Prince Andrew Reportedly Regrets His BBC Newsnight Interview About Jeffrey Epstein
Last fall, widespread public criticism following Prince Andrew's interview with Newsnight about his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, effectively forced the Queen's son to step back from his public royal role "for the foreseeable future."
"It has become clear to me over the last few days that the circumstances relating to my former association with Jeffrey Epstein has become a major disruption to my family’s work and the valuable work going on in the many organisations and charities that I am proud to support," Prince Andrew wrote in a personal statement issued after the broadcast.
"Therefore, I have asked Her Majesty if I may step back from public duties for the foreseeable future, and she has given her permission."
The statement also offered sympathy to Epstein's victims, something Prince Andrew neglected to do during the television program. (Watch the interview in full above.)
Now, a source close to the Prince has shared with reporter Roya Nikkhah at the Sunday Times that the broadcast is a "source of regret" for the royal.
“I don’t think he regrets the intention behind the interview, which was to clear the air for his family, the royal family and the institution,” the source told the publication. “But the fact he was unable to appropriately or sufficiently convey his sympathy for the victims of Epstein, is of course a source of regret.”
And despite previous reporting by Nikkhah that Andrew "will not resume official duties," a source told her this week that "it is still his intention to resume a public role."
“He knows he has to resolve the noise around the matter," the source said. "The duke sees the situation now as a working sabbatical from his duties. He’s very conscious of the impact it’s had on the reputation of the royal family, his own family and the country."
In his personal statement last November, Prince Andrew also confirmed that he was "willing to help any appropriate law enforcement agency with their investigations, if required," but now, a source told Nikkhah, that he will not cooperate with the U.S. Department of Justice until the DOJ offers "some kind of olive branch to rebuild trust."
"I don’t think there’s a legal team on the planet that would encourage any client to co-operate with a judicial authority that has been demonstrably leaking confidential information," said an anonymous source, likely referencing the Sun's story earlier this month, which reported that the US Department of Justice (DOJ) had filed a "mutual legal assistance" request regarding Prince Andrew, officially requesting to speak with him in the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein's crimes.
"The ball is now firmly in the DoJ’s court," the source said.
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