Prince Andrew owes it to Jeffrey Epstein’s victims to answer American prosecutors’ questions – and he owes it to his mother too

By remaining silent he is losing the Royal PR war yet again, and in spectacular fashion

Is Prince Andrew some sort of coward? A man who served as a naval officer in the Falklands War running scared from a few American attorneys? Skulking in a palace with the bedclothes over his head hoping they’ll just buzz orf?

Seven months ago, in that breathtakingly dramatic BBC Newsnight interview with Emily Maitlis he said that, after taking proper legal advice, he would be prepared to do so. In his own words: “If push came to shove, and the legal advice was to do so, I would be duty bound to do so”.

Well, the fact is that he hasn’t. The the Duke of York’s lawyers say he has offered his assurance to the US Department of Justice on three occasions but now add that “unfortunately the DoJ has reacted to the first two offers by breaching their own confidentiality rules and claiming the Duke has offered zero cooperation. In doing so they are perhaps seeking publicity rather than accepting the assistance”. The US prosecutor, meanwhile, says Prince Andrew is “falsely portraying himself as willing”.

It’s not an argument that looks like it could be settled over a socially-distanced meal at the Pizza Express in Woking (when reopened).

Maybe after his maladroit performance in his encounter with Maitlis, he’s wary of interrogation. One of his other-worldy quotes - “just a straightforward shooting party” - does after all form a perfect epitaph for his fate on that occasion. But really he owes it to his poor old mum and the country to do his bit and tell the US authorities what, if anything, he knows about his late “friend” Jeffrey Epstein. He owes the truth to Epstein’s victims, too.

Prince Andrew shouldn’t find a discrete conversation with some lawyers arduous. William Barr, the Attorney General of the United States, no less, has said he would not be extradited over the affair. Andrews’s own lawyers state he is not himself a “target”. The prince has told us before he had not “seen” or “witnessed” any misdemeanours. Fine; then he can tell repeat that to the investigators. This time it won’t be televised. No sweat, you might say.

It can't do him any harm. As things stand, he is losing the PR war in spectacular fashion - again. The British monarchy, having painstakingly rebuilt its prestige and popularity after the death of Diana two decades ago, doesn’t need one of its still most prominent members unable to be seen in public, perform the usual duties and live under thus cloud of suspicion. They’re only just managing to move away from the departure of Harry and Meghan to a new life in Canada, and now Kate Middleton (as she is still popularly known) is at war with the press. The Queen isn’t going to be around forever to keep the show on the road.

Andrew himself has acknowledged that for the closest people to him, including his daughters, “it has been what I would describe as a constant sore in the family. We all knew him and I think that if we have a conversation about it, it’s... we are all left with the same thing. What on earth happened, or how did he get to where he was? What did he do, how did he do it? And so it’s just a constant source of gnaw.”

Indeed so.

The Epstein enquiry is not going to go away. With all the legal and communications resources available to the Queen’s second son, he should be able to find a path through all this.

There is no shortage of advice, contacts, informal diplomatic channels and political influence at his disposal. But, as with the Newsnight interview and his ill-judged friendship with Epstein in the first place, HRH is either not seeking it or is wilfully ignoring it. Meantime the controversies just drag on and the headlines get worse.

He should do his duty. Pull his finger out, as his dad might say, and clear the mess up.