Scotland Yard has announced it is expanding its inquiry into Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor by contacting all his former protection officers and reviewing records of flights at London airports to determine if they were used for human trafficking. The Metropolitan Police said it is identifying current and former officers who worked closely with the former prince in a personal protection capacity and asking them to consider whether anything they saw or heard may be relevant to ongoing reviews.
The disclosure is separate from the investigation that led to Mountbatten-Windsor's arrest on Thursday on suspicion of misconduct in public office. He spent 11 hours in a Norfolk police station, where his mugshot was taken. Thames Valley police searched his former home at Royal Lodge, Windsor, for a second day on Friday.
The Met also said it would examine claims that airports in the London area, including Heathrow, Biggin Hill, and RAF Northolt, were used by flights linked to Jeffrey Epstein to traffic women. Five other British forces are assessing whether similar claims about airports in their areas merit full criminal investigation. The Met stated it is actively seeking further detail from law enforcement partners, including those in the United States, following the release of millions of court documents relating to Epstein.
The National Police Chief's Council (NPCC) is coordinating the work of eight different forces investigating matters arising from Mountbatten-Windsor's relationship with Epstein. Police are seeking unredacted documents from the US Department of Justice. A national coordinating committee, led by Met assistant commissioner Louisa Rolfe on secondment to the NPCC, has been set up, and a senior detective will be recruited to help coordinate obtaining original documents from the US.
In a significant political development, the government said on Friday it would consider introducing legislation to remove Mountbatten-Windsor from the line of succession once police investigations have concluded. Mountbatten-Windsor could not be contacted for comment but has previously denied wrongdoing in relation to Epstein.
