Prince Andrew's accuser calls him a 'toad' as Epstein interview seen as 'source of regret'

Prince Andrew’s accuser has called him a “toad” after it emerged he regretted an interview about his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein that led to him stepping back from senior royal duties.

Virginia Giuffre, who says the Duke of York had sex with her three times when she was trafficked by Epstein, shared her furious reaction soon after she also revealed she is in hospital with bacterial meningitis.

Andrew, 60, stepped back from royal duties in November after admitting his friendship with disgraced financier Epstein had caused a distraction to his family’s work.

It was a BBC Newsnight interview in which he said he didn’t regret the friendship that caused the most harm.

Read more: Prince Andrew accuses US prosecutors of seeking publicity instead of answers

A source close to the duke told The Sunday Times: “I don’t think he regrets the intention behind the interview, which was to clear the air for his family, the royal family and the institution.

“But the fact he was unable to appropriately or sufficiently convey his sympathy for the victims of Epstein, is of course a source of regret.”

Giuffre, who now lives in Cairns, Australia, with her husband, tweeted: “Oh the gull of this toad- he regrets the BBC interview but not his ‘friendship’ with Epstein because it gave him ‘great contacts’ and much more.”

She added: “This man is not a prince but a facet of insidiousness who has proven to get away with it all.”

She says she was 17 on one of the occasions that the duke had sex with her, and so a minor under US law.

Andrew denies all the allegations.

Read more: Prince Andrew has 'very little credibility' says lawyer of Epstein victims

The fallout from Andrew’s friendship with Epstein continues as the duke’s private legal battle with American authorities became more public at the end of last week.

Having stayed quiet in the face of accusations that he was uncooperative, the duke issued a statement through his lawyers in which he said he had offered help on three occasions.

He accused American authorities of seeking headlines instead of help.

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US attorney Geoffrey Berman, who is leading the investigation into the disgraced financier, responded by accusing Andrew of attempting to “falsely portray himself to the public as eager and willing to co-operate”.

Giuffre is in hospital in Australia where she is being treated for bacterial meningitis, which she speculated might have been in part down to an immune system deficiency and stress.

She tweeted: “Back in the hospital- Again. This time bacterial meningitis. Went to the rainforest for the weekend with the fam and came back with something from the jungle. Day 3- just had to get a spinal tap- talk about pain! Pls send me some love vibes from all my friends on Twitter.”