For the first time, Prince Andrew, allegedly, admitted that he "regretted" his BBC interview to talk about his connection with the criminal sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. After what was said and done, the 60-year-old royal, reportedly, still wanted to continue his senior royal duties after stepping down last year.
According to the Sunday Times, a source revealed that Queen Elizabeth II's patience with Prince Andrew is now "wearing thin" as he is once again embroiled with a huge issue about the United States prosecutors' inquiry. Buckingham Palace is, reportedly, "furious" with the Duke of York, too, after he gets himself into trouble with the U.S. investigators, who are probing Jeffrey Epstein, who killed himself in August while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
Courtiers find the release of the duke's statement about the issue untimely as it overshadowed the celebration of his father's, Prince Philip, birthday. As the Duke of Edinburgh marked his 99th birthday, everyone was hoping it would be a "positive moment" for the monarchy, but it happened in the same week that the younger prince once again dominated the headlines.
A source close to the husband of Sarah Ferguson revealed that he now "regretted" the turnout of his disastrous interview with Emily Maitlis on BBC Newsnight last year. Although he once deemed the talk as a "success," he now felt the regret of not apologizing to Jeffrey Epstein's victims.
Anyhow, the Sunday Times claimed that he would still refuse to cooperate with the U.S. prosecutors' request to question him. Allegedly, he would never visit the country to help with the inquiry until he "gets an olive branch."
To recall, Prince Andrew has been mocked and humiliated after the interview due to his failure to express sympathy toward the abused victims. He has also faced humiliation over his response to the questions about his connection with the disgraced American financier.
The Guardian reported that Prince Andrew felt pressured to explain his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein and answer the accusations made by the convicted sex offender's alleged sex slave, Virginia Robert Giuffre. He vehemently denied the allegation, saying time and over again that he could never remember meeting the said woman, let alone sleeping with her.
He said it would be impossible for that to happen as he was with her daughter at Pizza Express in Woking at the time. During the interview, he only showed little sympathy for the number of Jeffrey Epstein's victims.
After the Newsnight episode aired and the backlash happened , Prince Andrew stepped down as a senior working royal and exited the public life. The BBC interview still haunts him until today, as he is now facing a battle against the U.S. prosecutors.
