Ex-Prince Andrew faces scrutiny over alleged sharing of confidential information with Jeffrey Epstein
Members of Britain’s royal family are not above the law, the country’s top prosecutor said on Sunday, as police investigate former Prince Andrew over allegations he leaked information to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Thames Valley Police said last week it was in discussions with the Crown Prosecution Service over allegations of misconduct in public office against Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the brother of King Charles III.
“Nobody is above the law,” Director of Public Prosecutions Stephen Parkinson told the Sunday Times. The prosecutor added he had “total confidence” that police would act independently and dismissed suggestions that the monarchy would receive special treatment.
“From my perspective, I don’t find it a difficult offense to prosecute because the core of it is a gross breach of trust by someone performing the function of a public officer,” he said.
The comments come as Thames Valley Police examine allegations that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor shared confidential information with Epstein during his tenure as Britain’s trade envoy from 2001 to 2011.
Scrutiny of his conduct intensified after emails disclosed in files related to Epstein suggested the former prince passed on sensitive material. Separate emails showed businessman David Stern, a friend and associate of Mountbatten-Windsor, was in regular contact with Epstein and accompanied the royal on publicly funded visits to Beijing, Hong Kong and Shenzhen in 2010.
Evidence compiled by the Mail alleges Mountbatten-Windsor used his government role to advance Epstein’s business interests.
Emails suggest the former Duke of York leaked sensitive information about Royal Bank of Scotland following its government bailout, while a senior palace aide reportedly passed a diplomatic cable on UK-China trade to a banker connected to Mountbatten-Windsor.
The correspondence also shows Epstein arranged a dinner in Beijing between the former prince and Jes Staley, later revealed as Epstein’s personal banker, and that Stern discussed pursuing “discreet” deals with Chinese officials after the 2010 trade mission.
Epstein reportedly boasted in an email that he was receiving intelligence from Mountbatten-Windsor and Peter Mandelson, the disgraced former UK ambassador to the US writing: “I’ve got the UK sewn up.”
Earlier this month, Mountbatten-Windsor was removed from his Royal Lodge residence in Windsor after losing his titles, as police assess BBC-reported claims that Epstein sent a woman to the UK for a sexual encounter with him there in 2010.
