* Prince Andrew steps down from public duties

* Andrew says Epstein scandal affecting the royal family

* Prince regrets “ill-judged association” with Epstein

* Andrew willing to help law enforcement agencies (Adds details, background)

By Andy Bruce and Michael Holden

Andrew, Queen Elizabeth’s second son, denies an allegation that he had sex with a 17-year-old girl procured for him by his friend Epstein, who killed himself in a U.S. prison in August while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

The scandal has escalated since Andrew’s rambling explanations in a disastrous BBC TV interview aired on Saturday left many viewers incredulous, and his apparent lack of compassion for Epstein’s victims drew widespread condemnation.

As the story dominated news headlines for a fourth day and a slew of businesses distanced themselves from organisations and charities associated with the prince, he said he would step down from public life for the time being and speak to police about Epstein.

“It has become clear to me over the last few days that the circumstances relating to my former association with Jeffrey Epstein has become a major disruption to my family’s work,” he said in a statement issued by Buckingham Palace.

“Therefore, I have asked Her Majesty if I may step back from public duties for the foreseeable future, and she has given her permission,” said Andrew, 59, whose official title is the Duke of York.

“Of course, I am willing to help any appropriate law enforcement agency with their investigations, if required.”

Andrew’s conduct has overshadowed much of the political campaigning for Britain’s parliamentary election on Dec. 12.

In a televised debate on Tuesday night, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the monarchy was “beyond reproach” while opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn said the institution “needs a bit of improvement” and that there were questions to be answered.

THE FAVOURITE

Andrew, widely reputed to be the favourite of the queen’s three sons, has been under scrutiny over his friendship with Epstein for the past several years.

He quit as Britain’s roving trade ambassador in 2011 after being lambasted for his links to the financier after he was jailed in 2008 for child sex offences.

Then in 2015, one of Epstein’s accusers, Virginia Giuffre, said she was forced to have sex with Andrew in London, New York and on a private Caribbean island between 1999 and 2002, when she says Epstein kept her as a “sex slave”.

In his BBC interview, he categorically denied the sex claims and gave a series of explanations as to why her account was not true, such as not being able to sweat and being at a pizza restaurant in the suburban town of Woking, provoking derision and ridicule in newspapers and social media.

Rather than drawing a line under the accusations, the interview led to more questions and businesses pulling out of supporting his charities and Pitch@Palace scheme to help young tech entrepreneurs.

BT, one of Britain’s oldest companies and its largest broadband provider, said on Wednesday told a scheme that helps develop digital skills to drop Andrew as its patron if it wanted to maintain its support.

“I continue to unequivocally regret my ill-judged association with Jeffrey Epstein,” Andrew said in his latest statement. “His suicide has left many unanswered questions, particularly for his victims, and I deeply sympathise with everyone who has been affected and wants some form of closure.”

FROM HELICOPTER PILOT TO “AIRMILES ANDY”

As a young man, Andrew was one of the most popular royals, acclaimed by the British press for his active service as a helicopter pilot during the 1982 Falklands War and earning the nickname “”Randy Andy” for his courting of glamorous girlfriends.

He turned heads when he dated U.S. actress Koo Stark who had appeared in a soft-porn film.

But, the once second-in-line to the throne dropped in the public’s affection and as he slipped down the line of succession, he was dubbed “Airmiles Andy” over accusations of a lavish jetset playboy lifestyle, funded by the taxpayer.

His 1986 marriage to flame-haired Sarah Ferguson, which was hailed as a breath of fresh air to the monarchy, ended in divorce a decade later but she remains one of his strongest supporters.

“Andrew is a true+real gentleman and is stoically steadfast to not only his duty but also his kindness + goodness,” she wrote on Twitter on Friday.

Queen Elizabeth appeared at reception on Wednesday to present the naturalist David Attenborough with an award. She made no comment about Andrew.

(Editing by Guy Faulconbridge and Angus MacSwan)