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Starmer emphasizes legal equality amid Andrew allegations
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer reaffirmed on Thursday that no individual, including Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, is exempt from legal scrutiny. Speaking to BBC Breakfast, he declined to comment on whether the former prince should voluntarily cooperate with British police investigations.
Police examine multiple allegations
Law enforcement agencies are reviewing claims that a woman was trafficked to the UK by the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein for an encounter with Andrew. The allegations surfaced following the release of US documents related to Epstein's trafficking probe. Andrew has consistently denied any wrongdoing.
Thames Valley Police are separately assessing whether there are grounds to investigate Andrew for suspected misconduct in public office and breaches of official secrecy. The force is also examining claims, first reported by the BBC, that a second woman was sent to the UK by Epstein in 2010 for a sexual encounter at Andrew's Royal Lodge residence.
New details emerge from US files
Millions of documents released by the US Department of Justice last month revealed further details about Andrew's association with Epstein. The files included photographs of Andrew kneeling over a woman on the ground and references to his alleged sharing of sensitive government and commercial information with the disgraced financier.
The former prince relocated from his Windsor home to the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk after the release of additional email correspondence showing continued contact with Epstein years after the financier's 2008 guilty plea for soliciting a minor.
Calls for testimony grow
Starmer reiterated his stance that anyone with relevant information should testify, whether before UK authorities or US Congress. "Anybody who has any information should come forward to whatever the relevant body is," he said.
Pressure on Andrew to testify in the US has intensified, with officials and the family of his accuser, Virginia Giuffre, urging him to provide evidence. Giuffre, who died by suicide last year, alleged in a 2014 lawsuit that she was trafficked by Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell and forced to have sex with Andrew when she was 17. Andrew settled the civil case in 2022 for an estimated £12 million.
UK police forces launch preliminary inquiries
Nine police forces across the UK are evaluating whether to open investigations into Epstein-related allegations. The Metropolitan Police confirmed it had begun "initial inquiries" into claims involving former protection officers assigned to Andrew. A retired senior Met officer told LBC that members of the Royalty and Specialist Protection unit may have "wilfully turned a blind eye" during visits to Epstein's private island.
"We have not identified any wrongdoing, but initial enquiries into these specific allegations have begun so we can establish the facts,"
Metropolitan Police statement
Parliamentary debate possible
Starmer indicated he would not obstruct a parliamentary debate on Andrew's ties to Epstein if MPs sought to discuss the matter. The prime minister's remarks underscore the growing scrutiny of the former prince's connections to the disgraced financier.
