Prince Andrew, the Epstein sleaze will not go away because you stay schtum

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SO here we are in a state of limbo. The FBI says Prince Andrew wont return their calls, while he maintains he is ready to talk.

Its a Mexican stand-off, but amid all the bluster and blame there are damaged women who want, and need, justice.

The FBI says Prince Andrew wont return their calls, while he maintains he is ready to talk

You could understand if there was reluctance on the part of Prince Andrew at the prospect of being grilled by US law enforcement.

As we all know, he made a right a*** of himself when he was interviewed for Newsnight, so imagine the potential for total self-destruction under the forensic questioning of FBI agents about his friendship and involvement with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

After he was put on the spot by the BBCs Emily Maitlis, Andrew seemed to be the only person in the country not cringing with embarrassment in the aftermath of that disastrous PR car crash.

He actually believed the interview had gone rather well, which shows a breath-taking lack of self-awareness combined with jaw-dropping stupidity.

Beyond parody

His advisers must be panicking, as they are well aware he could damn himself, either by mistake or because he really has something to hide.

Remember, he genuinely thought all of us oiks would tug our forelocks and meekly accept that bizarre no sweat alibi.

Then there was his vow that he couldnt possibly have had sexual relations with a teenager because he was at Pizza Express in Woking with his daughters.

It was a Monty Python-esque image and beyond parody. Andrew has always denied any wrongdoing and all of the claims by Virginia Giuffre (formerly Virginia Roberts) who maintains he had sex with her when she was just 17 years old at the London home of Ghislaine Maxwell, who allegedly procured young women for Epstein.

This may have been a world of vast wealth and private jets, but the reality was seedy, sordid and shameful, and young women like Virginia still carry the mental scars.

Andrew was, whether he realised it or not, part of that wicked world because of his association with Epstein. He surely now has to cooperate with the US authorities and either clear his name or face the consequences.

Prince Andrew made a right a*** of himself when he was interviewed for Newsnight

This week I spoke to the formidable New York lawyer Lisa Bloom, who is representing five of Epsteins alleged victims. One of them claims she saw Andrew with Virginia in a nightclub on the day he claims he was eating pizza with his daughters.

She told me that Andrew has to speak out as part of the ongoing Epstein sex trafficking inquiry and that, if he is innocent as he says he is then theres no reason why he would not want to go and talk and exonerate himself.

Agreed. If he has nothing to hide then he has nothing to fear. Andrew was probably the one person in the Royal Family who was secretly hugging himself with glee when the whole Meghan and Harry furore blew up in his familys face.

His nephews desire for a get out of jail free card took the heat off Andrew. But for all the noise that it generated, Harry and Meghans exit to a new life in Canada is little more than a blip when compared with the sort of serious allegations being hurled at Andrew.

While the alleged victims of Epstein have breath in their bodies this is not going away, and Andrew needs to help them.

No matter who is to blame for the cause of this current stalemate, it has to be resolved.

Nice call, Madonna

Madonna asked her fans to leave their phoneswhen they go see her in concert – it’s a cracking idea

ONLY Madonna could get away with telling her fans to leave their mobiles at the door when they go to see her in concert but I happen to think its a cracking idea.

Those annoying people who film entire pop concerts on their phones, or even more irritatingly their iPads, cannot possibly be fully enjoying the experience.

They should be soaking up the atmosphere and relishing being at a live music show, not looking at it through a lens.

And when do they ever look at this footage in its entirety?

Madonna has set so many trends during her decades in music, but this phone ban could be her most important and long-lasting.

Heres hoping others follow where she leads.

Shame on them

Nigel Farage’s undignified display in the EU chamber was utterly toe-curling

NO matter what side you are on, that petulant, boorish, undignified display by Farage, Widdecombe and the rest of the swivel-eyed Brexit Party loons when they left the EU chamber for good was utterly toe-curling.

There was a chance for a dignified withdrawal, but instead they acted like insufferable spoilt brats.

I was mortified by such crass behaviour. It was ya boo sucks politics and we are better than that, whether or not we voted Leave or Remain. Thank the Lord these clowns will never get any sort of power ever again. Shame on the lot of them.

Goofy Romp

You will fall in love with Sonic The Hedgehog all over again after watching the movie

I HAVE to admit, I went along to see a film about a spiked blue alien creature, with zero expectations.

The whole Sonic The Hedgehog phenomenon passed me by and thought the new movie about the animated icon would just be a loud, garish feature-length kids cartoon.

So I was delighted to discover a funny, crisp, albeit at times, very silly script that had plenty of zingy jokes for adults but also managed to be child-friendly.

Jim Carrey chews the scenery as a manic evil professor, Sonic is adorable and the supporting cast make you suspend belief enough to thoroughly enjoy this goofy romp.

I think the world is going to fall in love with Sonic The Hedgehog all over again.