Andrew under pressure to give evidence on Epstein

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor should give evidence about what he knows about Jeffrey Epstein, says a prominent lawyer representing some of the US sex offender's victims.

"It's not too late and he does have information he could share," Gloria Allred told the BBC.

But the latest emails released by the US Department of Justice show there were already multiple approaches from US authorities for Andrew to help with their Epstein inquiries, including a formal request to the Home Office in 2020.

There was also a call from royal sources: "Anyone who has information should consider helping any investigation, but that is ultimately a matter for Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and his conscience."

"Why was he willing to speak to the BBC in a one-hour catastrophic television interview, but is not willing to speak to law enforcement?," Allred said, referring to Andrew's now-infamous Newsnight interview with Emily Maitlis in 2019.

"He's not the one who should decide whether he knows anything that could help in the investigation," Allred told the BBC.

This followed comments from Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer: "In terms of testifying, I have always said anybody who has got information should be prepared to share that information.

"You can't be victim-centred if you're not prepared to do that," he said.

According to royal sources, the lack of official comment so far from Buckingham Palace should not be seen as complacency, but royal aides are said to fully understand the sense of public upset.

It's understood that the Palace does not get any advance notice of the released files and has been monitoring what has emerged.

The official position from Buckingham Palace remains that the King and Queen's "thoughts and utmost sympathies have been, and will remain with, the victims and survivors of any and all forms of abuse".

So far Andrew has shown no signs of giving evidence. He has always strongly denied any wrongdoing.

Last autumn, Democrats in the US Congress set a November deadline for the former prince to testify about what he knew about Epstein, but he gave no response.

The latest batch of emails have revealed the previous extent of US attempts to get Andrew to give evidence.

In the early months of 2020 there were multiple email exchanges between the US Department of Justice and Andrew's legal team, in which the US authorities tried to pin down a time and place for him to give evidence.

This testimony could have been given in the UK or in the US, but the frosty exchanges between the lawyers made little progress, despite both sides pointing to Andrew's public commitment to helping with investigating authorities.

In apparent frustration, the US Department for Justice said there was no point "rehashing our previous conversations" and reiterated the question "as to whether Prince Andrew will agree to be interviewed and if so when such interview will take place".

Another email reveals that the US authorities had concluded that "efforts to obtain a truly voluntary interview have been exhausted".

Obtaining a testimony from Andrew then meant the US legal authorities needed to formally ask their UK counterparts for help - in what's known as mutual legal assistance - whereby one country can ask for another's co-operation to compel overseas witnesses to testify.

The emails show this process did begin, with a request delivered to the Home Office in April 2020. An email from a US legal representative noted their surprise at the timing and that it had arrived when the "pandemic in London is expected to peak in the next week or two".

Later, the US ambassador in the UK seemed to be showing concern about what was happening - and there were further questions in August 2021 about the implications of a case being brought in the US against Andrew by Virginia Giuffre, who accused him and Epstein of sexual assault.

That would make Andrew the defendant rather than a witness, complicating the status of a request for a statement from him, while the case was in progress.

There were also comments from the US side about their UK counterparts "wringing their hands" about information over Andrew.

The civil case brought by Giuffre was ultimately settled out of court in 2022, with Andrew rejecting any claims of wrongdoing and not having to deliver any testimony.

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