Crisis management expert, founder of U.S.-based PR firm, tapped by ITV News in U.K. to talk Prince Andrew sex scandal

Crisis management expert Glenn Selig, founder of the crisis communications firm The Publicity Agency, appears live on ITV News in Great Britain. (Jan. 06, 2015)

Calling him “one of America’s leading PR experts,” Glenn Selig, founder and principal of the crisis communications firm The Publicity Agency, appeared on ITV News’ Good Morning Britain program to give his perspective on the sex scandal involving Prince Andrew.

In that scandal, U.S. billionaire investor Jeffrey Epstein is accused of forcing a then 17-year-old girl to have sex with Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, between 1999 and 2002, as part of Epstein’s elaborate sex-slave operation.

In 2008, Epstein pleaded guilty to one charge of soliciting prostitution and was sentenced to 18-months in jail. He served 13 months of that sentence and was forced to register as a sex offender.

The allegations against Prince Andrew emerged in evidence in another court case involving Epstein.

So far, Buckingham Palace has issued two separate denials that Prince Andrew slept with the alleged victim, Virginia Roberts.

“For the sake of argument, let’s assume that he is completely innocent of these charges, and if in fact that is the case, I would tell him to act innocent,” Selig, the crisis management expert, said on ITV’s Good Morning Britain. “Go about your business, do the things that you normally do and don’t act like somebody who has something to hide.”

Selig says it was vitally important for Buckingham Palace to issue statements denying the allegations rather than being silent.

“If I were advising him [the Prince] I’d want to know really what the truth is. What other potentially damaging information could come out in the coming days,” crisis communications expert Selig told ITV. “I’m a firm believer in getting in front of it. Don’t let the media discover things as this drags on day after day. This is a salacious story. The media is going to continue to cover this day after day if they can keep the story alive.”