The FBI formally sought to question Prince Andrew as part of a major sex crimes investigation into a second wealthy financier, newly released documents have revealed.
FBI's 2020 Request for Cooperation
In April 2020, United States authorities sent a letter requesting a voluntary interview with Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. This request was connected to the bureau's probe into Canadian fashion tycoon Peter Nygard, who was later jailed in 2024 for sexually assaulting four women.
The FBI's interest stemmed from the Duke of York's visit to Nygard's private Caribbean estate, known as Nygard Cay, in the year 2000. Investigators believe the resort was used by Nygard to traffic victims for sexual exploitation.
Andrew's Links to Multiple Offenders
Authorities were keen to stress that Prince Andrew was not a target of their investigation. Instead, they viewed him as a potential witness who might possess information about Nygard's activities and his associates.
Particularly, the FBI wished to ascertain whether Andrew had any knowledge of Ghislaine Maxwell's alleged actions in recruiting women for the late paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. This line of enquiry further intertwines the separate cases of the two convicted sex offenders, Nygard and Epstein, to whom the Prince had connections.
Other documents from the recently released Epstein files include cryptic emails from a contact dubbed "The Invisible Man" – widely believed to be Prince Andrew – to Maxwell. These messages discuss "inappropriate friends" and plans for "two legged sight seeing".
Ongoing Royal Repercussions
Prince Andrew has consistently denied any wrongdoing. His association with Jeffrey Epstein led him to step back from royal duties in 2019. In 2022, he settled a civil sexual assault case brought by Virginia Giuffre, a survivor of Epstein's abuse, out of court for a reported multi-million pound sum.
The revelation of the FBI's request regarding the Nygard case adds another layer to the Duke's complex legal and public relations challenges. It demonstrates that law enforcement scrutiny extended beyond his friendship with Epstein to encompass his links with other convicted sex offenders.
