Prince Andrew could be handed a summons to face Epstein questions

The Duke of York has resigned from another position as part of his decision to step back from royal duties.

The Outward Bound Trust has accepted his resignation, saying they thanked him for “his support over many years”.

It follows the University of Huddersfield confirming that Prince Andrew will no longer serve as chancellor.

Prince Andrew was seen in public earlier today, leaving his house the Royal Lodge, in Windsor.

It was the first time he has been spotted since his decision to stand down from his positions, following the widely criticised TV interview over his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The prince, who was accused of “utterly lacking in compassion” for the victims of the late billionaire, said his association with disgraced financier has “become a major disruption to my family’s work”.

He said he “deeply sympathises” with Epstein’s victims and is “willing to help any appropriate law enforcement agency with their investigations, if required”.

Lawyer Lisa Bloom, representing some of Epstein’s alleged victims, raised the possibility on Thursday of questioning Andrew under oath.

She told BBC Breakfast: “It’s not going to be easy to subpoena (summons) someone like Prince Andrew, he’s obviously not walking down the street where a process server can just hand him a piece of paper, it’s a lot more complicated.

“If he refused to come, we may have a diplomatic situation between [the UK] and [the US]. I hope it doesn’t come to that.

“I take him at his word that he says he is going to co-operate, and I hope that’s what’s going to happen.”

Prince Andrew is not under investigation and has denied any wrongdoing.

Ms Bloom welcomed his departure from public life, and added: “It’s about justice and accountability for the victims. So it’s important that he says he’s going to cooperate with law enforcement.

“He should also answer questions from all of the accusers’ attorneys, especially the attorney for Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who has very significant claims against him.

“He should turn over any and all evidence.

“He has e-mails, texts, calendars, all the normal stuff that you turn over when you’re in litigation.

“And he should have his staffers and security personnel also talk to law enforcement, because they could help us determine where he was when he was there and what they saw. So all of that is extremely important so we can get to the bottom of what happened.”

She also tweeted: “He and his staff must cooperate with all investigations, show up for civil depositions and trials, and produce all documents.

“We are just getting started.”

Epstein, who was found hanged in prison earlier this year, was awaiting trial accused of trafficking girls as young as 14 for sex and had previously served time in prison in 2008 for prostituting underage girls.

In his interview with Newsnight, the prince said he thought visiting Epstein in 2010 to end their friendship was “the honourable thing to do”.

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He said he “let the side down” by staying at the billionaire’s New York mansion, but said he had done so because it was “convenient”.

He also said he had “no recollection” of meeting Ms Roberts Giuffre, who claims she was trafficked by Epstein and forced to have sex with a number of his associates, including Andrew, when she was 17.

When asked whether he had sex with Ms Roberts Giuffre after meeting in a London nightclub in 2001, he said the alleged encounter did not happen.

He said he had been in Pizza Express in Woking that afternoon with his daughter, Princess Beatrice, and was then at home that evening.

Andrew also suggested a photo of him and Ms Roberts Giuffre together at the London home of Ghislaine Maxwell may have been doctored.

Asked whether the duke should voluntarily give a statement to US authorities, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, at his party’s manifesto launch in Birmingham, said: “Nobody is above the law.”

Buckingham Palace has confirmed that Prince Andrew will continue to work on Pitch@palace because this was a private initiative and not a specific official royal one, Sky’s royal correspondent Rhiannon Mills said.

There will now be a transition period where they work out how that will take shape.

Among the projects likely to be discussed, the palace said, is the duke’s Inspiring Digital Enterprise Award (iDEA) initiative.

The University of Huddersfield, where the duke was conferred as Chancellor in 2015, said it would begin the process of appointing his successor next week.

Meanwhile, other members of the Royal Family continue their duties.

The Queen awarded an OBE at Buckingham Palace to a senior police officer who led the UK response to the 2015 terror attacks in Tunisia.

The Duchess of Cambridge, however, is unable to attend a conservation awards ceremony in London on Thursday evening with the duke, due to an undisclosed matter relating to their children.

(c) Sky News 2019: Prince Andrew could be handed a summons to face Epstein questions