was forced to step back from his royal duties

after the public learned about his suspicious friendship

with sex offender and "suicide victim" Jeffrey Epstein.

And now the prince's situation is getting even worse.

Prince Andrew is under new fire here in the U.S.,

an American prosecutor issuing the royal a rare public scolding

in the investigation into his former friend,

the late Jeffrey Epstein.

REPORTER: In an unusual move today,

the U.S. attorney called out the royal

for refusing to answer questions

in their investigation of his former friend.

Would you be willing to testify

or give a statement under oath if you were asked?

Well, I'm like everybody else,

and-and I'm-- a-and I would have to take,

um, all the legal advice,

um, that there was

before I was to-to do that sort of-of thing.

But i-if push came to shove

and the leg... (coughs)

the legal advice was to do so,

then I would be dutybound to do so.

Okay, I know his mouth said he's willing to cooperate,

but his head said no, like, 300 times.

And I'm not a body language expert,

but that dude's head looks ready to plead guilty.

(coughing)

I got to say, Prince Andrew is one shady-ass prince.

Right? I bet even Nigerian princes are looking at this guy,

like, "Clearly, he is lying, huh?

"You cannot trust a single word he is saying,

"or my name isn't the Honorable Prince Daniel Wachuku,

routing number 80754."

It's also crazy,

it really is crazy to me that Harry and Meghan

have to renounce their royal titles

just because they want to live in Canada and work for a living.

This guy is protecting his pedophile friend,

and they're like, "Yeah, you can stay a prince.

"Yeah, in fact, wh-why not take Harry and Meghan's titles, too?

"Long live Prince Prince Andrew, the princess!

Yeah!"

I actually wonder how far this will go,

because this is a big story, you know?

The FBI coming out saying, like,

"Andrew doesn't want to cooperate."

What's gonna happen?

Are the U.S. authorities gonna--

got to go to Buckingham Palace?

Is it gonna be raided by the Navy SEALs?

That could get ugly, 'cause you know the queen

won't go down without a fight.