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'Come and talk to us': US prosecutor calls for Prince Andrew to speak to FBI after Ghislaine Maxwell charged over child sex abuse crimes

Britain's Prince Andrew, Duke of York, arrives to attend a church service at St Mary the Virgin Church in Hillington, Norfolk, eastern England, on January 19, 2020. - Britain's Prince Harry and his wife Meghan will give up their royal titles and public funding as part of a settlement with the Queen to start a new life away from the British monarchy. The historic announcement from Buckingham Palace on Saturday follows more than a week of intense private talks aimed at managing the fallout of the globetrotting couple's shock resignation from front-line royal duties. (Photo by Lindsey Parnaby / AFP) (Photo by LINDSEY PARNABY/AFP via Getty Images)
US authorities said their door remains open to Prince Andrew making a statement. (Getty Images)

US prosecutors have said they “would like to talk” to Prince Andrew following the arrest of a British socialite on child sex abuse charges in New York.

Ghislaine Maxwell has been charged with helping disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein to sexually exploit and abuse multiple minor girls over a three-year period in the 1990s.

Audrey Strauss, acting US attorney for the southern district of New York, said Maxwell had played a “critical role” in helping Epstein “identify, befriend and groom minor victims for abuse”.

The FBI said it had been “discreetly keeping tabs” on Maxwell’s whereabouts as they worked the investigation.

US investigators have said they also want to interview Prince Andrew about his friendship with Epstein as part of their inquiry into possible co-conspirators.

That has led to a transatlantic war of words, with US prosecutors accusing him in June of failing to cooperate with multiple requests they made to interview him about his contacts with the late Epstein, who died last August in a New York City federal prison.

US Attorney Geoffrey Berman said last month Andrew was “falsely portraying” himself to the public as “eager and willing to cooperate with an ongoing federal criminal investigation into sex trafficking and related offences committed by Jeffrey Epstein and his associates”.

Read more: Prince Andrew accuses US prosecutors of seeking publicity instead of answers

File photo dated 02/09/00 Ghislaine Maxwell, with the Duke of York leaves the wedding of a former girlfriend of the Duke, Aurelia Cecil, at the Parish Church of St Michael in Compton Chamberlayne near Salisbury. British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell is to be charged over her alleged role in the sexual exploitation and abuse of girls by disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York said.
Ghislaine Maxwell, with the Duke of York after the wedding of a former girlfriend of the Duke, Aurelia Cecil in 2000. (PA Images)

Taking questions from reporters as she announced Maxwell’s arrest on Thursday, acting US attorney for the southern district of New York Audrey Strauss said investigators would “welcome” a statement from Prince Andrew.

“I’m not going to comment on anyone’s status in this investigation but I will say that we would welcome Prince Andrew coming in to talk with us, we would like to have the benefit of his statement,” she said.

“I have no further comment beyond what I just said, which is that our doors remain open, as we previously said, and we would welcome him coming in and giving us an opportunity to hear his statement.”

Andrew has publicly stated he will cooperate with any "appropriate law enforcement agency".

Virginia Roberts, also known as Virginia Giuffre, has accused Andrew of having sex with her when she was underage in the US and having been trafficked by Epstein.

Andrew stepped back from his senior royal duties in November, after a disastrous interview on BBC Newsnight about his friendship with Epstein.

He has faced repeated calls to speak to the US authorities about what he knew of Epstein, and they say he has not honoured his promise to co-operate with the investigation.

Andrew accused them of seeking headlines instead of help.

Acting US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Audrey Strauss, announces charges against Ghislaine Maxwell during a July 2, 2020, press conference in New York City. - Maxwell, the former girlfriend of late financier Jeffrey Epstein, was arrested in the United States on July 2, 2020, by FBI officers investigating his sex crimes, multiple US media outlets reported. (Photo by Johannes EISELE / AFP) (Photo by JOHANNES EISELE/AFP via Getty Images)
Audrey Strauss announcing charges against Ghislaine Maxwell in New York City. (Getty Images)

Read more: Prince Andrew's accuser calls him a 'toad' as Epstein interview seen as 'source of regret'

A source close to the Duke’s working group said: “The Duke’s team remains bewildered given that we have twice communicated with the DOJ in the last month, and to-date, we have had no response.”

Maxwell, 58, has previously denied wrongdoing or knowledge of sexual misconduct.

At the news conference on Thursday, when asked if she would be willing to hear evidence from Maxwell concerning others involved despite the perjury charges against her, Ms Strauss said: “This sometimes happens when there are perjury charges and people can go on from there and become co-operators if that is what you are asking, so I’m not concerned about that.

“In the event that she were to become a co-operator, I think that we can deal with that.”

NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 3: Ghislaine Maxwell attends Polo Ralph Lauren host Victories of Athlete Ally at Polo Ralph Lauren Store on November 3, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Jared Siskin/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)
Ghislaine Maxwell in 2015 in New York City. (Getty Images)

Prince Andrew spoke about his friendship with Maxwell during the interview with Newsnight in November 2019.

He referred to Epstein as the “plus one” of Maxwell, who he denied throwing a birthday party for at Sandringham.

He also denied any knowledge of the photograph showing him with his arm around Ms Roberts in the home of Maxwell in Belgravia. He said he did not believe he had ever gone upstairs in Maxwell’s home.

Andrew said he had last seen Maxwell in London in the Summer of 2019, when she had been “doing some rally”.

He said they had not discussed Epstein.