Prince Andrew may face ‘day of reckoning’ as US orders release of new court papers from probe into Jeffrey Epstein’s sexual abuse of girls and women

Prince Andrew could face fresh shame over his friendship with pedophile Jeffrey Epstein with the release of new court papers in the US.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has ordered that documents related to a 2006 investigation into billionaire Epstein’s sexual abuse of teenage girls and young women be made public.

The grand jury investigation led to a controversial sweetheart deal in which Epstein pleaded guilty to two counts of prostitution in exchange for a lenient 18-month prison sentence — despite police identifying many more victims.

Two of Epstein’s accusers have previously alleged that Andrew, as well as other high-profile friends of the pedophile, “lobbied” the US government for the lenient plea deal.

In 2019, Epstein committed suicide in a Manhattan cell while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

Prince Andrew and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein go for a walk together through New York’s Central Park in 2011

While sources close to Andrew have previously described the accusation that he lobbied on Epstein’s behalf as ‘an outright falsehood’, another woman abused by Epstein last night claimed the Duke of York faces a ‘day of reckoning’ when the documents are released released. in July, The Sunday Mirror reported.

She added, “What more will it take for him to realize that his friendship with Jeffrey will never go away?”

But a legal source close to the Epstein case told The Mail last night that it was “highly unlikely” Andrew’s name would appear in the documents as his involvement with the pedophile had not been discussed at the time.