Prince Andrew ‘bewildered’ by US claims he is resisting probe into Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell

The British socialite is believed to have introduced Andrew to the convicted paedophile and US authorities want to speak to the prince about their relationship

A lawyer representing the alleged victims said Andrew’s royal connections were helping him avoid facing justice

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Published: 9:21pm, 3 Jul 2020Updated: 9:24pm, 3 Jul 2020

Prince Andrew is “bewildered” by claims he is stonewalling a US investigation into the alleged sex trafficking of minors by British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell and the late financier Jeffrey Epstein, his legal team said on Friday.

The daughter of the late newspaper baron Robert Maxwell is believed to have introduced Andrew to Epstein – a convicted paedophile – and US authorities want to speak to the prince about their relationship.

Maxwell was arrested and charged by US authorities on Thursday after spending months living in seclusion. She faces up to 35 years in prison if convicted of all charges.

Epstein committed suicide in jail while awaiting trial last year and Queen Elizabeth’s second son quit his royal duties after he defended his relationship with the late financier.

Andrew has since faced claims from US prosecutors that he is avoiding their requests for a face-to-face interview.

“The duke’s team remains bewildered given that we have twice communicated with the DOJ in the last month and to date we have had no response,” an unnamed source on his legal team was quoted as saying by the Press Association news agency.