties “for the forseeable future” in light of his association with Epstein.
“It has become clear to me over the past few days that my association with Jeffrey Epstein has become a major disruption to my family’s work and the valuable work going on in the many organizations and charities that I am proud to support,” Prince Andrew said in a statement through Buckingham Palace. “Therefore, I have asked Her Majesty if I can step back from public duties for the foreseeable future, and she has given her permission.”
The announcement came three days after the duke gave a televised interview to the BBC’s “Newsnight” about his relationship with Epstein.
#BREAKING: The U.S. department of justice has officially demanded Britain hand over Prince Andrew for questioning. #9Today
. pic.twitter.com/J42r7Wnc3Z— The Today Show (@TheTodayShow) June 7, 2020