The younger brother of the King of England, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, was arrested on the 19th of February on suspicion of passing classified government documents to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein; he was later released without charge, Reuters reports.
The arrest followed the release of the so-called Epstein files by the US Department of Justice. The documents shed light on the close ties that linked Epstein, who died in prison in 2019, to many politically and economically influential figures.
Given his strained relationship with Epstein, Mountbatten-Windsor was stripped of his royal title last fall and was also forced to vacate his residence. In 2022, the former prince was involved in a legal case when one of Epstein’s victims accused him of sexually abusing her when she was a teenager. Mountbatten-Windsor pleaded not guilty at the time, and the arrest is not related to the case. He has denied any wrongdoing, regretted his friendship with the American sex offender, and insisted he had never witnessed any sexual abuse.
Mountbatten-Windsor’s office did not respond to a request for comment and has not made any statements since the Epstein files were released.
What can be found in Epstein’s files about the former prince shows that he gave official government and internal documents to an American in 2010, while he was the British government’s trade envoy.
This is prohibited by confidentiality policies.
One of the messages Mountbatten-Windsor sent to Epstein in November 2010 included four reports on British government visits to Asia. On the same day, the British prince also sent a series of files from his private office, labeled Overseas Bids 301110. The documents also included detailed estimates of his commercial and charitable projects.
Another email reveals that Mountbatten-Windsor sent the sex offender a document described as a confidential report on potential international investment opportunities in Afghanistan. In the email, the British prince asked for Epstein’s ideas and advice. Another correspondence refers to a previous private conversation with Epstein about managing financial matters. It is not known whether the discussion was about the former prince’s duties as a trade envoy or something else.
The correspondence also shows that Mountbatten-Windsor passed sensitive or inside information to an Abu Dhabi banker, including information about a possible approach to luxury car manufacturer Aston Martin. This correspondence was also forwarded to Epstein.
Mountbatten-Windsor also planned private deals with Epstein while he was a trade envoy.
The documents show that Mountbatten-Windsor communicated with Epstein both before and after the American sex offender was convicted of soliciting minors for prostitution. In 2009, Epstein’s former housekeeper, Juan Alessi, testified that Mountbatten-Windsor spent weeks at the American’s house, receiving “massages” daily. The former prince has denied any wrongdoing during his time with Epstein.
In 2010, after Epstein’s house arrest ended, he wrote to Mountbatten-Windsor about a beautiful and trustworthy 26-year-old woman from Russia with whom the Briton might like to have dinner. The prince replied at the time that he would be happy to meet the woman and asked if she would pass on a message from Epstein. The files also include photographs showing Mountbatten-Windsor lying on the laps of several women, whose identities have been withheld.
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