Police probe sexual offence claims in Epstein Andrew investigation

Politics
22 May 2026 • 1:38 PM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

Police probe sexual offence claims in Epstein Andrew investigation

  • Police are urging a woman who claims Jeffrey Epstein sent her to the UK for a sexual encounter with Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor in 2010 to come forward.
  • Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, as the former prince is now known, was arrested in February on suspicion of misconduct in public office (MIPO).
  • Thames Valley Police have contacted the woman's lawyers and the US Department of Justice to obtain original documents from the Epstein files as part of their wider inquiry.
  • Assistant Chief Constable Oliver Wright stated that the 'door is always open' for Epstein's victims to engage with investigators, acknowledging the complexity and international scrutiny of the inquiry.
  • Police are assessing whether Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's former role as a UK trade envoy, which he held from 2001 to 2011, amounts to public office for the MIPO investigation.

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