London (CNN) Britain's Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, has told the BBC that he let the royal family down by associating himself with Jeffrey Epstein, even after the late disgraced financier was convicted as a sex offender.

"I stayed with him and that's ... that's the bit that ... I kick myself for on a daily basis," Prince Andrew said. "Because it was not something that was becoming of a member of the royal family and we try and uphold the highest standards and practices and I let the side down, simple as that."

Prince Andrew, Duke of York in July 2019

The Duke of York spoke with BBC Newsnight's Emily Maitlis in an interview recorded at Buckingham Palace on Thursday, answering questions about his relationship with Epstein for the first time. Portions of the interview were released ahead of the broadcast of the full interview, which will air Saturday on BBC Two.

The Duke faces serious allegations over his relationship with the 66-year-old financier, who died by suicide in August while awaiting trial on federal charges accusing him of sexually abusing underage girls and running a sex trafficking ring. Epstein had pleaded not guilty to the charges.

In 2015, one of Epstein's accusers, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, said in a federal court filing that she was forced to have sex with the prince while underage. She alleged Epstein forced her to perform sex acts with a number of prominent men, including the Duke of York in 2001. All have denied the allegations.

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