Prince Andrew, the second son of Queen Elizabeth II, says he will be stepping down from public duties “for the foreseeable future.” The announcement comes only days after a BBC interview regarding allegations surrounding his relationship with prolific pedophile Jeffery Epstein was released.

Andrew has repeatedly denied all allegations surrounding a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old—a relationship made by his personal friend Jeffrey Epstein, who “committed suicide” in his New York prison cell in August, according to the New York state coordinator.

“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 organizations and charities that I am proud to support,” Andrew said in a statement on Wednesday.

“Therefore, I have asked Her Majesty if I may step back from public duties for the foreseeable future, and she has given her permission.”

Andrew went on to say that he “unequivocally regrets” his “ill-judged association” with Epstein, a relationship that continued even after Epstein had been convicted for sex crimes.

“His suicide has left many unanswered questions, particularly for his victims, and I deeply sympathize with everyone who has been affected and wants some form of closure. I can only hope that, in time, they will be able to rebuild their lives,” he wrote.

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

Attention was drawn towards Prince Andrew after broadcaster Amy Robach was heard on leaked footage stating that the Palace sent legal letters to ABC following a spiked story regarding Epstein.

“Then the Palace found out that we had [Jeffrey Epstein’s accuser’s] allegations about Prince Andrew and threatened us a million different ways. We were so afraid we wouldn’t be able to interview Kate and Will that we quashed the story,” said Robach on the hot mic obtained by Project Veritas.