At least five women who earlier accused the wealthy American paedophile of sexual assault have testified that Prince Andrew witnessed how various people were given massages at the sex offender's residences - accusations denied by the Duke of York, BBC broke the news on Tuesday.
"One of the things that we have tried is to interview Prince Andrew and to try to get what his explanation is. He was a frequent visitor. They ought to submit to an interview. They ought to talk about it", a lawyer for the Epstein alleged victims, David Boies, said, cited by the BBC, adding that he plans to subpoena the Duke of York to testify as a witness in all five cases, as the prince will likely have important information about Epstein's sex trafficking ring.
Prince Andrew rose to new notoriety in the ongoing probe against the deceased American paedophile, after a primary piece of evidence emerged earlier this year, in the form of a 2001 photograph of reported sex-trafficking victim Virginia Roberts Giuffre, now 35, with the Duke of York’s arm tightly around her waist.
BBC uncovered new details about the notorious image. Giuffre told the UK broadcaster that Epstein's alleged pimp and then-girlfriend, UK socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, often frequented the Tramp night club in London at the time. Giuffre claimed, cited by BBC, that in the car on the way back "Ghislaine tells me that I have to do for Andrew what I do for Jeffrey and that just made me sick".
According to sworn testimony from Giuffre, when she and Maxwell returned to the house, she said she asked Epstein to take a picture of her to show her family. She has testified that she then carried out Maxwell's instructions on how to entertain the youngest son of England's Queen Elizabeth II.
"Well there was a bath and it started there and then it led into the bedroom and it didn't last very long, the whole entire procedure [...] It was disgusting. He wasn't mean or anything, but he got up and he said thanks and walked out", Giuffre said, cited by BBC.
The royal family and Prince Andrew have denied involvement in any crime or of having had knowledge of the crimes committed by Epstein. Prince Andrew has reportedly been evicted from his office at Buckingham Palace by his mother the Queen, and, with her encouragement, has dropped out of the public eye amid the ongoing investigation into Epstein's sex-trafficking and paedophilic practices.
In a notorious interview with BBC Newsnight, Prince Andrew claimed that "you can't prove whether or not that photograph is faked because it's a photograph of a photograph of a photograph", he complained, adding that "It's very difficult to be able to prove it but I don't remember that photograph being taken. That's me but whether that's my hand… I have simply no recollection of the photograph ever being taken".
Earlier, UK-based media outlets, citing sources close to the royal family, claimed that the 2001 photo - a primary piece of evidence - could have been doctored.
According to BBC, subpoenas have been prepared for all five cases and will have to first be signed by a judge after Prince Andrew is on US soil. The royal - 59 - would then be able to challenge the subpoena in court if he chose not to give evidence.
Epstein, a convicted sex abuser, had been under investigation for nearly two decades at the time of his suspicious death in custody earlier this year. The convicted paedophile, who has been linked to many wealthy and powerful people, including US Presidents Bill Clinton and Donald Trump, was inexplicably taken off of suicide watch, despite reportedly trying to kill himself just weeks earlier. He was previously sentenced after being convicted as a sex offender and paedophile. Epstein served a light sentence of just 13 months.
