The Duke of York has hired a PR expert who specialises in crisis management in a desperate bid to restore his reputation.
Prince Andrew, 60, has enlisted the services of Mark Gallagher, nicknamed ‘the backroom fixer’, to deal with the fallout of the Jeffrey Epstein scandal.
Mr Gallagher previously helped exonerate VIPs falsely accused of paedophilia by fantasist Carl Beech in 2014.
Operation Midland saw dawn raids at high profile addresses including the home of D-Day veteran Lord Bramall.
But Beech’s claims against the likes of Harvey Proctor, the former MP, Field Marshal Lord Bramall and the late Lord Brittan were all found to be false.
Mr Gallagher, who founded PR agency Pagefield in 2010, advises a number of individuals, all through his second business – Riverside Advisory.
Prince Andrew, 60, (right on Monday outside a memorial service at St Georges Chapel) has enlisted the services of Mark Gallagher (left), nicknamed ‘the backroom fixer’, to deal with the fallout of the Jeffrey Epstein scandal
His firm Pagefield has also worked with the Royal Family. It was hired to help deliver a PR programme for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012.
In a testimony on the Pagefield website, Edward Young, Deputy Private Secretary to the Queen, said: ‘Her Majesty was delighted. Very seasoned hands in our press office say they cannot remember a day that got such amazing coverage.’
The Duke of York’s decision to hire Gallagher, as reported by The Daily Telegraph, comes after he recruited an extradition lawyer once used by Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet after the FBI demanded an interview over his links to Epstein.
Claire Montgomery QC, known as the leading extradition lawyer in the UK, is said to be advising the 60-year-old Duke, after being instructed by Gary Bloxsome, a leading defence solicitor who has worked on similar cases in the past.
Epstein, 66, killed himself in prison awaiting a trial on sex trafficking charges and the FBI wants to speak to Andrew about what he saw or knew – not because he committed any crime
Ms Montgomery, of Matrix Chambers, is a specialist with dealing with ‘cross border challenges’, according to her resume.
The decision followed reports by a US lawyer that Andrew has ‘completely shut the door’ on co-operating with investigators over the probe into sex offender Epstein.
Andrew stepped away from royal duties following his disastrous Newsnight interview in November about his relationship with Epstein, who killed himself in his jail cell while awaiting trial for sex trafficking.
In a statement released four days later, the duke said he was ‘willing to help any appropriate law enforcement agency with their investigations, if required’.
But Geoffrey Berman, who is leading the Epstein inquiry, told reporters on Monday: ‘Contrary to Prince Andrew’s very public offer to co-operate with our investigation into Epstein’s co-conspirators, an offer that was conveyed via press release, Prince Andrew has now completely shut the door on voluntary co-operation and our office is considering its options.’
Mr Berman told a news conference in January the duke had ‘provided zero co-operation’, claiming his lawyers had been contacted by prosecutors and the FBI as part of the probe.
Andrew stepped away from royal duties following his disastrous Newsnight interview in November (pictured) about his relationship with Epstein, who killed himself in his jail cell while awaiting trial for sex trafficking.
Prince Andrew has allegedly refused to cooperate with the Jeffrey Epstein probe in the US despite publicly offering to help. Pictured are Prince Andrew and Epstein accuser, Virginia Roberts, pictured together at a time where Virginia claims Andrew had sex with her three times
But a few days later, Andrew was reported to be ‘angry and bewildered’ at the claims by the US authorities, with The Telegraph quoting a source as saying: ‘The duke is more than happy to talk to the FBI but he hasn’t been approached by them yet.’
Soon after the lawyer’s comments, Andrew’s sex accuser Virginia Roberts slammed the duke’s alleged decision not to co-operate and branded him ‘guilty as sin’.
She tweeted: ‘That was expected- I knew he’d never help with any probe or investigation because he’s guilty as sin.’
Epstein’s missing ‘pimp’ Ghislaine Maxwell and her lawyer are reportedly behind Andrew’s alleged decision not to speak to the FBI on the ground it would ‘do no good’, reports The Sun.
Family friend Laura Goldman said: ‘Ghislaine told me that yes, the lawyers and Ghislaine have finally convinced Andrew that it would do no good for him to talk to the FBI.
‘The FBI will never be satisfied. Nothing happened. However the FBI doesn’t want to hear that.’
Andrew’s failure to speak to the FBI is inflicting more pain and suffering on Epstein’s victims who feel like they are in a ‘torture chamber’, their lawyer claimed yesterday.
Gloria Allred, who represents five women who were allegedly abused by the Duke of York’s paedophile friend, has revealed she sent a letter to the royal’s Windsor home urging him to help the authorities but has not had any reply.
Ms Allred also believes that claims Andrew has not been contacted by the authorities in the US are false.
She said: ‘This is so hypocritical on the part of Prince Andrew. There is this drip drip drip and this torture chamber where he says he will speak to them, then he won’t, then he will with conditions. This does nothing but inflict more pain and suffering on the victims’.
Ms Allred told the BBC: ‘Prince Andrew didn’t say what he meant or mean what he said when he was sympathetic to the victims of Jeffrey Epstein and that he would speak to the authorities, the FBI and the Department of Justice if required. He’s shutting the door.
‘I understand he has been contacted by the authorities. I sent a letter to his home in December on behalf of the victims asking him to speak to the FBI. He doesn’t have to come here – he can speak to them in the UK’.
Buckingham Palace said in a statement on Monday: ‘This issue is being dealt with by The Duke of York’s legal team. Buckingham Palace will not be commenting further on this particular matter.’
Andrew was pictured attending a memorial service at St George’s Chapel in Windsor on Monday.