Prince Andrew withdraws from royal duties

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Several businesses and institutions cut ties with Britain’s Prince Andrew following his weekend interview with the BBC about his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Virginia Giuffre, an American woman who claims Epstein trafficked her, has said Epstein forced her to have sex with Andrew when she was 17. The prince, the second oldest son of Queen Elizabeth II, denies the accusation but said on Wednesday he would stop representing the royal family in public “for the foreseeable future.”

Will this affect the Epstein case? Lawyers for Epstein’s victims on Thursday called on the prince to speak with U.S. investigators. Epstein, a well-connected billionaire financier, died in late July while jailed on sex trafficking charges. Medical examiners ruled his death a suicide. “I continue to unequivocally regret my ill-judged association with Jeffrey Epstein,” Andrew said in a statement.

Dig deeper: Watch the prince’s interview that aired Saturday night on the BBC.

Onize Oduah

Onize is WORLD’s Africa reporter and deputy global desk chief. She is a World Journalism Institute graduate and earned a journalism degree from Minnesota State University–Moorhead. Onize resides in Abuja, Nigeria.

@onize_ohiks