Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has suggested that anyone possessing relevant information should be prepared to share it with authorities, following criticism of Prince Andrew's lack of cooperation with a US investigation into the late financier Jeffrey Epstein.
US Legislators Criticise Royal Silence
American legislators have publicly criticised the former prince for what they describe as his "silence" amid their ongoing probe into Epstein, who died by suicide in a New York prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking and conspiracy charges.
Members of the House Oversight Committee had formally requested a "transcribed interview" with Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor concerning his long-standing friendship with the convicted sex offender. After receiving no response, Democrats Robert Garcia and Suhas Subramanyam accused Andrew of effectively hiding from the investigation.
Starmer's Principle on Cooperation
While travelling to the Johannesburg G20 summit on Saturday 22 November 2025, Sir Keir declined to comment specifically on Andrew's case. However, he firmly stated his general position to accompanying reporters.
"I don't comment on his particular case," the Prime Minister said. "But as a general principle I've held for a very long time is that anybody who has got relevant information in relation to these kind of cases should give that evidence to those that need it. That would be my general position on this."
When pressed directly on whether this principle applied to the former royal, Sir Keir responded: "In the end that will be a decision for him. But my general position is, if you have relevant information you should be prepared to share it."
Background and Ongoing Scrutiny
Andrew, who was stripped of his prince and Duke of York titles earlier this month, continues to deny any wrongdoing. His brother, the King, removed him from the monarchy and reduced him to commoner status due to "serious lapses of judgment" regarding his association with Epstein.
This decisive action followed two significant developments:
- The publication of posthumous memoirs by the late Virginia Giuffre, who had accused Andrew of sexually assaulting her when she was a teenager.
- The US government's release of documents from Epstein's estate.
Separately, the Metropolitan Police is examining claims that Andrew provided Ms Giuffre's date of birth and social security number to his taxpayer-funded bodyguard back in 2011, allegedly requesting an investigation into her.
