Prince Andrew faces the prospect of being more deeply engulfed in the Jeffrey Epstein scandal as the FBI seek to talk to 100 alleged victims of the late American billionaire.
The U.S. law enforcement agency’s investigation has been expanded to identify more alleged human trafficking victims of Epstein, who could provide information on the Queen’s son, the Sunday Times in London reports.
It has been reported the FBI expects to interview the victims — most of whom were aged between 14 and 15 when allegedly trafficked. This will take place over the next two months and Scotland Yard is ready to help.
Citing unidentified sources from the U.S. Department of Justice, the paper suggests the FBI are looking to “several” potential victims.
The report quotes former head of royal protection at Scotland Yard, Dai Davies, saying a full investigation would be in Prince Andrew’s best interests.
“I would have thought it’s in Prince Andrew’s interests to clear this matter up,” Mr Davies, who headed Prince Andrew’s protection in the late 1990s, told Times.
“Any residue of doubt or innuendo should be cleared up by a clear, unequivocal, structured investigation.”
Scotland Yard had previously held an investigation after one of the women caught up in the scandal, Virginia Giuffre, made allegations against the Duke of York, but that probe was dropped in 2015.
Her allegations, which Andrew strongly denies, were struck from U.S. civil court records in 2015 after a judge said they were “immaterial and impertinent”.
The new pressure comes as claims emerged a whistleblower told French police Prince Andrew was a regular visitor to a $10 million Paris property where Epstein abused young women.
The caretaker of the billionaire’s Paris property, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told the Sun: “I saw Prince Andrew there.”
Prince Andrew has always denied any and all allegations against him as “false” and “without foundation.”
The latest claims come just weeks after it was revealed deceased criminal Jeffrey Epstein attended the 18th birthday of Prince Andrew’s daughter Princess Beatrice just days before he was arrested and brought to face child-prostitution charges in 2006.
The Sun alleges the disgraced Epstein was in the fancy dress crowd at the bash at Windsor Castle with his then-girlfriend and accused accomplice Ghislane Maxwell.
Also claimed to be present was rape-accused movie mogul Harvey Weinstein, who is awaiting trial on two sexual assault charges, along with a host of other Hollywood A-listers including Demi Moore, her then husband Ashton Kutcher, Pixie Geldof, Kelly Osbourne and Sir David Frost.
The Queen was not in attendance.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.