'Not good enough': Lisa Wilkinson slams royal family over Prince Andrew saga

Lisa Wilkinson has lashed out at the royal family, calling on the Queen to intervene in the ongoing Prince Andrew saga surrounding his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Speaking during The Sunday Project Lisa said it was now “up to the palace” to make sure the Queen’s second son steps up to the plate and cooperates with the police investigation.

“This story will simply not go away,” Lisa said after interviewing a friend of Ghislaine Maxwell, an English socialite who was arrested last week and charged with sex trafficking minors for the late Jeffrey Epstein.

Prosecutors allege that Maxwell helped Epstein groom girls as young as 14 between 1994 and 1997.

“As of Friday, the woman accused of providing Jeffrey Epstein with underaged girls, is in custody and with Epstein’s death, Ghislaine Maxwell may be the only one alive who knows all the secrets,” Lisa continued in a piece to camera.

The friend Laura Goldman had claimed Maxwell would be unlikely to give up any information on the royal, whom she is known to have introduced to Epstein.

“If Laura Goldman is right and Maxwell doesn’t give up information on Prince Andrew, then it’s up to the Queen’s second son to do so himself,” Lisa continued.

“Not likely, given Andrew claims he doesn’t even remember meeting Virginia, even casting doubt over photograph figure evidence.”

Such as the photo of the royal with Maxwell and a teenage Virginia Giuffre, an image the royal claimed could have been doctored.

“What we do know is authorities are eager to speak to him,” Lisa added.

“That’s why it is now up to the palace to push for Andrew to front up unconditionally.”

But she said if he remains “under palace protection” the truth may never out.

“By any standard, that is simply not good enough,” Lisa said.

“For 68 years, the Queen has demonstrated herself to be someone who chooses duty over family. The greater good over personal interests.

“Surely in 2020, for Her Majesty and the royal family to retain any authority and respect, if she believes child sex slavery is a scourge that needs to be eradicated, and has any empathy for the dozens of victims of Jeffrey Epstein, then she simply has no option but to compel Andrew to fully co-operate with authorities.

“To quote former Australian of the Year, David Morrison: ‘The standard you walk past is the standard you accept.’”

US prosecutors want to speak to the prince about this relationship but say he is uncooperative. Andrew denies this.

“We would welcome Prince Andrew coming in to talk with us, we would like to have the benefit of his statement,” Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York Audrey Strauss said.

Andrew, 60, vehemently denies claims he had sex with a 17-year-old girl procured by Epstein.

Virginia Giuffre alleges she was trafficked for sex with Epstein's friends, and says she had sex with the prince at Maxwell's London home in 2001.

Andrew was forced to step back from frontline royal duties following outrage over a BBC interview in which he defended his friendship with Epstein.

With AFP

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