Prince Andrew regrets to stay with the now deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. In an excerpt from a BBC interview published on Friday, the 59-year-old said his stay with Epstein was "not fitting for a member of the Royal Family" and "disappointing."
The US multimillionaire Epstein had committed suicide in a Manhattan jail in early August. The real estate mogul, who was convicted as a sex offender, was accused of having forced underage girls into prostitution (read more about the case here).
Prince Andrew was one of Epstein's many celebrity friends and is therefore criticized. Time and again, footage had surfaced showing Andrew with Epstein or at his New York estate - even after the multimillionaire had already served his first jail sentence for the allegations.
Justice Services / Handout / File Photo / REUTERS
Jeffrey Epstein: Hanged in New York Prison Cell
Already in the summer, the second eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II had felt obliged to an explanation and claimed to have known nothing of the machinations Epstein: "I met Mr. Epstein in 1999," said Andrew. "During the time I was acquainted with him, I saw him irregularly and probably not more than once or twice a year, and I was visiting a number of his estates."
In the BBC interview, which is to be broadcast in the evening, he now spoke for the first time about the abuse scandal around Epstein. As a result, Andrew said he stepped himself every day to see that he was still with Epstein after the conviction. Rather, the Royal Family strives to uphold the highest standards and customs. He was disappointed, it was that easy.
The prince repeated that he has no recollection of meeting a woman who says she was forced to have sex with him several times at the age of 17. Andrew has repeatedly stated that this claim is untrue (see also: "Prince Andrew knows exactly what he did")
The case of Epstein is not completed by the investigating authorities even after the death of the entrepreneur. The French police had last launched an international witness call. The investigators are looking for witnesses and victims of sexual harassment or sexual abuse.
Epstein is said to have built an illegal sex trade ring between 2002 and 2005 in New York and Florida. Victims and accomplices are reportedly also from France. The Paris Public Prosecutor's Office initiated preliminary investigations at the end of August. In this context, Epstein's apartment and a modeling agency in Paris were searched.