Prince Andrew 'vexed' over FBI's allegation of 'zero cooperation'
Prince Andrew
Prince Andrew is vexed and baffled over the FBI allegations of ''zero co-operation'' in the Epstein sex trafficking probe.
The Duke of York claimed that he had not received any request by the investigation agency.
''The Duke is happy to talk but he hasn't been approached by the FBI,'' said a source close to the British royal.
''The allegations are not true at all. The prince is willing to provide complete assistance to the FBI but it hasn't approached him yet. He is vexed about the way his reputation wasbeing maligned and baffled as to why this was said in New York. It appears that people are jumping to conclusions,'' he added.
Geoffrey Berman, the US prosecutor in charge of the case had accused the princeof providing ''zero cooperation'' in the probe on Monday.
''Till date, he has provided zero co-operation,'' the investigator had said.
The prince had said that if required, he was ''willing to co-operate with law enforcement agencies with their investigation''.
A 17-year-old girl procured by Epstein had said that she was forced to be intimate with Prince Andrew.
Andrew, 59, had met Epstein in 1999 and said that he did not regret his friendship with the US financier who was arrested in Florida in 2008 for procuring a minor for prostitution.
The Duke of York had to step down from his royal duties after being heavily criticized for his friendship with Epstein.
Jeffrey Epstein, 66, was a convicted sex offender who killed himself in a jail cell in August during the trail in which sex traffickking and conspiracy charges were being investigated against him.