Prince Andrew ‘prepares to give evidence to FBI Epstein probe’ after Queen sacked him as ‘US court summons IMMINENT’
PRINCE Andrew is reportedly preparing to talk to the FBI about his paedo pal Jeffrey Epstein – as the palace fears a US court summons is ‘imminent’.
The Duke of York made the unprecedented move of stepping back from public life last night after a BBC interview about his relationship with the disgraced US financier spectacularly backfired.
Andrew was also hoping to draw a line under allegations made by Virginia Roberts, one of Epstein's "sex slaves" who claimed she had sex with Andrew three times.
The Duke has categorically denied the allegations, and claimed during the interview he was in Pizza Express in Woking during one of the alleged encounters.
But just four days after the "car crash" interview, the Queen summoned her favourite son to Buckingham Palace to strip him of all royal duties.
He has also pledged to co-operate with authorities investigating Epstein, opening him up to serious criminal risk.
SUBPOENA 'IMMINENT'
The Duke is believed to be preparing to give formal evidence to a US criminal probe, after saying in a statement he would help "any appropriate law enforcement agency with their investigations".
And Buckingham Palace is understood to be ready for US authorities to issue the Duke with a subpoena, which would require he gives testimony over his friendship with Epstein under oath.
Sources suggested summons is “imminent”, reports.
A lawyer representing some of Jeffrey Epstein's alleged victims also raised the possibility of questioning the 59-year-old Duke over his relationship with the disgraced financier.
If he refused to come we may have a diplomatic situation between (the UK) and (the US). I hope it doesn't come to that.
Lawyer Lisa Bloom
Asked how Andrew could become involved in a legal process, Lisa Bloom told BBC Breakfast: "I, as an attorney, have the right to subpoena witnesses to come and take depositions, those are out-of-court statements where they swear to tell the truth, they come into my office and they have to answer my questions, if I as an attorney deem the individual to have relevant information.
"It's not going to be easy to subpoena someone like Prince Andrew, he's obviously not walking down the street where a process server can just hand him a piece of paper, it's a lot more complicated.
"If he refused to come we may have a diplomatic situation between (the UK) and (the US). I hope it doesn't come to that.
"I take him at his word that he says he is going to co-operate and I hope that's what's going to happen."
'THE QUEEN IS HORRIFIED'
Andrew will no longer receive his Sovereign Grant allowance because that funds expenses for his official duties, such as travel.
But the father-of-two will receive his income from the Queen’s private funds.
Her Majesty, 93, was seen at a function just 24 minutes after the Palace released the Duke’s bombshell statement on stepping down.
It followed days of media scrutiny after his attempts to defend himself in Saturday’s disastrous Newsnight interview were derided.
A royal source said: “The Queen was privately very disappointed with Prince Andrew, despite the public efforts to rally round.
“It’s wrong to think that she just accepted his version of events, that the interview had gone well and there was nothing to worry about.
“She saw the fallout and was very unhappy. She has spent her whole life protecting the monarchy and in just one week her son’s actions threatened to tear it apart.
"Something had to be done to draw a line under all of this.”
Royal author Penny Junor said: “This is absolutely unprecedented that a fairly senior member of the Royal Family should be forced to retire from public life.”
She added: “I would think the Queen is horrified.”
Andrew’s statement, on his parents’ 72nd wedding anniversary, says the Queen gave permission for him to bow out of royal duties.
He says he is willing to help any appropriate law enforcement agency’s investigations into convicted sex offender Epstein, found dead in his jail cell in August.
ROYAL CAREER OVER
And he expresses sympathy for Epstein’s victims, which he had been accused of not showing in his BBC interview.
The Sun can reveal Andrew held crisis talks on the phone with Charles, 71, who is in New Zealand.
Charles made it clear his brother must step down from royal duties.
A senior Palace source said: “Charles was very involved in the decision as heir to the throne. He knew action had to be taken. The Duke knew he couldn’t fight any more. His royal career is over.”
Andrew’s life will transform overnight. A Palace courtier said: “He is stepping back from all his patronages as well.
"There will be no activity for any charities. No public activities whatsoever.
“But the Queen has told him he remains a member of the Royal Family. He will still appear during Trooping the Colour and on the balcony at major events.”
Social historian Professor Judith Rowbotham compared the developments to the 1936 abdication of Edward VIII to marry US divorcee Wallis Simpson. She said: “There are plenty of parallels there.
“I’m far from surprised because the Duke of York was ill-advised to undertake the interview.”
Meanwhile, Epstein victim Maria Farmer said today the paedo’s socialite pal Ghislaine Maxwell would recruit girls from New York’s Central Park for her master.
Ms Farmer, who claims Epstein and Maxwell sexually assaulted her in 1996, said: “I saw Ghislaine going to get the women. She went to places like Central Park.
"I was with her sometimes and she would say, ‘Stop the car!’ She would dash out and get a child.”
Maxwell denies all allegations of wrongdoing.
MOST READ IN UK NEWS
In another development, a letter to The Times from Buckingham Palace has cast doubt on when Andrew first met Epstein.
The 2011 letter, from the Duke of York’s then private secretary, says they met in the early 1990s — not in 1999 as the he said in his Newsnight interview.
The Palace said he stands by his recollection of events.
Frontline royal in disgrace
By Dan Wootton, Exectuive Editor
PRINCE Andrew thought his legacy-defining interview with Emily Maitlis would save his royal career and lavish lifestyle that was already on life support.
In the end it, somewhat inevitably, resulted in the exact opposite. He ends life as a frontline royal in disgrace.
Even the Queen couldn’t save her favourite son.
But in reality this is just the start of Randy Andy’s troubles. Cops, interviews, civil cases and potential new accusations are likely to dominate his immediate future.
And then could his accuser Virginia Roberts have her day in court?
I’m convinced the road back for Andrew to frontline royal duties is impossible.
Charles wants a streamlined monarchy anyway. He knows the PR damage to the institution was untenable and in the end insisted Andrew entered early royal retirement.
Andrew’s fall from grace is a lesson to younger royals about why staying in touch with reality, listening to advisers and, more importantly, the public matters.
There is a reason Andrew has been the public’s least favourite senior royal.
He’s a stuck-up charlatan who has done far more harm to the monarchy than good.
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