London, Feb 4 (PTI) Former prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor exited the Royal Lodge on Windsor Castle estate as shocking disclosures from late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s controversial files continued to pile pressure across UK political circles on Wednesday.
Andrew, the 65-year-old brother of King Charles III, was to vacate his residence on the 77-year-old monarch’s royal estate as part of the stripping of all his titles last year, with further allegations this week of inappropriate conduct hastening that move.
Buckingham Palace sources confirmed the exit even as UK police admitted assessing new information linked with the former Duke of York.
“We are aware of reports about a woman said to have been taken to an address in Windsor in 2010 for sexual purposes. We are assessing the information in line with our established procedures,” a Thames Valley Police spokesperson said.
“We take any reports of sexual crimes extremely seriously and encourage anyone with information to come forward. At this time, these allegations have not been reported to Thames Valley Police by either the lawyer or their client,” the spokesperson said.
It followed a woman’s lawyer claiming the victim spent a night with the then-prince before a tour of Buckingham Palace. Andrew has previously denied wrongdoing, even as pressure continues to mount on him to testify in the US over Epstein’s crimes.
The issue resonated across Parliament as British Prime Minister Keir Starmer faced off with Opposition Leader Kemi Badenoch in the Commons over the appointment of Peter Mandelson as the US ambassador, before having to sack him after the extent of his association with the convicted paedophile hit the headlines.
“Mandelson betrayed our country, our Parliament and my party,” Starmer said during Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs).
“He lied repeatedly to my team when asked about his relationship with Epstein, before and during his tenure as ambassador. I regret appointing him. If I knew then what I know now, he never would have been anywhere near government,” he said.
The UK PM confirmed that Mandelson will be stripped of his House of Lords seat and will also be removed as a member of the Privy Council, a prestigious post as a member of the British monarch’s close circle.
“To learn that there was a Cabinet minister leaking sensitive information at the heart of the 2008 crash is beyond infuriating,” said Starmer, with reference to alleged emails passed between Mandelson and Epstein when he was part of the Gordon Brown-led government in 2010.
He said that he had sanctioned his team to refer material to the police for a criminal investigation into these emails associated with Mandelson, who was sacked as the UK’s ambassador to the US last year.
“I can confirm that the Metropolitan Police has now launched an investigation into a 72-year-old man, a former government minister, for misconduct in public office offences,” said Commander Ella Marriott of the Metropolitan Police.
“The Met will continue to assess all relevant information brought to our attention as part of this investigation and won’t be commenting any further at this time,” she said.
The Opposition Tories tabled a parliamentary motion calling for the release of all the documents related to the vetting process that led to Mandelson being inducted back into frontline politics despite his known association with Epstein.
“This is a man who had been sacked from Cabinet twice already for unethical behaviour,” said Badenoch.
The government has expressed willingness for transparency of the vetting process of Peter Mandelson, “except papers prejudicial to UK national security or international relations”. PTI AK ZH ZH
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