Prince Andrew announced Wednesday that he will "step back from public duties for the foreseeable future" because of the continuing controversy over the British royal's past friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Andrew also said he is willing to help law-enforcement investigations of the deceased wealthy investor and of Epstein's possible co-conspirators in his crimes.

"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 and the valuable work going on in the many organisations and charities that I am proud to support," the Duke of York said in a statement.

The Duke of York said he had asked for permission from his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, to withdraw from public duties, "and she has given her permission."

The announcement came days after Andrew gave a disastrous interview with the BBC about Epstein in which he denied having sex with one of Epstein's accusers, Virginia Giuffre, years ago. 

And it came on the day that Andrew's mother marked the 72nd anniversary of her marriage to Prince Philip, the Duke of Endinburgh.

"I continue to unequivocally regret my ill-judged association with Jeffrey Epstein," Andrew said.

"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," the prince said.

"I can only hope that, in time, they will be able to rebuild their lives. Of course, I am willing to help any appropriate law enforcement agency with their investigations, if required."

The U.S. Attorney's Office in Manhattan is continuing their probe of Epstein even after his death, and is focused on people who may have abetted his alleged sexual abuse of dozens of underage girls from 2002 through 2005 at his massive townhouse in New York City and his mansion in Palm Beach, Florida.

Andrew's performance during his televised interview over the weekend was widely criticized.

He claim that was incapable of sweating, as Giuffre described him doing when they were dancing at a night club.

And he said justified his decision to stay at Epstein's house in New York City for four days in 2010 during a visit to end their friendship by saying it was "a convenient place to stay."

That visit came two years after Epstein pleaded guilty to state charges in Florida, which included paying an underage girl for sexual services. Epstein served 13 months in jail in that case, although he was free on work release for much of that time, and also was required to register as a sex offender.

Epstein, 66, died in a Manhattan jail in August while awaiting trial on federal child sex trafficking charges. Authorities have ruled his death was the result of a suicide by hanging.

On Tuesday, two guards from the Metropolitan Correctional Center were arrested on federal charges of falsifying written records in an effort to cover up the fact that they had not conducted head counts on inmates including Epstein in the hours before he was found unresponsive in that jail with a noose around his neck.