Prince Andrew will not have to be extradited to the U.S. to answer questions about his deceased friend, Jeffrey Epstein. U.S. Attorney General William Barr confirmed that the Duke of York doesn't have to leave London but he might still have to present proof or answer some queries.
Barr said during a press conference that Prince Andrew's case is not about handing him over to the U.S. government. Rather, it is about him providing evidence but the AG no longer elaborated on this.
But according to a report, the FBI and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) might likely want to speak to Prince Andrew to provide information about his friend. The Duke of York's legal team said that he is not the "goal" for the federal agencies despite a claim that he had sexual relations with one of the young women that Epstein allegedly prostituted.
It comes as U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman, who has been pursuing the Epstein case in New York, has been fired from his job by his boss, the attorney general. Sources told The Sun that Berman was sacked because he refused to drop the probe on Prince Andrew.
The victim's lawyer, Spencer Kuvin, said that Berman's removal is "highly suspect" and this might be because of President Donald Trump, who is a friend of Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Kuvin implied that Trump or someone from his office might have asked to stop the investigation into the royal.
Kuvin said that the investigations ramped up in recent months but suddenly, the man who has been pursuing the investigations has been fired from his post. The victim's lawyer also said that Prince Andrew or his legal team lied when they said the royal was cooperating with the feds.
According to Berman, the Duke of York's legal team has not contacted them because they didn't want Prince Andrew to be interviewed. However, the royal's lawyers said they have emails to prove that they were, in fact, in touch with the feds.
Meanwhile, a close friend of Prince Andrew said that, contrary to the perception, the Queen's son is not "well protected" from his scandals by Buckingham Palace. The friend claimed that the palace doesn't have "the freedom of maneuver" to give the Duke of York such a protection because they operate by following protocols established for centuries.
Prince Andrew is still effectively retired from his royal duties and has not been seen in public engagements since November because of this scandal. Sources say that this arrangement might soon be permanent.
