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In the days since Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s unusual arrest on suspicion of misconduct in office, the former prince has faced a number of allegations, including his time as British trade envoy and his friendship with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Mountbatten-Windsor faces questions about how she traveled to visit Epstein and whether she used police protection as security during her time with him.
The former prince has not commented on the latest allegations. He has previously denied any wrongdoing in connection with Epstein, saying he never witnessed or suspected any of the acts of the accused sex offender. CNN has reached out to Mountbatten-Windsor for further comment.
Over the weekend, Gordon Brown, Britain’s prime minister from 2007 to 2010, called for a police investigation into whether Mountbatten-Windsor used a taxpayer-funded jet and a Royal Air Force (RAF) base to meet with Epstein, according to the Telegraph.
Mr Brown, who has played a leading role in demanding accountability for Britons with ties to Epstein, has written to six police forces suggesting they question civil servants about Mr Mountbatten-Windsor’s 10-year tenure as trade envoy until he was forced to resign in 2011.
In a letter reported by the Telegraph, Mr Brown expressed concern that the then Duke of York may have used a chartered RAF plane to transport Mr Epstein to a personal errand that may have involved him, calling the trip a “totally unacceptable” use of public funds.
The Telegraph reported that Brown only said the letter contained “new additional information”. A spokesperson for Mr. Brown confirmed to CNN that the letter was sent to police, but did not mention any new information that Mr. Brown claims was sent.
“We will only send the letter privately to the relevant police force and will not make it public while the investigation is ongoing,” the spokesperson said.
Emails released by the US Department of Justice also appear to show that officers from the taxpayer-funded Metropolitan Police Department were instructed to provide security for a dinner party at Epstein’s New York townhouse. In December 2010, more than a year after Epstein was released after serving 13 months of an 18-month sentence for soliciting prostitution from a minor, several emails discussed arrangements for the former prince to spend time with the disgraced sex offender.
In an exchange in November of that year, Mr. Andrew’s then-private secretary asked the person, whose name was redacted, to confirm Mr. Epstein’s address and “if there was space in his home for two of his protection officers.”
Afterwards, an internal discussion apparently took place among Epstein’s staff, with an unidentified person confirming that “there is room for both of Andrew’s bodyguards…one on the fourth floor and one on the fifth floor.”
A redacted email sent to Epstein by a staff member on Dec. 1 said: “Two of the Duke’s protectors and members of the National Guard are all scheduled to be here tomorrow for dinner. Rich gave them instructions at the door.”
As a senior working member of the royal family at the time, Prince Andrew would have had police protection as part of his security. Still, the email has sparked outrage in Britain over why authorities thought it was appropriate to devote police resources to allowing Mountbatten-Windsor to travel to the home of a convicted sex offender.
These emails are among 3.5 million documents released in a Justice Department document dump, raising questions about whether protection officers were aware of Andrew’s conduct.
On Friday, the Metropolitan Police Department announced that there has been no confirmation of any wrongdoing by protection staff at this time. The agency said it is continuing to evaluate information after the release of the Epstein files and is asking them to “identify and contact former and current police officers” and “carefully consider anything they may have seen or heard during their time on the job.”
The force also said it was aware of Department of Justice disclosures suggesting London airports may have been used to facilitate human trafficking and sexual exploitation.
“We are assessing this information and are actively seeking further details from our law enforcement partners, including the United States,” the force said, adding that “no new criminal charges have been laid” in relation to sex offenses in its jurisdiction and that it was working with the UK’s national co-ordination group, which was brought together to solve the case.
The Met said in response to an inquiry from CNN on Monday that it had nothing further to add to its latest statement.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is one of at least seven British police forces investigating or assisting with investigations following the disclosure of the Epstein files.
Essex Police previously announced that Epstein was being investigated for trafficking women on flights through London’s Stansted Airport. Bedfordshire Police said a similar investigation was underway “in relation to commercial flights arriving and departing from London Luton Airport”. Meanwhile, West Midlands Police told CNN they were “investigating” whether Birmingham Airport was used.
