Prince Andrew will refuse to cooperate with the US Department of Justice over its request to question him about Jeffrey Epstein until he is offered an "olive branch," the Daily Mail reported, quoting a source close to the Duke of York.
"Until there’s an olive branch from the Department of Justice [DoJ] and an attempt to establish trust, we can’t deal with them. [...] There is no way the Duke’s lawyers can recommend an engagement with the DoJ when they’re breaking the rules. They need to do something to start rebuilding trust," the source stated.
The development comes as the US authorities have asked the Home Office to have permission to interview the Duke of York about his relationship with Mr Epstein.
Commenting on the request, Prince Andrew stated that he had already offered his help as a witness and accused US prosecutors of breaking confidentially rules and issuing "complete lies".
However, Geoffrey Berman, the US attorney leading the investigation, has stated that the Duke of York Andrew is trying "falsely portray himself as eager and willing to co-operate".
Prince Andrew has been accused by Virginia Giuffre, who says she was trafficked by Jeffrey Epstein, of having sex with her when she was 17 years old - an allegation he has consistently denied.
Commenting on his relations with Epstein, Prince Andrew said during a November 2019 interview that he did not regret befriending the late financier, who reportedly committed suicide in a New York jail in August while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
