Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's Name Surfaced in 2011 FBI Epstein Inquiry
Recently disclosed documents by the US Department of Justice have revealed that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the former prince, was on the radar of American law enforcement for nearly 15 years before his arrest by British police on Thursday. His name came up during a 2011 FBI inquiry into the late financier Jeffrey Epstein, as detailed in investigative records.
Mountbatten-Windsor has consistently denied all allegations of misconduct related to Epstein. The documents show that in March 2011, FBI agents traveled to Australia after an Epstein victim contacted federal prosecutors in south Florida, claiming she had "information pertinent" to Epstein and his accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell.
Victim's Allegations and FBI Interview Details
The victim's name is redacted in the documents, but the details closely align with public and legal claims made by Virginia Giuffre, a well-known Epstein accuser who died by suicide last year. Giuffre alleged that Epstein abused her and that he and Maxwell trafficked her to other men, including the fallen royal.
During the FBI interview, the woman stated she was a locker-room attendant at Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach. Maxwell approached her after seeing her read a book on massage or anatomy, offering a position as a traveling masseuse. She told investigators that she traveled with Maxwell and Epstein to London, where they visited a nightclub with Mountbatten-Windsor.
She alleged that she and the then-royal engaged in sexual activity at Maxwell's home and also at Epstein's Manhattan residence, according to the FBI document. Andrew has repeatedly denied these allegations, notably during his 2019 Newsnight interview, where he claimed he was elsewhere at the time, specifically at a Pizza Express in Woking with his daughter Beatrice.
Post-Epstein Arrest Developments and Law Enforcement Pressure
Following Epstein's arrest, Mountbatten-Windsor appeared more prominently in ongoing inquiries. An internal Department of Justice memo from 19 December 2019 indicated prosecutors were interested in speaking with him, noting plans to request an interview once his lawyer's contact information was obtained.
Epstein died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges, and Maxwell was convicted in 2021 for her role in Epstein's abuse of teen girls. Geoffrey Berman, the Manhattan US attorney overseeing Epstein's prosecution, publicly criticized Mountbatten-Windsor for alleged non-cooperation.
In statements from January and March 2020, Berman emphasized that despite public offers to help, Mountbatten-Windsor provided "zero" cooperation and had "completely shut the door" on voluntary interviews. Berman reiterated that the investigation's doors remained open if the former prince was serious about assisting.
Contact information for Mountbatten-Windsor's press representative was not immediately available for comment. The documents, while not all accessible online, have been preserved in archives, highlighting the long-standing scrutiny from US authorities.
