Internal communications from US prosecutors have revealed they believed there were "various factual inaccuracies" in the Duke of York's accounts during their investigation into the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Internal Emails Reveal Prosecutors' Doubts
The emails, released as part of a further document dump from the US Department of Justice's (DoJ) Epstein files, came during a public war of words between the former royal and US authorities. This row centred on Andrew's cooperation with their requests for an interview.
On 8 June 2020, an unnamed lawyer from New York wrote to the then-US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Geoff Berman. The communication was sent shortly after Prince Andrew's legal team issued a statement claiming he had offered his assistance as a witness to the DoJ on "at least three occasions" that year.
The lawyer advised Berman that any public response should be "short and forward looking", rather than attempting to "rehash all of the various factual inaccuracies in his account of the past". Following this, Mr Berman publicly accused the Duke of attempting to "falsely portray himself to the public as eager and willing to co-operate".
Anonymous Tip and Photographic Evidence
The document release also contained an anonymous tip sent to the FBI from someone in Finland. This tip alleged there had been "paedophilia organised by JE for Prince Andrew" and claimed evidence could be found in specific locations.
The tipster stated that tapes were hidden in a "secret compartment of a drawer next to a Michelangelo picture of a flower vase" at Epstein's house in the Bahamas. They also urged investigators to "look for keys stored in the drawing room" and to search other properties in Brazil.
Previously released photographs from the DoJ appeared to show Andrew introducing Epstein to British high society. These images included a shooting trip to Balmoral and a visit to the royal box at Ascot. Another photograph, reportedly taken at Sandringham, showed the Duke reclining across the legs of five women.
Lasting Consequences and Ongoing Scrutiny
The fallout from Andrew's association with Epstein has been severe and ongoing. He stepped down from royal duties in 2019 following his disastrous Newsnight interview. The controversy was reignited by the publication of Virginia Giuffre's posthumous memoir and the US government's release of documents from Epstein's estate.
This led to King Charles III officially stripping his brother of his HRH style and prince title. Furthermore, Andrew has faced recent criticism from US politicians for his "silence", after he missed a deadline last month to respond to their request for an interview about Epstein.
In 2022, the Duke paid millions to Ms Giuffre, a woman he has consistently claimed never to have met, to settle a civil sexual assault claim out of court. Prince Andrew continues to vehemently deny any wrongdoing.
