Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor will face no police action in the U.K. for allegedly trying to uncover information about late Jeffrey Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre.
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson told BBC News on Saturday, December 13, that it would “take no further action” over accusations that the former prince, 65, asked his taxpayer-funded security detail to investigate Giuffre. According to the Mail on Sunday, Mountbatten-Windsor gave Giuffre’s date of birth and social security number to a security officer to aid with an investigation.
However, a Met spokesperson announced on Saturday that its assessment had not found “any additional evidence of criminal acts or misconduct.”
“The Met remains committed to thoroughly assessing any new information that could assist in this matter,” a police spokesperson said.”To date, we have not received any additional evidence that would support reopening the investigation. In the absence of any further information, we will be taking no further action.”
The statement continued. “As with any other matter, should new and relevant information be brought to our attention, including in any information resulting from the release of material in the U.S., we will assess it.”
Us Weekly reached out to Buckingham Palace for comment. Mountbatten-Windsor has not directly addressed these latest allegations but has always denied wrongdoing in relation to Epstein.
In the wake of the Met’s decision, Giuffre’s family released a statement saying they are “deeply disappointed” that U.K. police dropped the probe “without explanation and without speaking to us.”
“With the Epstein files about to be released by Congress since the passage of the Epstein Transparency Act, we are surprised that the Metropolitan Police didn’t wait to see what further evidence might appear,” Giuffre’s family said. “While we have hailed the U.K.’s overall handling of the case of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor previously, today we feel justice has not been served.”
Giuffre — who died by suicide at age 41 in April — first alleged in 2014 that convicted sex offender Epstein and his then-girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, trafficked her to Mountbatten-Windsor. The former prince told BBC’s Newsnight in 2019 that he “never had any sort of sexual contact” with Giuffre and doubted whether he’d ever met her “at all.”
Mountbatten-Windsor settled a civil sexual abuse lawsuit against Giuffre in 2022 without admitting any wrongdoing.
This week, House Democrats on the Oversight Committee released 19 archival photos recovered from the Epstein estate, including one featuring Mountbatten-Windsor with former Microsoft chairman Bill Gates. More than 95,000 photos have been recovered in the committee’s investigation thus far.
The pictures were released following the House overwhelmingly passing the Epstein Transparency Act on November 18 to force the Justice Department to release details of its investigation into the disgraced financier’s crimes. Epstein died by suicide at age 66 in August 2019, while Maxwell, 63, is serving a 20-year prison sentence for a conviction on sex trafficking charges.
While Mountbatten-Windsor has always denied knowing about or participating in Epstein’s crimes, he announced in October that he would give up his royal title.
“In discussion with The King, and my immediate and wider family, we have concluded the continued accusations about me distract from the work of His Majesty and the Royal Family,” Andrew said in a statement to Us on October 17. “I have decided, as I always have, to put my duty to my family and country first. I stand by my decision five years ago to stand back from public life.”
On October 30, Buckingham Palace confirmed to Us that King Charles III had initiated the process of stripping his brother of all royal titles. Mountbatten-Windsor will also be required to move out of Royal Lodge, which he acquired in 2003 as part of a 75-year peppercorn lease.
“Prince Andrew will now be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor. His lease on Royal Lodge has, to date, provided him with legal protection to continue in residence,” a Buckingham Palace statement read. “Formal notice has now been served to surrender the lease and he will move to alternative private accommodation. These censures are deemed necessary, notwithstanding the fact that he continues to deny the allegations against him.”
If you or someone you know is a human trafficking victim, contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.
Read the full article here
