The brother and sister-in-law of Virginia Giuffre, one of Jeffrey Epstein's most high-profile victims, have criticised the appointment of Lord Peter Mandelson as UK ambassador to the United States.
Ms Giuffre, who died by suicide in April aged 41, had alleged she was sexually abused by Prince Andrew on three occasions when she was 17 and a victim of trafficking.
She had become one of Epstein's most prominent accusers in recent years.
Lord Mandelson was dismissed from his ambassadorial role on Thursday following the publication of emails revealing he had sent supportive messages to Epstein even as the financier faced jail for sex offences.
A birthday book for Epstein's 50th birthday included a handwritten message from Mandelson, alongside a photo of him smiling while talking to Epstein in a bathrobe.
In their first UK broadcast interview, Ms Giuffre's brother, Sky Roberts, and sister-in-law Amanda Roberts spoke to the BBC's Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg.
Asked whether Lord Mandelson should have been appointed in February, Mr Roberts said: 'Absolutely not. He should not have been given the position in the first place.'
Ms Roberts added: 'Why does it take us to have to pull out the skeletons for people to be held accountable? Our governments have allowed these people to hold their status and their title without shame, and so part of me is like, we should have done something sooner. He should have never been given that title.'
Prince Andrew has consistently denied any wrongdoing, saying he did not recall ever meeting Ms Giuffre.
He stepped down from public duties in 2019 following widespread criticism of his friendship with Epstein, particularly after a BBC Newsnight interview in which he discussed his alleged alibi on the night Ms Giuffre claimed abuse occurred.
After Ms Giuffre brought a civil case against him, Prince Andrew settled out of court in 2021 for an undisclosed sum.
Ms Roberts said the royal family had not contacted their family following the settlement and expressed the belief that more revelations could emerge.
The Mail on Sunday reported that Prince Andrew could face further questions from the US Congress regarding hundreds of thousands of documents relating to Epstein, including over 100 emails allegedly exchanged between the prince and Epstein, some of which are described as 'incriminating.'
A source told the newspaper: 'If you think what's happened to Peter Mandelson is bad then you have no idea what will happen when the Andrew emails are released. They are embarrassing and incriminating and he could be destroyed.'
Epstein died by suicide in a US jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial.
A memoir of Virginia Giuffre's life, titled Nobody's Girl, is scheduled for release in October.