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‘The Clock Is Ticking’: Gloria Allred Urges Prince Andrew To Talk To Prosecutors About Jeffrey Epstein
“Does he need a gold-plated invitation delivered by footmen who bow or curtsy to him in order to sit there with prosecutors?” lawyer Gloria Allred said of Prince Andrew.
Attorney Gloria Allred is calling for Prince Andrew to come forward and speak with prosecutors about his ties to Jeffrey Epstein before Epstein’s alleged accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell speaks for him.
At a press conference on Monday, Allred, who is representing numerous women who were allegedly sex trafficked by Epstein, called the royal prince's silence thus far “unacceptable. She stressed that it would be in Prince Andrew's best interest to have a sit-down with prosecutors now that Maxwell is in custody.
“My message to Prince Andrew is that Ms. Maxwell is now in the custody of law enforcement … She could choose, rather than fighting these charges and indicating that she’s not guilty, she could decide that she wishes to cooperate, become a cooperator with the prosecutors in the Justice Department in exchange for a plea to a lesser charge or having all charges dismissed, but we don’t know if she would do that, and we don’t know if the Justice Department would even offer her a plea,” Allred said. “My point is this: She knows quite a bit about the powerful men who were close to Jeffrey Epstein and to the women and girls that he seemed to, on a very frequent basis, have at his homes.”
Maxwell, who has long been accused of supplying Epstein with underage girls for him and his powerful friends to sexually abuse, was arrested in New Hampshire on Thursday. The 58-year-old socialite is now facing numerous charges that include conspiracy to entice minors to travel to engage in illegal sex acts and conspiracy to transport minors with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity.
Following Maxwell’s arrest, increased attention has fallen on others who were seemingly close to or had public friendships with Epstein, including Prince Andrew — whose connection to the late financier has long been a source of controversy for the British royal family.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, Allred noted that Maxwell was the one to initially connect Prince Andrew and Epstein, and highlighted the claims that Prince Andrew victimized young girls.
“And matter of fact, Ms. Maxwell is the one who introduced Prince Andrew to Jeffrey Epstein,” she said. “And we know that Ms. Maxwell, in the indictment last week, is charged with sex trafficking of underage girls, not only to Mr. Epstein’s home in Manhattan, but also to her home in London, and it appears that Prince Andrew visited Ms. Maxwell’s home in London. There’s an allegation that he victimized a young girl there sexually.”
“If I were Prince Andrew, I would want to speak to the prosecutors before Ms. Maxwell speaks to the prosecutors,” Allred said. “And the clock is ticking. She could decide to speak to them at any time. I don’t know if she will, don’t know if she won’t. Right now, she’s claiming that she’s not guilty.”
Allred also questioned why he hasn't made the move to speak with prosecutors already.
“Why is Prince Andrew still delaying? Only he can answer that,” she continued. “Why is he giving excuses, attempted justifications? I don’t know, but … he didn’t seem to have any problems sitting there with the BBC for one hour to give the interview that he gave, for which he was widely criticized after, but again, he didn’t have to do that interview under oath, because [it’s] just a television interview.”
Allred is likely referring to the interview Prince Andrew gave to the BBC in November 2019, during which he said that it would be “a stretch” to say that he was ever close friends with Epstein. He also addressed one woman’s claims that she was trafficked to him when she was a minor and that he sweat “all over her” during intercourse by contending that he had a medical condition that makes him unable to produce sweat.
Following the interview and the widespread backlash, Prince Andrew stepped down from his royal duties, according to The New York Times.
The prince’s lawyers claimed last month that he is willing to speak with investigators on the Epstein case and has offered to act as a witness on three separate occasions. In response, U.S. prosecutors issued a statement of their own accusing the royal of trying to “falsely portray himself” as being eager to work with the authorities.
Department of Justice officials went on to allege that Prince Andrew has repeatedly declined to schedule an interview and has told them outright that he will not be doing so.
“So, as I say, does he need a gold-plated invitation delivered by footmen who bow or curtsy to him in order to sit there with prosecutors?” Allred asked rhetorically.
Epstein, 66, was found dead in his prison cell last August following his arrest for various charges related to sex trafficking. Following his apparent suicide, prosecutors have continued to work the case. Maxwell is alleged to have groomed minors for Epstein and others, prosecutors said earlier this month.
“As alleged, Ghislaine Maxwell facilitated, aided, and participated in acts of sexual abuse of minors. Maxwell enticed minor girls, got them to trust her, and then delivered them into the trap that she and Jeffrey Epstein had set,” U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said. “She pretended to be a woman they could trust. All the while, she was setting them up to be abused sexually by Epstein and, in some cases, Maxwell herself. Today, after many years, Ghislaine Maxwell finally stands charged for her role in these crimes.”
Maxwell is currently in custody at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York as she awaits trial, according to ABC News.
