The case just expand’s every day among the Rich and Famous…..
The British police on Thursday arrested Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew, over suspicions of misconduct in public office after accusations that he shared confidential information with Jeffrey Epstein while serving as a British trade envoy.
The arrest was a stunning blow to the British monarchy and escalated the long-running crisis for Buckingham Palace over the former prince’s ties to Mr. Epstein and allegations of sexual abuse of a young woman.
It also underscored a striking contrast in the official responses to the Epstein files. The British authorities have moved aggressively to investigate the possibility of crimes emerging from the three million pages of correspondence with Mr. Epstein, while the police in the United States have not.
In a remarkable written statement, King Charles III confirmed his brother’s arrest. A spokesman said that Buckingham Palace had not been informed of the arrest before it took place Thursday morning.
The police were seen on Thursday morning at the Sandringham Estate, the privately owned 20,000-acre country retreat of King Charles III and Queen Camilla in Norfolk, England, where Mr. Mountbatten-Windsor is living.
While Mr. Mountbatten-Windsor’s links to Mr. Epstein, the convicted sex offender, have been known for years, his arrest starts a new chapter in his public fall from grace. Last year, he was stripped of his royal titles and evicted from the Royal Lodge, his sprawling residence in Windsor.
Mr. Mountbatten-Windsor has consistently denied wrongdoing. His representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Here’s what else to know.
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Royal response: King Charles said he supported a “full, fair and proper process” regarding the investigation of his brother, adding that he backed the authorities involved: “In this, as I have said before, they have our full and wholehearted support and cooperation.” He added, “Let me state clearly: The law must take its course.”
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New disclosures: A tranche of documents released by the U.S. Department of Justice on Jan. 30 included a number of emails that suggested Mr. Mountbatten-Windsor may have shared confidential documents when working as a British trade envoy. In one email, he appears to forward to Mr. Epstein official reports about visits he made as envoy to South Asia in 2010 that were sent to him by his assistant.
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Earlier accusations: Virginia Roberts Giuffre, one of Mr. Epstein’s victims, said that the financier had trafficked her to Mr. Mountbatten-Windsor around 2001, when she was a teenager, and that he had raped her multiple times. In 2022, he paid Ms. Giuffre an undisclosed sum to settle a lawsuit in a New York court in which she said he had raped and sexually abused her when she was 17. Mr. Mountbatten-Windsor, who did not admit to any of Ms. Giuffre’s accusations against him in announcing the settlement, has denied any wrongdoing in relation to his friendship with Mr. Epstein.
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Broader orbit: The Epstein files have implicated several other members of the British elite. The police are investigating whether Peter Mandelson, a longtime British political operative who served as ambassador to the United States, committed “misconduct in public office” by sharing sensitive government documents with Mr. Epstein. He denies any criminal wrongdoing. The latest files also revealed that Sarah Ferguson, Mr. Mountbatten-Windsor’s ex-wife and the onetime Duchess of York, had carried on a long and personal correspondence with Mr. Epstein long after the disgraced financier was convicted of soliciting prostitution in 2008. Read more ›
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