The US has put pressure on British authorities to hand over Prince Andrew for questioning in connection with sex abuse claims, it has been reported.
Investigators are said to wish to speak to the Duke of York about his friendship with paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.
But Andrew, 61, who has vehemently denied any allegations of wrongdoing, has so far declined to engage with either the criminal probe or a civil suit launched by one of his accusers.
In a rare intervention, President Biden’s office issued a statement reaffirming the US and UK’s ‘close relationship’ when it comes to offering ‘mutual legal assistance’.
A US government official told The Sun: ‘The US and UK have a close, productive and resilient law enforcement and mutual legal assistance relationship.
‘We remain in close contact on many active cases on a daily basis and will continue to seek assistance in criminal matters as we provide similar assistance in return.’
Earlier this month, news agency Reuters reported that Andrew is a ‘person of interest’ to prosecutors in the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York’s office.
As such, he is viewed as being ‘at least’ a potential witness in the proceedings.
The duke also faces a civil complaint filed by Virginia Giuffre, who claims she was trafficked by Epstein to have sex with him when she was aged 17 and a minor under US law.
She claims she was sexually abused by the Queen’s second son at the London home of Epstein’s former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell, at the billionaire’s New York mansion and at other locations including his private island in the US Virgin Islands.
In a Newsnight interview with the BBC’s Emily Maitlis, the duke denied claims that he slept with Ms Giuffre on three separate occasions, saying: ‘I can absolutely categorically tell you it never happened. I have no recollection of ever meeting this lady, none whatsoever.’
Andrew also said he has no memory of a well-known photograph of him with his arm around Ms Giuffre’s waist at Maxwell’s house being taken and has questioned whether it was his own hand in the image.
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