Prince Andrew says his BBC Newsnight interview is a 'source of regret' and that he 'should have been sympathetic' to Epstein victims

• Prince Andrew is said to regret not showing "sympathy" for Jeffery Epstein's victims during a BBC Newsnight interview last year, which was widely considered a PR disaster, according to The Sunday Times.
• While he regrets the fallout from his interview, the Duke of York believes that the decision to do it in the first place was correct, according to a close source.
• Prince Andrew is also unwilling to cooperate with the FBI investigation into Epstein unless he gets offered "an olive branch," the source said.
• The prince has denied having sex with a 17-year-old trafficked by the billionaire Jeffrey Epstein.
• The Queen is said to be losing patience with her favorite son, according to The Sunday Times.

Prince Andrew is said to have regrets about not conveying his "sympathy" for the victims of deceased sex offender Jeffery Epstein during his disastrous BBC Newsnight interview last year, according to The Sunday Times.

A source close to the Duke of York told the newspaper that he regretted the fallout over his interview with presenter Emily Maitlis in November 2019 but believed that his decision to do it in the first place was correct.

"I don't think he regrets the intention behind the interview, which was to clear the air for his family, the royal family, and the institution. But the fact he was unable to appropriately or sufficiently convey his sympathy for the victims of Epstein, is of course a source of regret," the source said.

According to the source, Prince Andrew is also unwilling to cooperate with FBI's ongoing investigation into Epstein — who died by suicide last year while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges — unless he gets offered "an olive branch."

The Duke of York, the second son of Queen Elizabeth II, has denied having sex with a 17-year-old he met through by the billionaire, who committed suicide in a New York prison in 2019.

The comments come almost a week after a public dispute between Prince Andrew's legal team and FBI prosecutors.

They claimed that the duke had not cooperated with the Epstein inquiry, even though his lawyers said he had offered his assistance to the Department of Justice "on at least three occasions this year."

"The duke is not going any further in the cooperation process until the DoJ begin to behave honorably...unless they have given him some signal acknowledging there has been a significant break of trust, and offering some kind of olive branch to rebuild truth," the source told The Times.

"I don't think there's a legal team on the planet that would encourage any client to cooperate with a judicial authority that has been demonstrably leaking confidential information. The ball is now firmly in the DoJ's court," they added.

Prince Andrew was part of Epstein's stable of influential connections and is accused of having sex with a 17-year-old, which he denies.

The Duke of York was interviewed on the BBC about his friendship with Epstein last year, which was regarded as a PR disaster.

He was reported to have told the Queen that the interview was a "great success," but after an intense public backlash, he announced that he would be stepping back from his royal duties and would be "willing to help any appropriate law enforcement agency with their investigation."

While the Queen has been privately supportive of her second son, her patience is said to be "wearing thin" following his FBI row, said a Palace insider quoted in the Times.

"The idea that the Queen will simply indulge Prince Andrew...is wide of the mark. Her patience is wearing thin for a long time. She had resisted this slimming down of the monarchy but it's fair to say she is not now standing in the way of that in her lifetime," the insider said.

But despite the fallout, the duke is said to be determined to return to his royal duties in the future and knows he "has to resolve the noise around the matter."

• Read more:
• Jeffrey Epstein mysteriously made $200 million with a new start-up after taking a hit from the financial crisis, registering as a sex offender, and losing his biggest client
• A guide to the conspiracy theories about Jeffrey Epstein's death, and why they're not backed by evidence
• Les Wexner just stepped down as the CEO of L Brands amid fury over his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Here are all the famous people Epstein was connected to.
• From Victoria's Secret to Prince Andrew: Jeffrey Epstein connections just keep derailing the careers of billionaires, royals, and the like. Here's the full list.