Police to question Andrew’s former protection officers over his Epstein links | UK news
Scotland Yard has announced it will expand its investigation into Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor by reaching out to all former guards and reviewing flight logs at London airports to see if they are being used for people smuggling.
The Metropolitan Police statement is separate from the investigation that led to the former prince’s arrest on Thursday on suspicion of abuse of public office, but underscores the complex nature of multiple investigations now focusing on King Charles’ brother.
The National Police Chief Council (NPCC) is helping to coordinate the work of eight different forces investigating matters arising from Mountbatten-Windsor’s relationship with disgraced child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Police are understood to be seeking unredacted documents relating to Andrew from the US Department of Justice.
In another major political development, the government said on Friday it would consider introducing legislation to remove Mountbatten-Windsor from the line of succession once police investigations are concluded.
Mountbatten-Windsor spent 11 hours at Norfolk police station on Thursday, during which her mugshot was taken. Thames Valley police searched his former home at Royal Lodge in Windsor for a second day on Friday.
The Metropolitan police, which provides highly trained protection officers to VIPs, said on Friday it had identified and contacted current and former serving officers who may have worked closely with Mountbatten-Windsor in a personal protection capacity.
“They have been asked to carefully consider whether anything they have seen or heard during their time of service is relevant to our ongoing investigations and to share any information that may assist us,” the statement said.
The Met also said it would investigate allegations that airports in the London area were used by Epstein-bound flights to traffic women.
Five other British forces are examining whether such allegations about airports in their territory merit a full criminal investigation. Airports the Met will examine include Heathrow, Biggin Hill and RAF Northolt, which hosts private flights.
The Met said: “Following the further publication of millions of court documents relating to Jeffrey Epstein by the United States Department of Justice, we are aware of the allegation that London airports may have been used to facilitate human trafficking and sexual exploitation.
“We are evaluating this information and actively seeking further details from law enforcement partners, including those in the United States.”
As well as the Met, as many as seven other powers so far are seeking unredacted documents from the Epstein files held by US authorities as they investigate the disgraced financier’s links to British figures.
The disclosure earlier this month of millions of documents held by US authorities about Epstein led to former prince and former Labor Cabinet minister Peter Mandelson being criminally investigated for misconduct in public office after he allegedly passed sensitive material to Epstein.
Mountbatten-Windsor could not be reached for comment but has denied any wrongdoing regarding Epstein in the past. Mandelson denied any wrongdoing and apologized for his relationship with Epstein.
A national co-ordination committee has been set up for the various police investigations, led by the Met’s current deputy commissioner, Louisa Rolfe, who now sits at the NPCC.
The Guardian understands a senior detective will be hired by the committee to help co-ordinate matters such as retrieving original documents from the US.
Formal requests will be made by the National Crime Agency, and some forces say they will use artificial intelligence to dismantle the mass of material held in the Epstein files.
A senior source said: “There are millions of documents that we don’t want redacted. We need to turn this into evidence. It’s a huge job. You’ll never get a conviction based on a few redacted emails.”
The five forces considering allegations about Epstein’s flights to airports in their area are Norfolk, Essex, Bedfordshire, West Midlands and Police Scotland. Surrey and Thames Valley police forces are investigating allegations of sexual harassment by the former prince.
The allegations of misconduct in public office stem from his tenure as UK trade ambassador, a position he held in 2001 before resigning a decade later because of his friendship with Epstein.
Although no request is believed to have been made yet, the Cabinet Office is understood to be prepared to provide any government documents relating to Mountbatten-Windsor’s time as trade envoy if police request it.
Its remit is carried out by UK Trade and Investment, a now defunct agency jointly managed by the Foreign Office and the business department, while the Cabinet Office is the lead department for such investigations. He is reviewing documents to be published regarding the appointment of Peter Mandelson as US ambassador.
Mounbatten-Windsor was released under investigation on Thursday evening, meaning there were no restrictions on her freedom.
A spokesman said detectives had not yet received formal early investigation advice from the Crown Prosecution Service. This suggests that any decision on whether the king’s brother will face charges is taking more time.
