Prince Andrew ‘considering another TV interview about Epstein’

Duke reportedly wants chance to ‘put right the things he didn’t say’

Prince Andrew is considering doing a second interview after his disastrous first attempt to explain his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, it has been reported.

The Queen’s son was widely criticised after his interview with Newsnight’s Emily Maitlis, in which he claimed he could not have had sex with a 17-year-old girl because he was at Pizza Express in Woking on the day it was said to have happened.

Viewers questioned the credibility of the prince’s denial and accused him of failing to show sympathy with Epstein’s victims.

The interview, which was aired on Saturday, was the first time the Duke of York had answered questions about his relationship with Epstein and the allegation that he had sex with Virginia Roberts when she was a teenager.

Now, he reportedly wants to do a second interview to “put right the things he didn’t say”.

“There are rumours swirling that Andrew wants to do another interview,” a source told Vanity Fair.

“Andrew hasn’t drawn a line under it. He wants the chance to put right the things he didn’t say.”

The source added: “Newsnight gave him the chance to show some remorse. He was asked if there was anything else he wanted to say. It was an open goal—he didn’t grasp it, and I think he sees that now.”

Buckingham Palace declined to comment when contacted by The Independent.

Following Saturday’s broadcast, Andrew has faced mounting pressure as businesses, universities and charities back away from their ties to him.

And he has been accused of making racist comments on two separate occasions, including using the “N-word”.

A former Downing Street aide, Rohan Silva, said on Monday that the prince used the word during a meeting at Buckingham Palace in 2012, which the palace denied.

In addition, Jacqui Smith, who served as home secretary from 2007 to 2009, alleged on an LBC podcast on Sunday that Andrew “made racist comments about Arabs that were unbelievable” during a state dinner for the Saudi royal family.

In response to Ms Smith’s accusation, a Buckingham Palace spokesperson told The Independent that Prince Andrew “does not tolerate racism in any form”.

The Duke of York also faces a campaign from students at the University of Huddersfield calling for him to resign as the institution’s chancellor.

Saturday’s interview earned the BBC its highest audience ever for Newsnight, with 1.7 million viewers in the UK.