Prince Andrew’s PR firm pushes back on claims he has not been cooperative in the investigation.
Federal prosecutors formally requested to speak with Prince Andrew as part of an ongoing investigation into Jeffrey Epstein and his history of sex trafficking and misconduct, NBC News reports.
The request was first reported Sunday night and has since spawned differing accounts between Prince Andrew’s legal team and U.S. authorities over the nature of the request and the willingness of Queen Elizabeth’s second son to cooperate.
The request itself was made via a mutual legal assistance treaty request, which is typically used in criminal investigations to gather hard-to-obtain information from other states or countries. It’s reportedly rare, however, to issue an MLAT request for an interview like the one prosecutors in New York were seeking with Prince Andrew. Per Reuters, if the MLAT request is granted, Prince Andrew could end up simply speaking with prosecutors, although it’s possible he could be forced to give evidence in court.