Police making 'inquiries' into Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's protection officers

By Martin Evans

The Metropolitan Police are examining allegations that royal protection officers "turned a blind eye" when they travelled to Jeffrey Epstein's island with Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.

Scotland Yard is assessing claims made by an unnamed former bodyguard that members of the Royalty and Specialist Protection Command may have become too close to the former Duke of York when working for him.

The former Met officer alleges that Mr Mountbatten-Windsor's protection team travelled with him to Epstein's Little St James island on at least two occasions, including one when they flew on the paedophile financier's private jet.

Numerous women have alleged that they were trafficked to the island where they were abused.

Scotland Yard said: "Initial enquiries into these specific allegations have begun so we can establish the facts."

At least eight other police forces are assessing whether to launch investigations into Epstein-related allegations.

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On Wednesday, West Midlands Police confirmed it was examining the private flights into and out of Birmingham Airport following the release of the Epstein files.

Surrey Police also urged people with information to come forward about claims of human trafficking and sexual assault from the 1990s, which appeared in the Epstein files.

Meanwhile, the National Crime Agency, known as "Britain's FBI", is working alongside police forces who are assessing allegations made in the Epstein files.

The retired officer told LBC: "The big question for me is what Andrew's protection team witnessed on Epstein island.

"I'm not suggesting they definitely witnessed any criminality from Andrew, but there was concern that certain members of the royal protection team wilfully turned a blind eye to what was happening on the island."

A Metropolitan Police spokesman told The Telegraph: "Protection officers are held to the same high standards of professional behaviour as all police officers.

"At this time, we have not identified any wrongdoing by any protection officers. However, initial enquiries into these specific allegations have begun so we can establish the facts.

"As with any investigation, should any new allegations come to light these will be assessed in the usual way. This includes any misconduct or criminal matters. It would be inappropriate for us to comment further while other enquiries related to these matters are ongoing."

Last year it was alleged that Mr Mountbatten-Windsor asked one of his royal protection officers to look into the background of Virginia Giuffre after she came forward to allege that she had been trafficked to Britain and forced to have sex with the former prince.

It was claimed that he had given the officer Ms Giuffre's date of birth and social security number, just before a photograph of the pair was published in a newspaper in February 2011.

Scotland Yard said it had carried out an assessment into the claims about the alleged actions of the bodyguard but had not uncovered "any additional evidence of criminal acts or misconduct".

Human trafficking allegations

Surrey Police have urged anyone with information about human trafficking allegations that have emerged in the latest batch of Epstein Files to come forward and speak to detectives.

The claims, made as part of an anonymous tip, alleged that a woman was restrained on a table and "tortured with electrical shocks" by Ghislaine Maxwell, while Mr Mountbatten-Windsor and other men watched.

According to a heavily redacted FBI report from July 2020, the alleged events took place in Virginia Water, Surrey, between 1994 and 1996.

A spokesman for Surrey Police said they had found no evidence of the allegations being reported to them at the time or since.

Meanwhile, Essex Police has said it is assessing information about private flights to and from Stansted Airport following information released as part of the Epstein files.

It has been alleged that Epstein was able to use the airport to fly in girls from Eastern Europe.

Bedfordshire Police is also understood to be assessing flight logs relating to Luton Airport.

Norfolk Police said it was also reviewing documents brought to their attention, but said they had not yet received any allegations and were not currently conducting any investigations.

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