UK's Prince Andrew Not Cooperating In Epstein Case, Says Prosecutor

The United Kingdom's Prince Andrew hasn't followed up on his public statement offering cooperation in the investigations of the Jeffrey Epstein case, a New York prosecutor said Monday.

What Happened

In a public statement in November, Prince Andrew, the third child of Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of York, said that he would be "willing to help any appropriate law enforcement agency with the investigations, if required."

The United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York Geoffrey Berman on Monday said that both his office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation reached out to the royal's lawyers, but to no avail.

"I think in that context, it's fair for people to know whether Prince Andrew has followed through with that public commitment," Berman told reporters outside Epstein's former residence, as reported by the Wall Street Journal.

"To date Prince Andrew has provided zero cooperation."

Why It Matters

Epstein died by suicide in August last year in prison, a month after he was arrested on charges of sex-trafficking of minors.

The financier's death gave rise to a host of conspiracy theories, with some alleging that he was murdered. The "Epstein didn't kill himself" movement trended on social media platforms, including Facebook Inc. FB and Twitter Inc. TWTR.

The 66-year old was known for his high-profile acquaintances like President Donald Trump, former president Bill Clinton, and Microsoft Corporation MSFT CEO Bill Clinton. Epstein even reportedly tried to befriend Tesla Inc. TSLA CEO Elon Musk.

The U.K. royal was one of the acquaintances of Epstein and known to have been friends with his former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell, according to the New York Times.

Virginia Roberts Giuffre, one of the petitioners against Epstein, accused that he lent her to the Prince of York for sex on multiple occasions when she was 17, the Times reported.

Prince Andrew faced widespread criticism after a BBC interview in which he seemingly defended his continued ties with Epstein even after he was convicted on charges of soliciting and procuring prostitution in 2010.

The Prince later stepped back from his public duties as a U.K. royal, and apologized for what he said was an "ill-judged association with Jeffrey Epstein."

Photo Credit: Public domain photo via Wikimedia.