Prince Andrew: Royalty has failed Epstein's accusers, says lawyer - BBC News
A lawyer for Jeffrey Epstein's accusers says Prince Andrew should apologise for the pair's friendship.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Prince Andrew on Epstein: 'There was no indication, absolutely no indication'

The Duke of York should apologise for his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, a lawyer for the convicted sex offender's accusers has said.

Spencer Kuvin, who represents several unnamed alleged victims, said "royalty has failed them".

He called Prince Andrew's interview with BBC Newsnight on Saturday "sad" and "depressing".

The prince has stood by his decision to take part, despite critics describing it as a "car crash".

Amid the backlash, Prince Andrew is now facing renewed calls to tell US authorities about his friendship with US financier Epstein - who, at the age of 66, took his own life while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges in the US.

The duke has been facing questions over his ties to Epstein for several years.

On Monday, Mr Kuvin told the Today programme: "It was depressing that he [Prince Andrew] really did not acknowledge the breadth of his friendship with this despicable man and apologise.

"The mere fact that he was friends with a convicted sex offender and chose to continue his relationship with him - it just shows a lack of acknowledgement of the breadth of what this man [Epstein] did to these girls."

Prince Andrew said this meeting with Epstein in 2010 was to end their relationship

In the interview with Newsnight, Prince Andrew - the Queen's third child - said he never suspected Epstein's criminal behaviour during visits to his three homes.

But Mr Kuvin said he did "not think there was any way" the prince could have avoided seeing what was going on, "with young girls being shuttled in and out of those homes".

Mr Kuvin said the focus of Epstein's accusers had now turned to potential co-conspirators.

It has led to questions about the role Epstein's former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, may have played in procuring underage girls for the financier.

Lawyer Lisa Bloom - who represents five other Epstein accusers - joined the calls for Prince Andrew to be interviewed by US authorities following his BBC interview.

She told the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire programme: "I think he's made things worse for himself in this interview and I think it's more likely the authorities are going to want to speak to him now - and they should want to."

Lawyer Lisa Bloom has also questioned why Prince Andrew did not apologise about his friendship with Epstein

Gloria Allred - another lawyer, also representing one of Epstein's accusers - told ITV's Good Morning Britain: "Now he's been in the court of public opinion, he should testify to the FBI."

She said she did not know how the prince "could have not known that there were underage girls" present during his visits to Epstein's homes in New York, Palm Beach and the Virgin Islands.

Meanwhile, Labour's shadow trade secretary, Barry Gardiner, said Prince Andrew should do whatever he can to help Epstein's victims.

He said: "By saying what he knows of the time that he spent with his former friend, can only be the right thing to do."

In the Newsnight interview, Prince Andrew said he will testify under oath "if push came to shove" and his lawyers advised him to.

It comes as the prince continues to face heavy criticism for the interview, which many royal commentators branded a PR disaster.

University of Huddersfield students will discuss a motion to put pressure on the duke to resign as chancellor later. In response, the university said Prince Andrew's "enthusiasm for innovation and entrepreneurship is a natural fit" with its work.

The duke was pictured with his accuser in Ghislaine Maxwell's London home in 2001

In his BBC interview, Prince Andrew "categorically" denied having any sexual contact with Virginia Giuffre, known at the time as Virginia Roberts.

The first occasion, she said, took place when she was aged 17.

People close to Prince Andrew said he wanted to address the issues head-on and did so with "honesty and humility" in speaking to Newsnight.

In a lengthy interview, which UK viewers can watch in full on BBC iPlayer or on YouTube elsewhere in the world, the prince said that: