Prince Andrew sought permission from the Queen to be questioned about his association with paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein, journalist Emily Maitlis has claimed.
The Duke of York came under intense scrutiny following his disastrous BBC Newsnight interview in 2019 over allegations that Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre was trafficked to have sex with the royal when she was 17. In a new two-part Channel 4 documentary, Andrew – The Problem Prince, former BBC journalist Ms Maitlis said the negative implications of the interview 'dawned' on the Queen 'before they dawned on him'.
Following the BBC broadcast in November 2019 and the furore over Andrew’s friendship with Epstein, the duke stepped down from public life. Last year, he reached an out-of-court settlement with Ms Giuffre reportedly worth up to 12 million US dollars - £9.6 million - following her civil sex claim against him in the US.
