Prince Andrew 'asked Queen for permission' before being quizzed on Jeffrey Epstein links

Prince Andrew sought permission from the Queen to be questioned about his association with paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein, journalist Emily Maitlis has claimed.

The Duke of York came under intense scrutiny following his disastrous BBC Newsnight interview in 2019 over allegations that Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre was trafficked to have sex with the royal when she was 17. In a new two-part Channel 4 documentary, Andrew – The Problem Prince, former BBC journalist Ms Maitlis said the negative implications of the interview 'dawned' on the Queen 'before they dawned on him'.

Following the BBC broadcast in November 2019 and the furore over Andrew’s friendship with Epstein, the duke stepped down from public life. Last year, he reached an out-of-court settlement with Ms Giuffre reportedly worth up to 12 million US dollars - £9.6 million - following her civil sex claim against him in the US.

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He continues to deny any wrongdoing. Epstein was found dead in his cell at a federal jail in Manhattan in August 2019 while he was awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

His death was ruled a suicide. Ms Giuffre’s lawyer, Sigrid McCawley, told the documentary that the Newsnight interview gave her client the 'roadmap to tear him apart' in the civil claim.

Despite the BBC interview eventually leading to Andrew being stripped of his patronages and military affiliations, former Newsnight producer Sam McAlister claimed the royal was 'euphoric' afterwards because 'he thought it had gone really well'. Ms Maitlis told the Channel 4 documentary that people came into the room afterwards to invite her to a 'cinema night at the Palace'.

"A whole load of people came in and